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The Johnson County Courts at Law's own guidance for residential tenants appealing a justice-court eviction judgment (trial de novo in County Court at Law No. 1 or No. 2, Guinn Justice Center): the 5-day appeal window by bond, cash deposit or Statement of Inability to Pay; the written answer due within 8 days after the case is sent up; filing fees within 20 days; rent into the registry within 5 days of filing and within 5 days of each due date in nonpayment cases (with worked examples and Texas Rent Relief and government-subsidy notes); the tenant's duty to request a County Court at Law hearing on a denied fee waiver by letter to the Court Coordinator; and the courts' courtroom rules — arrive early, no shorts, flip-flops or tank tops, address the judge as "Your Honor," three pre-marked copies of every exhibit, digital evidence in a displayable format.
Texas > Johnson County > County Courts at Law Nos. 1 and 2 > appeals of residential eviction judgments from the Johnson County justice courts (TRCP 510; Prop. Code ch. 24). The sheet is the courts' general guidance, "not case specific," and states it "IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR REPRESENTATION BY AN ATTORNEY." Procedural information only; not legal advice.
Court-authored guidance for residential tenants appealing a Johnson County justice-court eviction judgment to County Court at Law No. 1 or No. 2 (fourth floor, Guinn Justice Center, 204 South Buffalo Avenue, Cleburne 76033). The appeal is a completely new trial (trial de novo); a tenant may appear pro se but "cannot represent another tenant," and a self-represented litigant "is expected to be able to conduct an entire proceeding" under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure and the Texas Rules of Evidence, which apply in the County Courts at Law though not in justice court. DEADLINES: the appeal must be filed within 5 days (counting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays; the next open day if the 5th day falls on one) of the justice judge signing the judgment, by (1) bond, (2) cash deposit or (3) Statement of Inability to Pay; after 5 days the landlord may seek a writ of possession, executed on 24 hours' warning (Prop. Code § 24.0061; TRCP 510.8). With a bond or cash deposit the justice judge sets the amount (usually one month's rent); a bond appellant in a nonpayment case pays one rental period's rent into the justice court registry within 5 days of the bond; County Court at Law filing fees are due within 20 days after the case is sent up (or after notice of the fee) unless a Statement of Inability is on file; and a written Tenant's Original Answer is due within 8 days after the case is sent up if none was filed in justice court — "If you don't file a written answer, the landlord may win by default" — with a true copy sent to the landlord. STATEMENT OF INABILITY: the landlord may contest within 5 days and the justice court hears the contest within 5 days, the tenant bearing the burden; if the justice court denies the waiver the tenant has 5 days to ask the County Court at Law for a hearing — "DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE COURT WILL SET A HEARING": send a letter to the Court Coordinator of the court assigned (No. 1 or No. 2) requesting one, copy the landlord, and "You are responsible for getting a timely hearing." RENT DURING THE APPEAL (nonpayment cases): with a fee waiver, one rental period's rent to the justice court clerk within 5 days of filing, then rent to the County Court Clerk within 5 days after each due date (the sheet's examples: a 15th-of-the-month filing requires payment by the 20th and again on the 1st; a filing on the 28th is satisfied by the 1st's payment); failing to pay does not stop the appeal but lets the landlord obtain possession without another hearing; Texas Rent Relief funds may be paid into the registry; where a government agency stops paying its share the landlord may ask the court to order the full rent into the registry. Bond and cash-deposit appellants owe ongoing rent to the landlord, not the clerk. In evictions for reasons other than nonpayment, rent continues to the landlord (kept available if refused). COURTROOM RULES: arrive 15–30 minutes early (free public parking near the Justice Center); "Shorts, flip-flops, and tank tops are strictly banned in the County Courts at Law" and improper attire may bar entry; address the judge as "Your Honor" and the opposing party as "Sir" or "Ma'am"; stand when speaking except while testifying; bring at least three copies of each exhibit — the original for the clerk's file, one for the opposing party and one for use — pre-marked (the court reporter may provide stickers); keep documents clean and organized and digital evidence in a format the courtroom equipment can display. Trial procedure and any further appeal are outside the sheet's scope and time-critical; the courts recommend counsel.
The information that follows was written for Residential Tenants in appeals of eviction cases in the Johnson County Courts at Law. It answers some basic questions about the appeal of a residential eviction case from a Justice of the Peace (JP) Court to a County Court at Law. … THIS INFORMATION IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR REPRESENTATION BY AN ATTORNEY.
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-07 (re-audit F11) from the four-page sheet captured in the Browser pane (text layer read in full). The sheet carries no date; none is asserted. Published under the same doctrine as the Wichita justice-court procedure sheets: court-issued procedural guidance governs how litigants must proceed.
In justice-court eviction cases: the citation sets a personal-appearance trial day not less than 10 nor more than 21 days after the petition is filed; a written answer is permitted but NOT required (appearing on the trial day is what matters); no trial may be held until 4 days after service; and an appeal must be perfected within 5 days after the judgment is signed.
Policy Regarding Pro Se Applicants — Harris County Probate Courts (Probate Court No. 1 posting) — posted on the court's own website — the court-procedure tier (standing procedures, policies, and preferences the court itself publishes), distinct from the TOPICs-registered local-rules tier (TRCP 3a registration applies to local rules). Operative requirements quoted verbatim; the posted document is the controlling text.