Fort Bend County District Courts Filing Rules

Applicants must notify the Courts of answer changes affecting appointment eligibility and keep contact information current with the Indigent Defense Department; failure may result in immediate removal from requested appointment lists.

The Court requests that discovery motions or letters include the disputed request and response in the body, and that a motion to compel also include the request as an exhibit.

An exhibit must be tendered to the Court Reporter once offered, whether or not it is admitted.

The Court Reporter will not forward or circulate exhibits to anyone other than the court.

Bureau of Vital Statistics Form VS-165 must be completed in each case.

The trial judge must rule on a motion for new trial within 75 days of sentencing; otherwise, it is considered overruled after 75 days.

Daubert motions should be filed and set for hearing well before trial; motions filed after the docket-control-order deadline will not be considered without a motion for leave showing exceptionally good cause.

Exhibit emails must arrive before the hearing starts.

An objection to a Proposed Order must be filed by noon on the day before the entry date.

Exhibit delivery on Fridays is by appointment only.

The movant must contact the Court to request a hearing.

For bench trials, the Court requests proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law to be submitted by both sides (in lieu of a jury charge), with a word processing version also emailed to the Court Coordinator.

Approved-list attorneys must maintain a promptly reachable business phone during regular business hours and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays for appointment and hearing notices.

Request an uncontested-matter hearing by emailing 505Hearings@fortbendcountytx.gov with the cause number, case name, and requested hearing type in the subject line; the coordinator will respond with available dates.

All questions regarding a file, filing, service, etc. should be directed to the District Clerk's Office at 281-341-4509 or www.fortbendcountytx.gov.

The parties must exchange the listed final-trial financial disclosures and proposed materials no later than ten days before trial begins.

For every Temporary Orders hearing, the parties must exchange Proposed Requested Relief by noon on the preceding business day.

Required disclosures must be furnished to opposing counsel or, if the opposing party is pro se, directly to that party at their address.

The Notice of Hearing for a default judgment motion must be sent by regular mail and certified mail, return receipt requested.

The respondent must be personally served with the citation and petition by a licensed process server or constable, unless the respondent signs and files a waiver; the petitioner may not hand-deliver them.

All parties may use demonstrative exhibits and trial aids used by another party, but no party may mark or permanently attach anything to an opposing party’s aids without permission.

Exhibits must be marked with exhibit stickers and numbered, not lettered.

Documents must be PDF, images must be JPG or PNG, and audio and video files must be MP4.

The appendix and transcription must conform to any specifications of the Supreme Court.

The court accepts documents in PDF, images in JPG or PNG, and audio and video in MP4.

A case cannot be continued or passed without Court approval.

All nonessential matters in the District Courts will be canceled on the days classes are canceled. Should the school closure last more than seven (7) days, the District Courts will communicate an alternate schedule on their websites.

Continuance motions must be written and presented before the trial setting, except in emergency circumstances.

The court may, in its discretion, grant a continuance for matters scheduled before the vacation letter is filed.

When the court delays its start, parties should confirm their hearing time with the Court Coordinator, and an attorney or party unable to appear at the updated time may request a reset.

For combined exhibits totaling fewer than 50 pages, email submission alone is sufficient.

Documents must be filed with the District Clerk’s Office, not sent or faxed to the Court unless the Court instructs otherwise; this also applies to notices when e-filing.

Exhibits must be delivered to the court by email to the specified address or on a USB flash drive; they must not be emailed to the Court Coordinator or Court Reporter or filed with the Clerk’s Office, though Exhibit Lists may be filed.

Counsel in misdemeanor cases must be proficient with the County’s e-Discovery portal and able to e-file documents with the County Clerk.

After obtaining a hearing date and time, a notice of hearing must be e-filed with the District Clerk for every civil case.

Parties may agree to resolve a case without formal mediation.

Before arranging an emergency hearing, parties must confer; if both sides agree, they must contact the Court Coordinator to arrange it.

Before filing a discovery-related motion, consult opposing counsel, preferably the lead attorney.

For proposed findings and conclusions in a non-jury trial, courtesy copies should be emailed to the Court coordinator in Microsoft Word format.

A working copy of the Financial Information Statements for the Court is advised when financial matters are at issue.

Courtesy copies should be filed via email to the Court Coordinator in Microsoft Word format.

A courtesy copy of your vacation letter shall be provided to all opposing counsel and self-represented litigants in your case.

The Court encourages parties to file responses, replies, and objections as early as possible.

Multiple charges for one defendant may be reported on one form, but the form must include companion cause numbers and charge-specific work descriptions; insufficient explanations may result in non-payment for the hour.

No additional fee may be charged for making a document accessible or for pages added solely because of the format change.

A fee must be paid to the District Clerk to issue the wage withholding order.

Sensitive data must be removed or redacted from exhibits before filing.

Confidential information in the required CPS appeals writing sample must be redacted as required by law.

Files involving the listed child-related matters are confidential and not open to public viewing.

A second chair must be a licensed attorney practicing criminal law for less than 10 years and meet the requirements referenced in the text.