Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 4.01 · Chapter 4. COURTS AND CRIMINAL JURISDICTION
WHAT COURTS HAVE CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
The following courts have jurisdiction in criminal actions:
1. The Court of Criminal Appeals;
2. Courts of appeals, other than the Court of Appeals for the Fifteenth Court of Appeals District;
3. The district courts;
4. The criminal district courts;
5. The magistrates appointed by the judges of the district courts of Bexar County, Dallas County, Tarrant County, or Travis County that give preference to criminal cases and the magistrates appointed by the judges of the criminal district courts of Dallas County or Tarrant County;
6. The county courts;
7. All county courts at law with criminal jurisdiction;
8. County criminal courts;
9. Justice courts;
10. Municipal courts;
11. The magistrates appointed by the judges of the district courts of Lubbock County;
12. The magistrates appointed by the El Paso Council of Judges;
13. The magistrates appointed by the Collin County Commissioners Court;
14. The magistrates appointed by the Brazoria County Commissioners Court or the local administrative judge for Brazoria County;
15. The magistrates appointed by the judges of the district courts of Tom Green County;
16. The magistrates appointed by the judges of the district and statutory county courts of Denton County; and
17. The magistrates appointed by the judges of the district and statutory county courts of Grayson County.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1965, 59th Leg., vol. 2, p. 317, ch. 722.
Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 801, ch. 291, Sec. 101, eff. Sept. 1, 1981; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 883, ch. 204, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 29, 1983; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 25, Sec. 3, eff. Aug. 28, 1989; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 79, Sec. 2, eff. May 15, 1989; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1068, Sec. 3, eff. Aug. 28, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 16, Sec. 4.03, eff. Aug. 26, 1991; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 413, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.
Amended by:
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 606 (S.B. 891), Sec. 5.02, eff. September 1, 2019.
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 934 (H.B. 3774), Sec. 5.01, eff. September 1, 2021.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 459 (S.B. 1045), Sec. 2.01, eff. September 1, 2023.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 861 (H.B. 3474), Sec. 4.002, eff. September 1, 2023.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.4.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 1f0c8dff31291768a8151ef636c6dbc2036cec85290e17ad92bd05cbb0f5d9e6
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.