Eastern District of Texas
Collin County Court
Collin County is in the Eastern District of Texas, which is under the 5th Circuit. E-filing is mandatory for efficiency and accessibility. Adhere to the Statewide and Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT) standards to avoid document rejection due to errors like incorrect copies, insufficient fees, or the wrong jurisdiction.
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Court Locations
Collin County Courts at Law
| Location | Hours | Additional info |
|---|---|---|
| Russell A. Steindam Courts Building | Monday – Friday | Parking lot on location |
Payment methods
- AMEX not accepted
- Visa/Mastercard/Debit accepted
- Echecks not accepted
- Money Order/Cashier Check accepted
Filing information
Initial e-filing procedure
Since there are several civil courts in Collin County, it is important to confirm your filing with the correct court. You can use the court website to verify your court information, download forms, and view fee schedules.
A civil cover sheet is required for all civil filings and is available in English and Spanish. Filers can access documents, forms and resources for the courts at law numbers one through seven on the court clerk’s website.
General e-filing procedures
Use the guide below to check your documents against the Statewide and JCIT filing requirements, including PDF format, file name character limit, and signature formatting. Check for local rules or standing orders on the courts website before submitting your documents.
Please get in touch with your court clerk for copies of court documents or questions about e-filing.
Clerk information
County Clerk
McKinney: 972-548-4185
Metro: 972-424-1460 ext. 4185
Plano: 972-881-3025
Metro: 972-424-1460 ext. 3025
Probate Clerk
Phone: 972-548-6495
eFile-probate@collincountytx.gov
Additional links
Collin County Justice Court, Precinct One
| Location | Hours | Additional info |
|---|---|---|
| Administration Building | Monday – Friday | Parking lot accessible on location |
Payment methods
- AMEX accepted
- Visa/Mastercard/Debit not accepted
- Echecks not accepted
- Money Order/Cashier Check not accepted
Filing information
Initial e-filing procedure
Collin County Justice Courts have both civil and criminal jurisdiction. You can e-file small claims matters up to $20,000 and criminal matters like bad checks and misdemeanours with the Justice of the Peace Court.
If you need to include multiple documents in a single filing, you will need to combine them into a single PDF and use a bookmark to clearly show the separate documents.
General e-filing procedures
While not mandatory in Collin County, the Justice of the Peace offices accept and prefer e-filing. Use the guide to check your documents against the Statewide and JCIT filing requirements, including PDF format, file name character limit, and signature formatting.
Before you submit an e-filing, check the Justice of the Peace website for accepted practice areas and standing orders that may impact your filings.
Clerk information
Collin County e-Filing Support
Phone: 972-548-6451
Additional links
Collin County Justice Court, Precinct Two
| Location | Hours | Additional info |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Courthouse – Lavon | Monday – Friday | Parking lot accessible on location |
Payment methods
- AMEX accepted
- Visa/Mastercard/Debit not accepted
- Echecks not accepted
- Money Order/Cashier Check not accepted
Filing information
Initial e-filing procedure
Collin County Justice Courts have both civil and criminal jurisdiction. You can e-file small claims matters up to $20,000 and criminal matters like bad checks and misdemeanours with the Justice of the Peace Court.
If you need to include multiple documents in a single filing, you will need to combine them into a single PDF and use a bookmark to clearly show the separate documents.
General e-filing procedures
While not mandatory in Collin County, the Justice of the Peace offices accept and prefer e-filing. Use the guide below to check your documents against the Statewide and JCIT filing requirements, including PDF format, file name character limit, and signature formatting.
Before you submit an e-filing, check the Justice of the Peace website for accepted practice areas and standing orders that may impact your filings.
Clerk information
County Court at Law Clerk
Phone: 972-548-6451
Additional links
Collin County Justice Court, Precinct Three
| Location | Hours | Additional info |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Courthouse | Monday – Friday | Parking lot accessible on location |
Payment methods
- AMEX accepted
- Visa/Mastercard/Debit not accepted
- Echecks not accepted
- Money Order/Cashier Check not accepted
Filing information
Initial e-filing procedure
Collin County Justice Courts have both civil and criminal jurisdiction. You can e-file small claims matters up to $20,000 and criminal matters like bad checks and misdemeanours with the Justice of the Peace Court.
If you need to include multiple documents in a single filing, you will need to combine them into a single PDF and use a bookmark to clearly show the separate documents.
General e-filing procedures
While not mandatory in Collin County, the Justice of the Peace offices accept and prefer e-filing. Use the guide below to check your documents against the Statewide and JCIT filing requirements, including PDF format, file name character limit, and signature formatting.
