Required Reporting

Office of Court Administration

Upcoming Changes to Texas Judicial Council Monthly Justice Court Activity Report
New Civil Section of Monthly Report - Effective September 1, 2013
Form | Instructions
New Justice Court Civil Case Information Sheet - Effective August 31, 2013
Case Information Sheet

Texas Judicial Council Monthly Court Activity Reports ...top...

Section 171.2 of the Texas Administrative Code requires submission of court activity reports each month to the Texas Judicial Council by no later than 20 days following the end of the month reported.

Reporting Rules [pdf]

Monthly reports must be submitted online by entering the information into the online report form or by uploading a XML data file submission. For information on submitting monthly reports through data file submission (XML Data Interface), see the XML specifications below.

Contact Judicial Information staff for questions about the reports.

Click here to view scheduled training on the monthly reports.

To enter reports click here.

To view court activity data, access the

Court Activity Reporting and Directory System (run reports for district, county-level, justice and municipal court activity from September 1992 through present)

District and County Court Monthly Case Activity Reports ...top...

District Courts:

[Form] | [Instructions] | XML Specifications [pdf]

Statutory County Courts:

[Form] | [Instructions] | XML Specifications [pdf]

Constitutional County Courts:

[Form] | [Instructions] | XML Specifications [pdf]

Presentation on Judicial Council Monthly Reports (January 10, 2012) [pdf]

Frequently Asked Questions - Updated 11/09/11!

DPS Offense Codes Categorized by OCA Case Category (Version 13) [xls]

List of Changes Made to Instructions - Updated 06/10/10!

Frequently Asked Questions – XML File Submission - Added 11/07/11!

Validate XML file format

List of changes made to XML Specifications - Updated 10/15/10!

Civil Case Information Sheet:

FOR DISTRICT AND COUNTY-LEVEL COURTS:
English:
FOR CASES FILED ON OR AFTER MARCH 1, 2013:
Case Information Sheet - Added 2/27/13
Type-In Version [Word] [pdf]
Print and Fill Out Version [Word] [pdf]
Instructions for Completing Case Information Sheet: [Word] [pdf] - Added 2/27/13

Supplemental Instructions for Self- Represented (Pro Se) Litigants [Word] [pdf] - Added 9/1/10

Spanish:
Case Information Sheet: [Word] [pdf] – Added 4/25/13
Instructions for Completing Case Information Sheet: [Word] [pdf] – Added 4/25/13

Supreme Court of Texas Order Adopting Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 78a and Civil Case Information Sheet (Dated 8/16/10). [pdf]

Supreme Court of Texas Order Adopting Final Rules for Dismissals and Expedited Actions (Including Revised Civil Case Information Sheet) (Dated 2/12/13). [pdf]

Other Model Case Information Sheets:

Criminal - Updated 12/05/08!
Juvenile - Updated 12/05/08!

Justice and Municipal Court Monthly Case Activity Reports ...top...

Percentage of Criminal Dispositions Reported under All Other Dispositions, by Court: Justice Courts xls Municipal Courts xls

Justice Courts (for September, 2013 reports and beyond):

Form [pdf] | [xls] | [Instructions] | [Frequently Asked Questions] | XML Specifications [pdf] -
Updated 8/5/13

Justice Courts (for reports prior to September, 2013):

FOR CASES FILED ON OR AFTER AUGUST 31, 2013
Justice Court Civil Case Information Sheet
Type-In Version [Word] [pdf]
Print and Fill Out Version [Word] [pdf]

Municipal Courts:

List of Changes Made to XML Specifications [pdf] - Updated 5/7/13!

DPS Violation Codes Categorized by OCA Case Category: [xls] – Updated 9/14/2011

Common Problems with Texas Judicial Council Justice Court and Municipal Court Monthly Court Activity Reports -
Added 9/18/12

Frequently Asked Questions – Online Report Submission - Updated 5/7/13

Frequently Asked Questions – XML File Submission - Updated 5/7/13

Validate XML file format (For Justice Court reports for September, 2013 and beyond, and all Municipal Court reports) - Updated 5/7/13

Validate XML file format (For Justice Court reports prior to September, 2013) - Added 5/7/13

District and County Court Appointments and Fees Report ...top...

Texas Supreme Court Order No. 07-9188 and Section 71.035(b) of the Texas Government Code require each district clerk and county clerk to prepare a monthly report listing each fee paid in the amount of $500 or more for each appointment made by a judge of any district, county, or probate court, a court master, or court referee of a person to a position for which any type of fee may be paid in a civil case, probate case, or proceeding governed by Titles 1, 2, or 4 of the Texas Family Code.

Instructions: General Instructions [pdf] | Online Reporting Instructions [doc] - Instructions Updated 04/26/11!

Reports

Hate Crimes ...top...

