Harris County District Courts Filing Rules

A severance motion and order must state the new case number, court number, case type, and style name.

A discovery motion and proposed order must separately identify each issue, disputed request, or objection so the Court can rule on each item.

Summary judgment evidence should be filed or attached with the motion or response, rather than incorporated by reference to previously filed materials.

Lexis citations are unacceptable unless counsel provides the Court a copy of the unpublished opinion.

If a hearing or trial is reset, each party must reasonably supplement or amend the required documents, no later than 10 days before the new trial date.

Call the clerk to request an expedited hearing.

Written or email communications about substantive case issues must be shared with all parties.

Non-trial settings must be scheduled through the online scheduling system on the relevant court’s website.

For guidance on a specific case, contact the assigned court.

When requested additional evidence has been filed for an unopposed motion, default judgment, or expedited foreclosure, a party may call the Court Clerk to follow up.

The required financial documents must be exchanged at least 10 days before trial.

All summary judgments should be set and heard at least thirty days before trial.

File the appointee fee and proposed final judgment 24 hours before the minor-settlement hearing.

Written vacation designations for months other than June, July, or August must be filed with the District Clerk by February 1.

An MSJ set for oral hearing must be set between the 35th and 60th day after the motion is filed.

In divorce, annulment, and child- or spousal-support suits, each party must disclose specified information to the other party without waiting for a discovery request; disclosure includes making information in the party’s possession, custody, or control available for inspection and copying.

The party preparing a judgment or order must provide the proposed document to all opposing parties at least five days before entry.

If a hearing is passed, counsel must promptly notify the Clerk at 832-927-3795 and all parties.

If an emergency hearing is granted, the movant must give proper notice to all parties.

The movant must give defaulting parties and all other parties who appeared 10 days’ notice of the hearing and motion.

All oral hearings are in-person only.

Counsel must provide the Court Reporter a thumb drive containing an electronic copy of the exhibits.

The Court may require modified orders to be submitted in Word format to the court clerk.

In all divorces, a sworn inventory and appraisement must be pre-marked and submitted as an exhibit before the trial by default begins. (See Rule 6.4, above.)

Exhibits must be numbered and marked on the document, and each exhibit file’s title must match its pre-marked exhibit.

A motion will not be set for oral hearing without an estimated hearing time.

Default judgments seeking liquidated damages may be set on the submission docket.

Motions to withdraw as counsel must be set for oral hearing unless the client agrees and signs an acceptance of the notice letter.

Parties must consult with one another before filing a discovery-related motion; consultation between lead attorneys is preferred.

Agreed or unopposed motions, including unopposed continuance motions, are presented expeditiously without a hearing.

Trial or pretrial-deadline continuance motions must include an appropriate affidavit unless agreed, and should be filed early.

A request to reset a summary judgment hearing or submission must strictly comply with Rule 166a and will be granted only when that rule authorizes it.

Continuance requests, even agreed ones, are not expected to be granted without good reasons.

An off-docket reset must be handled in person by the attorney of record, and the attorneys must prepare a reset agreement for approval by the Court where the case is pending.

Agreed/unopposed continuances in cases older than 2 years must be set for an oral hearing.

Oral hearing requests for the motion docket must be made through the E-Hearing Portal.

Parties need not appear in person to announce settlement if an e-filed Notice of Settlement is on file.

Responses to motions must be e-filed at least 24 hours before the hearing and include a proposed order.

Electronic submission of the vacation letter form through the website is preferred, but not required.

Emergency hearing requests must be e-filed as an emergency motion with a detailed explanation of necessity.

After e-filing pleadings and exhibits for trial, parties must provide two courtesy copies to the Court and written notice to all parties.

Courtesy copies of proposed findings and conclusions should be emailed to the Trial Coordinator in Microsoft Word format.

When filing a motion for an emergency hearing, a courtesy copy must be sent directly to the Clerk.

A courtesy copy must include the proposed order, latest live pleading and answer, current Docket Control Order, and cited unpublished authority.

A courtesy copy of the filing and exhibits is required when a pleading exceeds 20 pages or contains more than 50 pages of exhibits.

The parties are asked to eliminate duplicate exhibits by agreement when possible.

All motions should have their own proposed order (Please do not combine multiple motions into one order).

Motions, responses, replies, exhibits, and proposed orders must each be filed as stand-alone documents, though they may be filed in the same envelope.

Do not split your documents into separate envelopes when filing.

Exhibits should be redacted before being offered; exhibits redacted after admission are marked as 'A' exhibits with the unredacted original kept by the court reporter, and any offered exhibit must be tendered to the court reporter.

Parties seeking to seal court records must comply with Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a.

Confidential information (such as reasons for withdrawal) may be filed under seal.

Confidential matters included in a motion to withdraw may be filed under seal.

Confidential matters in withdrawal motions may be filed under seal.

Motions requiring more than 30 minutes should request a special setting.

Emergency hearing requests must be made to the Court Clerk, with a filed and served letter or motion (max 2 pages) stating reasons for the hearing and emergency.

The Court encourages opportunities for lawyers practicing less than 4 years to participate in hearings or trials, especially when they drafted the underlying motion.