Before you submit an e-filing, check the Justice of the Peace website for accepted practice areas and standing orders that may impact your filings.
Clerk information
County Court at Law Clerk
Phone: 972-548-6451
Additional links
Collin County Justice Court, Precinct Four
| Location | Hours | Additional info |
|---|---|---|
| 8585 John Wesley Dr. | Monday – Thursday | Parking lot accessible on location |
Payment methods
- AMEX accepted
- Visa/Mastercard/Debit not accepted
- Echecks not accepted
- Money Order/Cashier Check not accepted
Filing information
Initial e-filing procedure
Collin County Justice Courts have both civil and criminal jurisdiction. You can e-file small claims matters up to $20,000 and criminal matters like bad checks and misdemeanours with the Justice of the Peace Court.
If you need to include multiple documents in a single filing, you will need to combine them into a single PDF and use a bookmark to clearly show the separate documents.
General e-filing procedures
While not mandatory in Collin County, the Justice of the Peace offices accept and prefer e-filing. Use the guide below to check your documents against the Statewide and JCIT filing requirements, including PDF format, file name character limit, and signature formatting.
Before you submit an e-filing, check the Justice of the Peace website for accepted practice areas and standing orders that may impact your filings.
Clerk information
Collin County e-Filing Support
Phone: 972-548-6451
Additional links
Collin County District Courts
| Location | Hours | Additional info |
|---|---|---|
| Russell A. Steindam Courts Building | Monday – Friday | Parking lot accessible on location |
Payment methods
- AMEX not accepted
- Visa/Mastercard/Debit accepted
- Echecks not accepted
- Money Order/Cashier Check not accepted
Filing information
Initial e-filing procedures
Since there are several district courts in Collin County, it is important to confirm your filing with the correct court. You can use the court website to verify your court information, download forms and view fee schedules. The requirements for e-filing with the Collin County district courts, including document formatting, service, and viewing, are consistent with the statewide Texas rules.
General e-filing procedures
Collin County district court accepts all civil, criminal and family law e-filing. Use the guide below to check your documents against the Statewide and JCIT filing requirements, including PDF format, file name character limit, and signature formatting. Check for local rules or standing orders on the courts website before submitting your documents.
Please get in touch with your court clerk for copies of court documents or questions about e-filing.
Clerk information
Collin County District Clerk
Phone: 972-548-4320
Additional links
Civil Court E-Filing Rules for Texas
General
Electronic filing (e-filing) of court documents is mandatory for attorneys and optional for unrepresented parties. This mandate extends to Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Court of Criminal Appeals cases. The following guide is a quick reference to ensure you meet state and local standards. For detailed queries or exceptions, consult the court’s local rules or court clerk, and view original mandates on the Supreme Court website.
File every pleading, motion, or application to the court for an order in writing with the court clerk.
- Ensure the document clearly states the grounds for the request and the relief sought.
- Serve a true copy of the filed document on all other parties involved in the case.
- Note the filing on the court’s docket to officially record the submission.
Sensitive Data
All sensitive data must be redacted from electronic and physical documents unless required by a statute, court rules, or administrative order. Sensitive data includes a driver’s license, passport or social security number.
Deadline
A document is considered timely filed if it is electronically filed at any time before midnight (in the court’s time zone) on the filing deadline.
- For civil filings, documents filed on Saturday, Sunday, or legal holidays are considered filed on the next business day.
Technical Failures
If you experience a technical issue or outage and cannot submit on time, you can contact your clerk to ask for relief from the court.
Paper Copies
A filer should provide paper copies of electronically filed documents upon request by a court or when specified by local rules.
Original Wills and Pleadings
Original Wills
When a party electronically applies to probate a document as an original will, the party must file the original will with the clerk within three business days of the application.
Pleadings
When filing a pleading for a represented party, include the signature of at least one attorney, including their name, State Bar of identification number, address, phone number, email address, and fax number if available. Unrepresented parties can sign their pleadings and include their address, phone number, email address, and fax number if available.
Exceptions
Across all practice areas, certain documents cannot be e-filed, such as:
Court-sealed documents: Documents bearing the court's seal, such as bonds and subpoenas.
- Sealed or restricted documents: Documents sealed or restricted by law or court order must be filed in paper form.
- In-camera review documents: Documents intended solely for a judge's private review cannot be filed electronically.
- Juvenile cases: Documents related to juvenile cases under Title 3 of the Family Code are ineligible for electronic filing.
- Truancy cases: Documents related to truancy cases under Title 3A of the Family Code cannot be filed electronically.
