Rule 507.3.Docket and Other Records

Last verified June 28, 2026

In one sentenceRule 507.3 requires each justice to keep a permanent civil docket recording the suits, process, appearances, filings, trials, verdicts, judgments, post-trial motions, executions, and appeals — and allows the records to be kept electronically.

Full Text of Rule 507.3

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c)

(a) Docket. Each judge must keep a civil docket in a permanent record containing the following information:

(1) the title of all suits commenced before the court;

(2) the date when the first process was issued against the defendant, when returnable, and the nature of that process;

(3) the date when the parties, or either of them, appeared before the court, either with or without a citation;

(4) a description of the petition and any documents filed with the petition;

(5) every adjournment, stating at whose request and to what time;

(6) the date of the trial, stating whether the same was by a jury or by the judge;

(7) the verdict of the jury, if any;

(8) the judgment signed by the judge and the date the judgment was signed;

(9) all applications for setting aside judgments or granting new trials and the orders of the judge thereon, with the date;

(10) the date of issuing execution, to whom directed and delivered, and the amount of debt, damages and costs and, when any execution is returned, the date of the return and the manner in which it was executed; and

(11) all stays and appeals that may be taken, and the date when taken, the amount of the bond and the names of the sureties.

(b) Other Records. The judge must also keep copies of all documents filed; other dockets, books, and records as may be required by law or these rules; and a fee book in which all costs accruing in every suit commenced before the court are taxed.

End

Plain-English Summary

Rule 507.3 sets the court's recordkeeping. Each judge must keep a permanent civil docket logging the title of every suit, the process issued and returned, the parties' appearances, the petition and filings, adjournments, the trial and any jury verdict, the signed judgment and its date, post-trial motions and rulings, executions, and any stays and appeals with bond details. The judge must also keep copies of documents filed and other required records, and all of it may be maintained electronically.

Frequently Asked Questions

What records does a Texas justice court keep?

A permanent civil docket of each suit's process, appearances, filings, trial, judgment, post-trial motions, executions, and appeals, plus copies of filed documents — which may be kept electronically (Rule 507.3).

Does a Texas justice court track how much a losing party owes?

Yes. The docket must show the date execution issued, to whom it was directed, and the amount of debt, damages, and costs (Rule 507.3(a)(10)).

What is a fee book in Texas justice court?

A record the judge keeps of all costs accruing in every suit filed with the court, required alongside the civil docket (Rule 507.3(b)).

Source & verification. Rule text and the official Notes and Comments are reproduced verbatim from the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure (Tex. R. Civ. P. 507.3), published by the Texas Judicial Branch (txcourts.gov). Promulgated by the Supreme Court of Texas. The plain-English summary is original and draws on official sources. Last verified June 28, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: docket justice courtcivil docketcourt recordsTRCP 507.3