Denton County District Courts Service and Proof of Service Rules
24 rules from official source documents
E-service, mail, personal service, proof of service, certificate, and timing requirements. This page is scoped to Denton County District Courts; use the court rules overview to switch categories without leaving this court.
The moving party must immediately provide written hearing details to all other parties and immediately file a written notice of hearing with the applicable clerk.
Upon receiving the date and time of hearing, the moving party shall immediately notify all other parties in writing as to the date, time, and subject matter of the hearing, and shall immediately file a written notice of hearing with the District Clerk or County Clerk, as applicable.
- Applies to
- Trial setting request
The party requesting a trial setting must serve the request on every other party.
The party requesting the setting shall serve the request on all other parties.
- Applies to
- Notice of trial setting
After the Coordinator communicates the trial setting to the requesting party, that party must serve the notice on all other parties.
The Coordinator will inform the requesting party of the trial setting and the party requesting the setting shall serve the notice of the setting on all other parties.
- Applies to
- Affidavits
The identified affidavits must be served on all other lead counsel or parties, and their attachments must be made available at the requesting party's cost.
The Affidavits described in the preceding paragraphs shall be served upon, and the attachments shall be made available to, all other lead counsel or parties in accordance with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure and the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code at the cost of the requesting party.
- Deadline
- 30 calendar days
- Applies to
- Visually recorded depositions
Unless the parties expressly agree or the court orders otherwise, counsel offering visually recorded depositions, films, or visual recordings at trial, other than solely for impeachment, must serve opposing counsel with page and line designations no later than 30 days before trial.
Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the parties or ordered by the Court, counsel intending to offer visually recorded depositions or other films or visual recordings at trial, except those offered solely for impeachment, must serve opposing counsel with page and line designations for visually recorded depositions not later than 30 days prior to trial.
- Deadline
- 10 calendar days
- Applies to
- Objections to visually recorded testimony
Opposing counsel must serve the proffering attorney with all objections to the testimony and page-and-line designations for intended trial portions within 10 days after receiving the initial designation.
Opposing counsel shall serve the proffering attorney with all objections to the testimony and page and line designations of any portions he/she intends to introduce at trial within 10 days of receiving the designation.
- Deadline
- 2 business days
A person obtaining a final-hearing setting before a district judge must send written notice to all opposing parties within two business days.
Any person who obtains a setting for a final hearing before a District Judge shall have the duty to send all opposing parties written notice of such setting within two business days of the date they obtained such setting.
- Service
Emails to the Court Administrator must copy all opposing counsel or self-represented litigants who have appeared or whom a certificate indicates should receive the email.
When sending an email, please be sure to carbon copy or CC all opposing counsel or self-represented litigants on the email if they have made an appearance in the case or a certificate otherwise warrants it.
- Applies to
- Premarked exhibits
Pre-marked identification exhibits must be served on all other parties in accordance with the Denton County Local Rules.
All pre-marked for identification exhibits must be submitted to the Court Reporter on a USB drive (and served upon all other parties in accordance with the Denton County Local Rules) AND hard copies must be provided for the Judge and the witness stand.
- Applies to
- Discovery
Discovery must be served sufficiently early to permit the other party to serve a timely response by the discovery deadline.
Parties must serve discovery in sufficient time to allow for a timely response to be served by the other party under the TEXAS RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE no later than this deadline.
In a default or contested divorce without an Answer or Waiver, the other party must be legally served under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
In default divorces or contested divorces without an Answer/Waiver, the other party must be legally served according to the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
A final trial cannot be set until the Respondent has been legally served or has filed an Answer or Waiver of Service and the return of service or Answer/Waiver appears in the case file.
Please note that a Final Trial CANNOT be set until the Respondent has been legally served (or has filed an Answer/Waiver of Service) AND that return of service or Answer/Waiver has appeared in the case file.
Each party must provide the listed witness and exhibit materials to the court reporter and serve them on all other parties by 3 p.m. on the day before the pretrial conference.
Each party is directed to produce the following to the Court Reporter Deana Scobee at Deana.Scobee@dentoncounty.gov (and served upon all other parties) no later than 3 p.m. on the day before the Pre-Trial Conference:
Each party must provide and serve the listed trial summary, proposed jury instructions, and proposed pretrial orders by 3 p.m. on the day before the pretrial conference.
