Tex. R. Civ. P. 509.3 · Part V. RULES OF PRACTICE IN JUSTICE COURTS
CITATION: ISSUANCE; APPEARANCE DATE; ANSWER
Text — As posted by the Supreme Court of Texas (file dated October 2, 2026)
(a) Issuance. When the tenant files a written petition with a justice court, the judge must immediately issue citation directed to the landlord, commanding the landlord to appear before such judge at the time and place named in the citation.
(b) Appearance Date; Answer. The appearance date on the citation must not be less than 10 days nor more than 21 days after the petition is filed. For purposes of this rule, the appearance date on the citation is the trial date. The landlord may, but is not required to, file a written answer on or before the appearance date.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As posted by the Supreme Court of Texas (file dated October 2, 2026)
- Official file
- https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1463426/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf (PDF pages 272–273)
- Text hash
- sha256 710074e19dda8d3ee652b76f42a3d24f03347d243104b558ee0f1736f306838d
- Composed by
- compose_tx_rules.py 2026-10-05: two PDF extractors agree character for character after the same chrome removal
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.