Article 2.211 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides that in each case that a request is made for an affirmative finding that an offense was committed because of bias or prejudice under Article 42.014, the clerk of the district or county court shall report that request to the Texas Judicial Council and include a statement whether the affirmative finding was entered in the judgment in the case. The following is a list of the cases in which a request for a hate crime finding has been made since September 1, 2001 (the effective date of the reporting law).

Reports of hate crimes are now part of the Texas Judicial Council Monthly Court Activity Reports for district and county-level courts.

List: PDF | HTML

Form: PDF | Word

Jury Charges and Sentences in Capital Cases ...top...

Sec. 72.087(c), Government Code, requires the judge or clerk of a court to submit to the Office of Court Administration a written record—containing the contents of the trial court's charge to the jury and the sentence issued in each case—of cases involving the trial of a capital offense.

Instructions [pdf]

Cases reported since September 1, 2007

Report of Change in Mayor, Municipal Judge, or Municipal Court Clerk ...top...

Section 29.013(a) of the Government Code requires the secretary of a municipality to notify the Texas Judicial Council of the name of each person who is elected or appointed as mayor, municipal court judge, or clerk of a municipal court within 30 days after the date of the person's election or appointment. The secretary is also required to notify the Texas Judicial Council of the name the mayor, municipal court judge or clerk that vacates such an office. NOTE: Judges include the presiding judge, associate judges, alternate judges, contracted judges or another other person who serves in a judicial capacity for the city.

Report Form: PDF | Word

Security Incident Reports ...top...

Art. 102.017(f), Code of Criminal Procedure, requires the local administrative judge to submit to the Office of Court Administration a written report regarding any security incident involving court security that occurs in or around a building housing a court for which the judge serves as local administrative judge not later than the third business day after the date the incident occurred.

For district, county and justice courts:
Report Form: PDF | Word
Instructions: PDF
Submit Security Incident Report online
Summaries of reports received

For municipal courts:
Report Form: PDF | Word
Instructions: PDF
Submit Security Incident Report online

Vexatious Litigants ...top...

Chapter 11 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, created by the Texas Legislature in 1997 with the passage of HB 3087, establishes the definition and procedures for declaring a plaintiff vexatious.

Section 11.104 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code requires the clerk of a court to send OCA a copy of any prefiling order issued under Section 11.101—an order prohibiting a person from filing a new litigation in a court in the state if the court finds, after notice and a hearing, that the person is a vexatious litigant. To file further litigation, the person must obtain permission from a local administrative judge, and the judge may grant permission only if it appears that the proposed litigation has merit and has not been filed for the purposes of harassment or delay.

Please note that if a person has been declared a vexatious litigant, but there is no prefiling order, or if there is an order requiring posting of security but no prefiling order, the person's name will not appear on the list.

OCA is required to maintain a list of vexatious litigants subject to prefiling orders under Section 11.101 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code and to send the list to the clerks of the state annually. OCA has no discretion in maintaining the list, nor does it have the authority to remove a name from the list. In order to remove a name from the vexatious litigant list, OCA must receive an order directly from the issuing court vacating the prefiling order.

Click here for frequently asked questions about vexatious litigants.

List: Excel | PDF | List with Vexatious Litigants Orders - Updated - 08/06/2013

Reports Received from Federal Courts

Required Reporting to Other Agencies ...top...

Other state agencies have requirements for reporting from trial court clerks.

List of Reporting Requirements for District and County Clerks

For District Clerks and County Clerks, these reporting requirements are detailed within the two clerks manuals. Please note that OCA makes efforts to keep the lists complete and up to date, but does not warrant that the lists contain every report that clerks are required to make. Most of the reports that clerks prepare are for entities other than OCA. OCA has no involvement with reports that clerks are required to make to entities other than OCA.

District Clerk Reporting Requirements [pdf] - Updated! | County Clerk Reporting Requirements [pdf]

National Instant Criminal Background Check Reporting (NICS)

Government Code Sec. 411.0521 (added by HB 3352 in 2009) requires the clerk of a court to report information to the Texas Department of Public Safety when the court:

orders a person to receive inpatient mental health services under Chapter 574, Health and Safety Code;
acquits a person in a criminal case by reason of insanity or lack of mental responsibility, regardless of whether the person is ordered to receive inpatient treatment or residential care under Chapter 46C, Code of Criminal Procedure;
commits a person determined to have mental retardation for long-term placement in a residential care facility under Chapter 593, Health and Safety Code;
appoints a guardian of the incapacitated adult individual under Chapter XIII, Probate Code, based on the determination that the person lacks the mental capacity to manage the person's affairs;
determines a person is incompetent to stand trial under Chapter 46B, Code of Criminal Procedure; or
finds a person is entitled to relief from disabilities under Section 574.088, Health and Safety Code.

Frequently Asked Questions [pdf] - Updated 03/12/12!

