Bexar County District Courts Filing Rules
Official filing rules, court-wide sources, and procedure resources for Bexar County District Courts
For Bexar County District Courts filings, start with the official local rules and court-level instructions. Then confirm any division, department, clerk, or assigned-officer procedure that applies to the case.
Limits & Logistics
Court-wideDocument Limits
Courtesy Copies
Signed Order
- After Signature by Court
Adjournments
Court-wide
Communication
Court-wideClerk6 contacts
Other Contacts4 contacts
- Court-level rules
Every motion must include a certification that the party has conferred with (or made reasonable efforts to confer with) all parties about the date, time, and format of the setting.
- Judge Nadine Melissa Nieto
A motion filed without a Certificate of Conference will not be set for hearing until the certification has been filed.
- Judge Cynthia Marie Chapa
For all trials and evidentiary hearings, parties must provide an exhibit list, witness list, designations of deposition excerpts, and any objections to an opponent's exhibits, witnesses, or deposition excerpts.
- Judge Christine Vasquez Hortick
All contested cases must have a docket control order on file within 45 days of the petition, incorporating deadlines to mediate and have dispositive motions heard, and setting trial within 18 months (civil jury), 12 months (civil non-jury), or 6 months (family law).
- Judge Elizabeth R. Martinez
Parties seeking an in-person or Zoom hearing must confer with opposing counsel to select a date and file a Notice of Hearing stating the selected date and explaining how much time is needed and why.
- Court-level rules
Orders reflecting the Court's rulings must be reduced to writing and presented to the Court for entry no later than two weeks after the date of the hearing.
- Judge Nadine Melissa Nieto
Final judgments/orders must be reduced to writing within 30 days and delivered to the Court for signature.
- Judge Elizabeth R. Martinez
Upon filing a Motion for Summary Judgment, the 73rd District Clerk of Court sets the hearing based on the court's calendar.
- Judge Rosie Alvarado
Summary judgment hearings may be set within 90 days of the filing date if required by the Court's docket, for good cause, or with the movant's consent.
- Judge Norma Gonzales
The filing party must file a notice of hearing within 3 days of receiving the hearing date from the court.
- Court-level rules
Parties wishing to involve the Domestic Relations Office must file a motion and set a hearing before the Presiding Judge, and no orders (including agreed orders) will be signed unless the judge determines at a hearing that DRO involvement will assist the Court.
- Judge Rosie Alvarado
Before setting any MTE, parties must contact the court for available dates and confer with the opposing pro se party or counsel on those dates before filing the setting.
- Judge Nadine Melissa Nieto
Before filing any contested motion, the movant must confer with all affected parties to determine whether the motion will be opposed and prepare a Certificate of Conference.
- Judge Christine Vasquez Hortick
Attorneys and self-represented litigants must confer before requesting a hearing about the hearing subject and available dates/times, including with an Attorney General's Office representative when that office is involved.
- Judge Tina Torres
Parties may request a hearing in writing before the noticed submission date, but must first confer and make best efforts to agree on mutually available dates.
- Court-level rules
Documents must not be emailed to any court or staff counsel email address in advance of an appearance; for remote appearances the Presiding Judge will direct where to email them at the time of appearance.
- Judge Cynthia Marie Chapa
Email inquiries must be sent only to the clerk (Stephanie.Holman@bexar.org), are strictly limited to procedural matters, and must always include all opposing parties.
- Judge Nadine Melissa Nieto
Scheduling for contested matters is coordinated through the Court Clerk (Amber Martinez, amber.martinez@bexar.org), who must be contacted to obtain available hearing dates and times.
- Judge Rosie Alvarado
The court prefers Zoom appearances for MTE hearings; contact the court at (210) 335-0448 for the Zoom meeting ID.
- Judge Angelica Jimenez
Before requesting a hearing date, parties must confer and make best efforts to agree on availability, then email the clerk with all counsel and self-represented litigants copied to obtain an approved date.
- Court-level rules
When e-filing matters for the Presiding 8:30 am, 9:00 am, Tax, or Expunction dockets, the comment section must state Presiding, the specific docket, and the docket date.
- Judge Nadine Melissa Nieto
Agreed orders signed by all attorneys of record and any self-represented litigants may be e-filed as proposed orders and signed by the Court without a hearing.
- Judge Cynthia Marie Chapa
Parties must file all documents through the District Court's Electronic Case Filing System.
- Court-level rules
Every request for a continuance of the trial setting—including agreed continuances—requires filing a motion, setting it for hearing before the Monitoring Judge, and appearing to obtain the judge's approval.
- Judge Rosie Alvarado
Even agreed resets of a summary judgment hearing must comply with the 60-day statutory deadline, and resets within the 90-day deadline require the movant's consent or good cause.
- Judge Cynthia Marie Chapa
The Court will not pass (continue) a trial setting because of another trial setting unless the attorney has actually commenced trial in court.
- Judge Nadine Melissa Nieto
Trial settings may only be passed or reset by a settlement announced in open court, an Agreed Order to Dismiss/all-party agreement with Court approval, or a Motion for Continuance granted by the Court.
- Judge Marisa Flores
Agreed resets must comply with the statutory 60-day deadline; resets within the 90-day deadline require the movant’s consent or a court finding of good cause, settings cannot be dropped without leave, and resets must be confirmed with the Clerk before notice is filed.
- Court-level rules
Defendants must receive at least 10 days' notice of a pretrial hearing.
- Judge Nadine Melissa Nieto
A Notice of Setting must be delivered to each attorney of record and/or self-represented litigant.
- Judge Rosie Alvarado
The Court Clerk will provide notice of the selected summary judgment hearing date by email to all parties on file.
- Judge Antonia Arteaga
Written copies of summary-judgment motions, including all exhibits, must be provided to opposing counsel at least seven days in advance.
- Judge Cynthia Marie Chapa
Highlighted copies of each deposition excerpt are preferred for the Court.
- Court-level rules
Motions, orders, briefs, and similar filings should include page numbers.
- Judge Rosie Alvarado
The court prefers one party to draft the order with the other submitting visible redline edits shareable via Zoom screen share, and disfavors two competing orders though it recognizes this is sometimes necessary.
- Judge Antonia Arteaga
Written copies of summary-judgment motions, including all exhibits, must be provided to opposing counsel and the Court at least seven days in advance.
- Court-level rules
The District Clerk processes signed orders and provides courtesy copies to all attorneys and self-represented litigants.
- Judge Cynthia Marie Chapa
Parties must provide courtesy copies of all documents pertaining to matters heard by the Court.
- Judge Marisa Flores
The parties must email the Court a complete electronic courtesy copy of the summary-judgment motion papers and supporting exhibits no later than seven days before the hearing, copying all counsel and self-represented litigants.
- Judge Rosie Alvarado
Parties must email the Court a complete electronic courtesy copy of the summary judgment motion, response, reply, and supporting exhibits no later than seven days before the hearing.