Each party is directed to produce the following to the Court Administrator Ali Hayslip at Ali.Hayslip@dentoncounty.gov (and served upon all other parties) no later than 3 p.m. on the day before the Pre-Trial Conference:
Each party must serve the other party with a sworn inventory describing and valuing all property and debts and proposing their division.
In contested divorce cases, each party shall serve the other party with a sworn inventory setting forth a description and value of all property (real or personal, community and separate) owned or claimed by the parties, a list of all debts (stating the creditor and amount) owed by the parties, and a proposed division of all property and debts.
In contested conservatorship cases, each party must serve the other party with a proposed parenting plan containing the required Family Code §153.601(4) provisions.
In contested conservatorship cases, each party shall serve the other party with a proposed parenting plan that includes the provisions in Family Code §153.601(4).
Witness lists and pretrial exhibits must be provided to the court reporter and served on all other parties by 3 p.m. on the day before the pretrial conference.
Each party is directed to produce the following to the Court Reporter Deana Scobee at Deana.Scobee@dentoncounty.gov (and served upon all other parties) no later than 3 p.m. on the day before the Pre-Trial Conference:
Proposed jury instructions and proposed pretrial orders must be provided to the court administrator and served on all other parties by 3 p.m. on the day before the pretrial conference.
Each party is directed to produce the following to the Court Administrator Ali Hayslip at Ali.Hayslip@dentoncounty.gov (and served upon all other parties) no later than 3 p.m. on the day before the Pre-Trial Conference:
The attorney of record must serve all attorneys of record and parties with the vacation letter when the attorney will be unavailable for a vacation.
If an attorney will be unavailable for Court appearances due to a vacation, the attorney of record shall file a vacation letter with the District Clerk or County Clerk, as applicable, and shall serve all attorneys of record and parties with the vacation letter.
- Applies to
- Notice of dismissal for want of prosecution
- Service
- Court service to all parties
The Clerk must send written notice of dismissal for want of prosecution to all parties or their counsel of record, subject to other rules.
Subject to other provisions of these Rules, the Clerk shall send a written notice of a dismissal for want of prosecution to _all parties or their counsel of record.
- Applies to
- Court issuance
- Service
- Electronic service
The clerk may electronically transmit official-seal citations, notices, writs, and other issuances to a filing party or attorney of record, except issuances requiring certified supporting filings or attachments.
5.3.13 Citations, notices, writs and other issuance bearing the official seal of the court are permitted to be transmitted electronically when produced and delivered by the clerk of the Court to a filing party or party's attorney of record save and except those issuance that require the accompaniment of certified supportive filings/attachments.
- Service
- Mail to all parties
The Court may set a dismissal docket, mails the dismissal-setting notice by first-class mail to attorneys of record and self-represented litigants, and also files the notice in the case file.
The Court sets dismissal dockets at its discretion. Notices of Dismissal Setting are mailed by first class mail to the addresses for the attorneys of record and/or self-represented litigants on file. The Notice is also filed in the case file.
If both parents do not agree to a child’s name change, citation service and a scheduled hearing may be required.
Please be advised that if both parents do not agree to the name change, service of citation and a scheduled hearing may be required.
The signing attorneys or parties must provide a copy of the scheduling order to all joined parties and attorneys who later enter an appearance.
The attorneys or parties signing below are responsible for providing a copy of this Order to all parties joined and/or attorneys that enter appearance after this date.
What rule applies to service by email in Denton County District Courts?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: method: service by email. Emails to the Court Administrator must copy all opposing counsel or self-represented litigants who have appeared or whom a certificate indicates should receive the email.
What rule applies to service for premarked exhibits in Denton County District Courts?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: all parties. Pre-marked identification exhibits must be served on all other parties in accordance with the Denton County Local Rules.
What rule applies to service for discovery in Denton County District Courts?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Discovery must be served sufficiently early to permit the other party to serve a timely response by the discovery deadline.
What rule applies to serving the opposing party in Denton County District Courts?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: the opposing party. In a default or contested divorce without an Answer or Waiver, the other party must be legally served under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
What rule applies to serving all parties in Denton County District Courts?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: all parties. The moving party must immediately provide written hearing details to all other parties and immediately file a written notice of hearing with the applicable clerk.
What rule applies to service for trial setting request in Denton County District Courts?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: all parties. The party requesting a trial setting must serve the request on every other party.
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