Publications & Training

Welcome to OCA's comprehensive resource page for clerks. This page serves as a centralized location, providing easy access to important information, detailed instructions, and valuable resources. Navigate the hyperlinks below to find the support and information needed for each category.

Memos and Notices from OCA

Topic	Date Sent	Document
Supreme Court Order Misc. Docket No. 24-9030 (eFile and re:SearchTx)	June 16, 2024	PDF Document
HB 3474 Judicial Workload Analysis- 30 Most Populous Counties	July 1, 2024	PDF Document
HB 2384 Performance Measures Reports Letter & Checklist	August 6, 2024	PDF Document
Data & Research Division Newsletter- Issue 1	September 9, 2024	PDF Document
OCA HB 2384 Performance Measures Report reminders and webinar	October 23, 2024	PDF Document
OCA FY 2024 Monthly Court Activity Report Verification	October 31, 2024	PDF Document

Reporting Information

Judicial Council Monthly Court Activity Reports

Texas Government Code Section 71.035(b) and Texas Administrative Code Chapter 171 require submission of court activity reports each month to the Texas Judicial Council. 

These reports are monthly aggregate reports submitted by the 20th of every month.

Appointments and Fees

Chapter 36 of the Government Code requires the clerk of each court in the state to prepare a report every month on court appointments made and any fees approved/paid for attorney ad litem, competency evaluator, guardian, guardian ad litem, or mediator, with a few exceptions.

Performance Measures Reports (Court Level)

Section 72.083(b) of the Texas Government Code requires the Office of Court Administration to annually collect and publish a report including performance measures for each district court, statutory county court, statutory probate court, and county court. All district, statutory, statutory probate, and county courts will be required to submit annual court level data for the completion of this annual report. 

Counties with Population Over 1 Million (Court Level)

Section 71.035(a) of the Texas Government Code requires counties with a population of at least one million to include additional information in their monthly reports for each district and county court in the county.

National Instant Background Check System (NICS)

Government Code Sec. 411.0521 requires the clerk of a court to report information to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) on mental health adjudications and commitments.

Data Checks

Here you will find a list of missing reports, reports with out of balance flags, and reports with large docket adjustments. This will be a one stop shop to check if any of your reports needs corrects.

Out of Balance Errors List (as of 11/1/2024)

Docket Adjustments List (as of 11/4/2024)

JBCC Annual Private Professional Guardian Report

Section 1104.306 of the Texas Estates Code requires the clerk of the court to annually report information on private professional guardians who met the registration requirements under Estates Code Sec. 1104.301-304 in the county in the preceding year. These reports are to be submitted by January 31st every year, even if there were no private professional guardians registered in the county in the preceding year.

Charitable Bail Organizations

Article 17.071 (d) of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure requires that the clerk of a county issue a certificate to a charitable bail organization, authorizing the organization to pay bail bonds in the county. Forms and information can be found here.

Local Rules, Forms, and Standing Orders

Information related to Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 3a, Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 1.2, and Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 10, which require (effective January 1, 2023) that courts post their local rules, forms, and standing orders to this website to be effective can be found here.

Forms

The Office of Court Administration has the following publication of forms on the Forms website, which include the following Categories:

Appellate	Jurors
Civil	Juvenile
Clerks	Probate & Guardianship
Criminal	Self-Represented Litigants
Family

Court Costs, Fines, and Fees

The Office of Court Administration provides updates after every legislative session for all courts. This includes Criminal court costs, fines and fees and Civil Filing fees. For more information, please visit the Filings Fees and Court Costs page.  Any questions regarding filing fees or court costs, contact OCA Legal at 512-463-1625 or by email at PCA-legal@txcourts.gov.

Protective Order Registry

District clerks, county clerks, justice courts, and municipal courts have several of requirements related to the reporting of protective orders to other agencies. Reporting requirements by code can be found here. For additional information, please the Domestic Violence Training Attorney site for contact information.

Clerk Manuals and Handbooks

District and County Clerk manuals and other financial resources can be found here.

Judicial Committee on Information Technology

The Standards Committee works to review and update the JCIT Technology Standards. These standards govern branch-wide systems such as the eFileTexas.gov system. Additional information on the standards can be found here.

Court Reminder Program

The Texas Judicial Branch has launched the Texas Court Reminder Program authorized by HB 4293 of the 87th Legislative Session. The OCA has contracted with eCourtDate to provide a statewide court text and email reminder system available at no cost to the courts or counties who elect to use it. Municipalities are invited to join at cost. For more information on the requirements to participate please visit the court reminder website.