Sample general information sheet for mental health cases: Travis County

NICS Record Improvement Task Force:
In the fall of 2011, the Texas NICS Record Improvement Task Force was established to develop strategic planning for the improvement of the quality and availability of prohibiting mental health adjudication and commitment records in Texas used by NICS. The NICS Record Improvement Plan, a requirement of the grant OCA received under the FY 2011 NICS Act Record Improvement Program, is the result of their work.

Texas NICS Mental Health Record Improvement Plan

Protective Order Reporting

Family Code Protective Order and Order Vacating a Protective Order--Texas Family Code Sec. 85.042(a)

The clerk shall send a copy of the order, along with the information provided by the applicant or the applicant's attorney that is required under Section 411.042(b) (6), Government Code, to the chief of police of the municipality in which the person protected by the order resides, if the person reside in a municipality, or to the appropriate constable and the sheriff of the county in which the person resides, if the person does not reside in a municipality. [NOTE: The clerk should not send a copy to DPS in lieu of local law enforcement. DPS gets a copy ONLY if the order suspends a concealed handgun license.]

Protective Order Prohibiting Respondent from Going Near a Child-Care Facility or School--Texas Family Code Sec. 85.042(b)

If the protective order prohibits the respondent from going near a child-care facility or school, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the child-care facility or school.

Protective Order Suspending a License to Carry a Concealed Handgun--Texas Family Code Sec. 85.042(e) (incorporated by reference into Code of Criminal Procedure arts. 6.08, 6.09, 7A, and 7B)

The clerk is to send a copy of the order to the DPS.

Protective Order Issued by Court other than SAPCR or Divorce Court--Texas Family Code Sec. 85.062

The clerk is to send a copy of the protective order to the court in which the SAPCR or divorce is pending.

Protective Order for a Victim of a Crime Motivated by Bias or Prejudice--Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 6.08 (incorporating Tex. Fam. Code Secs. 85.022(d) and 85.042(a) and (b) by reference)

The clerk shall send a copy of the order, along with the information provided by the applicant or the applicant's attorney that is required under Section 411.042(b) (6), Government Code, to the chief of police of the municipality in which the person protected by the order resides, if the person reside in a municipality, or to the appropriate constable and the sheriff of the county in which the person resides, if the person does not reside in a municipality.

If the protective order prohibits the respondent from going near a child-care facility or school, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the child-care facility or school.

If the protective order suspends a concealed handgun license, the clerk is to send a copy to DPS.

Additionally, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the DPS "with a designation indicating that the order was issued to prevent offenses committed because of bias or prejudice."

Protective Order for a Victim of a Sexual Assault or Stalking Offense--Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 7A (incorporating Tex. Fam. Code Sec. 85.042(a), (b), and (e) by reference)

The clerk shall send a copy of the order, along with the information provided by the applicant or the applicant's attorney that is required under Section 411.042(b) (6), Government Code, to the chief of police of the municipality in which the person protected by the order resides, if the person reside in a municipality, or to the appropriate constable and the sheriff of the county in which the person resides, if the person does not reside in a municipality.

If the protective order prohibits the respondent from going near a child-care facility or school, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the child-care facility or school.

If the order suspends a concealed handgun license, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the DPS.

Protective Order for a Victim of Human Trafficking--Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 7B (incorporating Tex. Fam. Code Sec. 85.042(a) and (b) by reference)

The clerk shall send a copy of the order, along with the information provided by the applicant or the applicant's attorney that is required under Section 411.042(b) (6), Government Code, to the chief of police of the municipality in which the person protected by the order resides, if the person reside in a municipality, or to the appropriate constable and the sheriff of the county in which the person resides, if the person does not reside in a municipality.

If the protective order prohibits the respondent from going near a child-care facility or school, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the child-care facility or school.

If the order suspends a concealed handgun license, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the DPS.

Magistrate's Order of Emergency Protection--Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 17.292

The magistrate's clerk shall send a copy of the order to the chief of police of the municipality where the member of the family or house or individual protected by the order resides, if the (protected) person resides in a municipality, or to the sheriff of the county in which the person resides, if the person does not reside in a municipality. If the victim of the offense is not present when the order is issued, the clerk shall send a copy of the order to the victim's residence.

If the magistrate's order prohibits the defendant from going near a child-care facility or school, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the child-care facility or school.

If the order suspends a concealed handgun license, the clerk is to send a copy of the order to the DPS.

Municipal Court Reporting Requirements

The Texas Municipal Courts Education Center (TMCEC) has extensive written materials on reporting requirements for municipal court clerks. These reporting requirements (in PDF) can be found on their web site at this link www.tmcec.com/clerkcert/study/7statecity.pdf. Since many of these requirements also apply to justices of the peace, the materials are also useful to justice courts.

To view or print PDF files you must have the Adobe Acrobat® reader. This software may be obtained without charge from Adobe. Download the reader from the Adobe Web site.

Updated: 06-Aug-2013

Required Reporting

Office of Court Administration

TCO Encyclopedia

Texas Appellate Courts