Tarrant County Criminal Courts — Notice to Defendant Released… — TX · BenchPath

Tarrant County Criminal Courts — Notice to Defendant Released Prior to Appointment of Lawyer (report in person today or the next business day, 9–11:30 a.m. or 1:30–4 p.m., to the Auxiliary Courtroom, 7th floor, Justice Center, to complete the indigence questionnaire; appointments by the end of the next business day; no need to report if hiring counsel)

High confidence· verified September 6, 2026Divisional InstructionsNotice to Defendant Released Prior to Appointment of Lawyer (Revised 5-22-09), Tarrant County Criminal Courts — posted under the criminal courts' shared documents

Summary

The criminal courts' notice handed to defendants released from custody before their request for appointed counsel is processed (revised May 22, 2009): no attorney has yet been appointed and the defendant must qualify under the county financial guidelines; a defendant claiming inability to afford counsel completes a financial questionnaire (pay stubs or W-2 may be required) and the judge rules on eligibility, with possible repayment of appointed-counsel fees; because attorneys are appointed by the end of the business day following the request, the defendant must report in person today or the next business day, Monday–Friday 9–11:30 a.m. or 1:30–4 p.m. (next business day after a weekend or holiday release), to the Auxiliary Courtroom on the 7th floor of the Tarrant County Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap; defendants hiring their own attorney need not report.

Applies to

Texas > Tarrant County > Criminal District Courts and County Criminal Courts (shared criminal-courts channel) — defendants released before appointment of counsel.

Requirement

"Notice to Defendant Released Prior to Appointment of Lawyer — You must show up in person today or tomorrow. Because you are being released before your request for appointment of a lawyer has been fully processed, no attorney has yet been appointed. You must qualify under the county financial guidelines to obtain a court appointed attorney. If you believe you are too poor to afford an attorney you must complete a questionnaire about your financial circumstances. You may have to disclose you financial documents (paystub, W-2). The judge will rule on whether or not under the law you qualify for a court-appointed attorney. Defendants with court-appointed counsel may be ordered to repay Tarrant County for legal fees paid to the appointed attorney. Attorneys are appointed by the end of the business day following your request; therefore you must report in person today or the next business day (Monday through Friday) between the hours of 9:00 am - 11:30 am and 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm. If you are released on a Saturday, Sunday, or courthouse holiday, report by the next business day. Report to the following location only if you are asking for a court appointed attorney. If you are going to hire your own attorney, you DO NOT need to report. Tarrant County Justice Center, Auxiliary Courtroom, 7th floor, 401 West Belknap Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102 … Hours: 9:00 am - 11:30 am and 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm."

Source of truth

"Notice to Defendant Released Prior to Appointment of Lawyer — You must show up in person today or tomorrow. Because you are being released before your request for appointment of a lawyer has been fully processed, no attorney has yet been appointed. You must qualify under the county financial guidelines to obtain a court appointed attorney. If you believe you are too poor to afford an attorney you

Official source: Tarrant County Criminal Courts — shared documents and magistrates (tarrantcountytx.gov tree)
Source health: Healthy · checked October 6, 2026
Effective date: May 22, 2009
Last verified: September 6, 2026benchpath-tx-ajr8-tarrant-ownsite-2026-09-06

Reviewer note: Own-site document (text layer, 1 p, 1,395 chars) fetched 2026-09-06 and read in full; quoted verbatim; dated 'Revised: 5-22-09' and still posted on the criminal courts' shared documents tree; a county-level instruction to defendants (court-less). Composed benchpath-ajr8-tarrant (own-site lane).