Justice of the Peace Courts

The Texas Constitution requires that each county in the State establish between one and eight justice of the peace precincts, depending upon the population of the county. Also, depending on the population of the precinct, either one or two justice of the peace courts are to be established in each precinct. There are more than 820 justice of the peace courts in Texas.

Justice of the peace courts have original jurisdiction in Class C misdemeanor criminal cases, which are less serious minor offenses. These courts also have jurisdiction of minor civil matters. A justice of the peace may issue search or arrest warrants, and may serve as the coroner in counties where there is no provision for a medical examiner. These courts also function as small claims courts.

Justice of the Peace Addresses and Websites

Texas Justice of The Peace Courts' contact information, including web site links, is available in the Texas Judicial System Directory.

Please email the Judicial Information Division to update your court contact information for the Texas Judicial System Directory.

Justice of the Peace Precinct Maps

As a general rule, a civil suit in justice court must be brought in the county and precinct in which one or more defendants reside. Civil Practice and Remedies Code sec. 15.082. View JP Precinct Maps >

County Websites

The County Information Resources Agency, in cooperation with the Texas Association of Counties and the Judicial Committee on Information Technology, provides website development and hosting services for rural counties. JCIT is pleased to be a partner in this initiative to expand information technology capabilities to counties, districts, and precincts across Texas.

These county web sites include information about District, County and Justice of the Peace courts.
www.county.org/counties/txcounties.asp#list