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Rules of the Civil Trial Division, Harris County District Courts — Harris County, as registered in the statewide TOPICs local-rules registry (posted 01/01/2023). The operative requirements are quoted verbatim; the registered document is the controlling text.
Texas > Harris County > Civil Trial Division of the Judicial District Courts
To the end that this objective may be attained with as great expedition and dispatch and at the least expense, both to the litigants and to the state, as may be practicable, the rules shall be applied to ensure that, so far as reasonably possible, all matters are brought to trial or final disposition in conformity with the following standards: … The district clerk shall supply to the Administrative Judge of the Civil Trial Division, on a monthly basis, information concerning the number of filings, dispositions, trials and other judicial activities in each court in the Civil Trial Division. … On being filed, a case in the Civil Trial Division shall be assigned randomly to the docket of one of the courts in that Division. … Any claim for relief based upon a prior judgment shall be assigned to the court of original judgment. … Any matter filed after a non-suit, dismissal for want of prosecution, or other disposition of a previous filing involving substantially-related parties and claims shall be assigned by the Administrative Judge of the Civil Trial Division to the court where the prior matter was pending. … Subject to subpart c, a motion to consolidate cases must be heard in the court where the first filed case is pending. … Subject to subpart c, a motion to consolidate discovery in separate cases must be heard in the court where the first filed case is pending. … When a severed case has previously been consolidated from another court, the case shall upon severance be assigned to the court from which it was consolidated. … Any case may be transferred from one court to another court by written order of the Administrative Judge of the Civil Trial Division or by written order of the judge of the court from which the case is transferred; provided, however, that in the latter instance the transfer must be with the written consent of the court to which the case is transferred. … In all cases where a court presides for another court, the case shall remain pending in the original court. … If available, the judge who signed an order shall preside over any motion for contempt of that order, except as otherwise provided in Sec. … If a case is on the docket of a court by any manner other than as prescribed by these rules, the Administrative Judge of the Civil Trial Division shall transfer the case to the proper court. … Motions shall be in writing and shall be accompanied by a proposed order granting the relief sought. … The proposed order shall be a separate instrument, unless the entire motion, order, signature lines and certificate of service are all on one page. … Responses shall be in writing and shall be accompanied by a proposed order. … Motions shall state Monday at 8:00 a.m. as the date for written submission. … This date shall be at least 10 days from filing, except on leave of court. … Responses shall be filed at least two working days before the date of submission, except on leave of court. … The notice of oral hearing shall state the time and date. … Unopposed motions shall be labeled "Unopposed" in the caption. … Cases shall be set for trial by order of the court. … Cases shall be set for trial for a date certain. … If a case is not assigned to trial by the second Friday after the date it was set, whether because of a continuance or because it was not reached, the court shall reset the case to a date certain. … Unless all parties agree otherwise, the new setting must comply with all requisites of T.R.C.P. … In requests for ancillary relief, the Ancillary Judge shall hear the matters as "Judge Presiding" for the court in which the case is pending. … (a) Cases on file for more than 120 days in which no answer has been filed or is required by law; …
Reviewer note: Operative mandatory-language provisions quoted verbatim from the registered document; the full document (sha256 0dddc69a203f…) is the controlling text. Scope correction 2026-08-21: the instrument governs the whole Civil Trial Division; the registry associated only the registering court (11th District Court), so the rule is published county-wide with the division named rather than pinned to one court.
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