- Wills: Wills do not need to be e-filed.
Format and Standards
When e-filing, your documents will need to comply with the Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT) standards. The Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals approve format guidelines, filing codes, and technology standards. The court can reject documents with any variation.
Text-searchable portable format (PDF) 8.5×11 page size and appropriately rotated. You will need to convert your document to PDF rather than scanning it whenever possible.
- Documents and appendices should be a single file when possible.
- If you must e-file a scanned document, the document must have a resolution of 300 DPI and be made searchable using OCR technology.
- The document cannot be locked or contain security, feature restrictions, or embedded multimedia video, audio, or programming.
- Use alphanumeric characters from the Latin1_General character set for the filename, which should be restricted to 50 characters, including the extension.
Signatures, Notices, Orders, and Service
Electronic Signatures
You can e-sign a document that will be considered served, filed, or issued by the court or clerk in two ways. You can include “/s/” and your name typed in the space where the signature would otherwise appear unless the document is notarized or sworn. Alternatively, you can upload an electronic or scanned image of your signature.
Electronic Notices and Orders
The court clerk can send electronic notices, orders, and other communications.
- A notice of a hearing on an application to the court for an order must be served to all parties at least three days before the scheduled hearing time unless otherwise specified by the court's rules.
Criminal Court E-Filing Rules for Texas
General
Electronic filing (e-filing) of court documents is mandatory for attorneys and optional for unrepresented parties. This mandate extends to Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Court of Criminal Appeals cases.
Sensitive Data
All sensitive data must be redacted from electronic and physical documents unless required by a statute, court rules, or administrative order.
Deadline
A document is considered timely filed if it is electronically filed at any time before midnight (in the court’s time zone) on the filing deadline.
Exceptions
Across all practice areas, certain documents cannot be e-filed, such as:
Court-sealed documents: Documents bearing the court's seal, such as bonds and subpoenas.
- Sealed or restricted documents: Documents sealed or restricted by law or court order must be filed in paper form.
- In-camera review documents: Documents intended solely for a judge's private review cannot be filed electronically.
- Juvenile cases: Documents related to juvenile cases under Title 3 of the Family Code are ineligible for electronic filing.
- Truancy cases: Documents related to truancy cases under Title 3A of the Family Code cannot be filed electronically.
Format and Standards
When e-filing, your documents will need to comply with the Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT) standards.
Text-searchable portable format (PDF) 8.5×11 page size and appropriately rotated.
- Documents and appendices should be a single file when possible.
- Scanned documents must have a resolution of 300 DPI and be made searchable using OCR technology.
Signatures, Notices, Orders, and Service
Important: A bail bond can be filed electronically with the court, judge, magistrate, or other officer taking the bond.
The court clerk can send electronic notices, orders, and other communications. A court seal may be electronic.
Appellate Court E-Filing Rules for Texas
General
Electronic filing (e-filing) of court documents is mandatory for attorneys and optional for unrepresented parties. This mandate extends to Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Court of Criminal Appeals cases.
Sensitive Data
In the case of an appeal involving a minor, if you are filing in a parental rights termination case or with the juvenile court, you will need to use alias precautions to maintain the minor's privacy.
- Identify minors by alias in all court documents except the docketing statement.
- The court may order that a minor's parent or other family member be identified by alias to protect the minor's identity.
Exceptions
In appeals cases, do not e-file the following documents. An appellate court may allow the paper filing for other documents with good cause shown.
Court-sealed documents: Documents bearing the court's seal, such as bonds and subpoenas.
- Sealed or restricted documents: Documents sealed or restricted by law or court order must be filed in paper form.
- In-camera review documents: Documents intended solely for a judge's private review cannot be filed electronically.
Format and Standards
When e-filing, your documents will need to comply with the Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT) standards.
Produce documents using standard typographic printing or a clear duplicating process, creating a distinct black image on one side of 8 1/2 by 11-inch white paper.
- Maintain at least one-inch margins on all sides.
- Double-spaced text, except for footnotes, block quotations, short lists, and points of error.
- When producing documents on a computer, use a conventional typeface no smaller than 14 points for the body text and 12 points for footnotes.
Signatures, Notices, Orders, and Service
The clerk can send electronic notices, orders, and other communications for civil and criminal appeal cases.
A notice of a hearing on an application to the court for an order must be served to all parties at least three days before the scheduled hearing time unless otherwise specified by the court's rules.
- The filing party must serve copies of the document to all parties involved in the proceeding.
Disclaimer: This information applies to US practices. These pages are provided for informational purposes only. They do not constitute legal, business or accounting advice.