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An administrative order of the Hays County Courts at Law requiring that every proposed order in probate and guardianship matters be filed as a stand-alone document in a separate electronic filing envelope, not combined with the underlying pleading.
Applies to the electronic filing of proposed orders in probate and guardianship matters before the Hays County Courts at Law. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
[Seal: Hays County, State of Texas] O-04-007 O-05-004 [File stamp: FILED, 2026 AUG 27 AM 8:07, COUNTY CLERK, HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS, with the clerk's signature] In the County Courts at Law of Hays County, Texas ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER REQUIRING SEPARATE ELECTRONIC FILING ENVELOPES FOR ALL PROPOSED ORDERS IN PROBATE AND GUARDIANSHIP MATTERS On this day, the County Courts at Law of Hays County, Texas, sitting in Probate and Guardianship matters, issue this Administrative Order to establish standardized electronic filing procedures, facilitate prompt judicial review, and ensure efficient case processing. 1. Purpose and Authority Pursuant to the inherent administrative authority of the County Courts at Law, the Texas Government Code, and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure (TRCP 21, 21a, and 21c), this Court finds that standardizing the submission of proposed orders in all Probate proceedings and Guardianship proceedings is necessary to ensure court administration efficiency and prevent processing delays. 2. Mandatory Separate Envelope Requirement Effective immediately, all attorneys, legal representatives, and filers submitting documents in Probate and Guardianship proceedings within Hays County shall strictly comply with the following protocol: Separate Lead Document / Envelope Submission: Every Proposed Order submitted for the Court's consideration must be filed as a stand-alone document in a separate electronic filing (e-filing) envelope. Prohibition of Combined Filings: Proposed Orders must NOT be combined into the same PDF file as the underlying application, motion, or supporting exhibit, nor submitted within the same electronic filing envelope as the initiating pleading. Document Identification: The proposed order must be properly designated in the electronic filing system using the precise document title describing the relief sought (e.g., "Proposed Order Admitting Will to Probate and for Letters Testamentary," "Proposed Order Determining Heirship," or "Proposed Order Appointing Guardian of the Person"). 3. Redaction and Compliance Standards All filings, including Proposed Orders and any attached exhibits, must strictly comply with TRCP Rule 21c. Filers are ordered to redact all sensitive data, including but not limited to Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, bank account numbers, and birth dates of living individuals. Non-compliant filings are subject to rejection by the Clerk. 4. Non-Compliance and Rejection Any Proposed Order filed in violation of this Order—including orders submitted within the same electronic envelope or appended to applications—will not be accepted for judicial signature and may be rejected by the Clerk of the Court or returned without action. THIS HAYS COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER REQUIRING SEPARATE ELECTRONIC FILING ENVELOPES FOR ALL PROPOSED ORDERS IN PROBATE AND GUARDIANSHIP MATTERS SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UPON PUBLICATION ON THE OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION'S WEBSITE AND SHALL GOVERN ALL PROCEEDINGS CURRENTLY PENDING OR SUBSEQUENTLY FILED IN THE COUNTY COURTS AT LAW OF HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS. SIGNED AND ENTERED on this 26 day of August, 2026 [signature] Judge Elaine S. Brown, Administrative Judge, County Court at Law, Hays County, Texas [Running footer: O-04-007 O-05-004 — Page 1 of 2 / Page 2 of 2]
[Seal: Hays County, State of Texas] O-04-007 O-05-004 [File stamp: FILED, 2026 AUG 27 AM 8:07, COUNTY CLERK, HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS, with the clerk's signature] In the County Courts at Law of Hays County, Texas ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER REQUIRING SEPARATE ELECTRONIC FILING ENVELOPES FOR ALL PROPOSED ORDERS IN PROBATE AND GUARDIANSHIP MATTERS On this day, the County Courts at Law of Hays County, Texas, sitt
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-06 from the TOPICs custody scan (image-only PDF read through the vision lane). Bound to Hays County (probate/guardianship e-filing). [TRANSCRIBED BY EYE 2026-09-21 (corpus-0920 P12): every page of the registered file (sha256 6826d4d2900d..., 2 page(s), image-only scan; the OCR layer used as a typing base and corrected word by word from the page) read against the rendered file; verbatim, source typos kept, stamps/signatures bracketed; the earlier abstract replaced by the full instrument; confidence high. benchpath-tx-corpus0920-p12-2026-09-21]
A 2013 standing order requiring attorneys to e-file family-law and civil documents (no paper filings accepted) as the court began compliance with the Supreme Court's e-filing mandate; criminal filing unchanged.
A 2013 standing order requiring attorneys to e-file family-law and civil documents (no paper filings accepted) as the court began compliance with the Supreme Court's e-filing mandate; criminal filing unchanged.