Harris County District Courts Filing Timing and Cure Windows

CRITICAL

Responses must be filed and served at least 3 days before the submission date, or earlier if required by statute or rule.

Must be filed and served at least 3 days before the submission date, or earlier if required by statute or rule.

CRITICAL

The fully signed proposed order must be filed before the entry date.

If the order has all signatures, file the proposed order before your entry date for the judge’s signature.

CRITICALCivil cases

Motions to exclude or challenge expert evidence must be filed and set for hearing at least 30 days before trial.

Any Motions to exclude or challenge expert evidence must be filed and set for hearing on a date at least thirty days prior to trial.

CRITICAL

If an order has all signatures, the proposed order must be filed before the entry date for the judge’s signature.

If the order has all signatures, file the proposed order before your entry date for the judge’s signature.

CRITICAL

Responses must be filed at least 3 days before submission and served by that deadline, or earlier if statute or rule requires it.

Must be filed and served at least 3 days before the submission date, or earlier if required by statute or rule.

CRITICAL

Written vacation designations for months other than June, July, or August must be filed with the District Clerk by February 1.

Written designation for vacation weeks in months other than June, July, or August must be filed with the District Clerk by February 1.

CRITICAL

A Respondent must make the required disclosure within 30 days after filing a first pleading or making a general appearance, whichever occurs first.

b) by a Respondent within 30 days after he or she files Respondent's first pleading or makes a general appearance in the case, whichever occurs first.

CRITICAL

Written vacation designations for June, July, or August must be filed with the District Clerk by May 15.

Written designation for vacation weeks during June, July, or August must be filed with the District Clerk by May 15.

CRITICAL

A Petitioner or Movant must make the required disclosure within 30 days after the Respondent files a first pleading or makes a general appearance.

a) by a Petitioner or Movant within 30 days after the Respondent files Respondent’s first pleading or makes a general appearance in the case;

CRITICAL

Judgments and orders must be submitted to the court for signing within ten days after rendition, unless the court directs otherwise.

All judgments and orders must be submitted to the court for signing within ten (10) days from the date of rendition, unless otherwise directed by the court.

CRITICAL

If an order has all signatures, the proposed order must be filed before the entry date for the judge’s signature.

If the order has all signatures, file the proposed order before your entry date for the judge’s signature.

CRITICAL

If a respondent has not appeared, a case may be dismissed unless a return of service or a properly executed waiver is on file before the dismissal date.

If a respondent has not appeared, a case may be dismissed unless a return of service or a properly executed waiver is on file before the dismissal date.

CRITICAL

If all respondents have appeared, the case may be dismissed unless it is settled and proven up before the dismissal date, trial is set and approved within 90 days of that date, or a motion to retain is granted before that date.

If all respondents have appeared, the case may be dismissed unless: (1) the case has been settled and proven-up before the dismissal date, (2) trial has been set and approved to occur within 90 days of the dismissal date, or (3) before the dismissal date, a motion to retain has been granted by the court.

CRITICAL

Responses must be filed and served at least 3 days before the submission date, or earlier if required by statute or rule.

Must be filed and served at least 3 days before the submission date, or earlier if required by statute or rule.

CRITICAL

Any response to a motion set for submission must be on file at least 3 days before the submission date, or earlier if required by statute or rule.

The notice must state that: (1) the motion will be heard by submission; (2) no party may appear for the hearing in person; and (3) any response to the motion must be on file at least 3 days before the submission date, or longer if required by statute or rule.

CRITICALCivil cases

If no judgment is filed within 14 days after the court is notified of settlement, the case is dismissed for want of prosecution.

Cases are dismissed for want of prosecution if no judgment is filed within 14 days after the court is notified of settlement (this time may be extended where necessary).

CRITICALCivil cases

Deadline

1 calendar days

Final Judgments must be filed at least 1-2 days before the Minor Settlement hearing.

All Final Judgments must be filed at least 1-2 days before the Minor Settlement hearing.

CRITICALCivil cases

Motions to exclude or challenge expert evidence must be filed and set for hearing at least thirty days before trial.

Any Motions to exclude or challenge expert evidence must be filed and set for hearing on a date at least thirty days prior to trial.

CRITICALCivil cases

The parties should exchange and file with the Court exhibit lists, motions in limine, depositions offers and proposed jury charges or proposed findings of facts and conclusion at least three (3) days before trial or the Thursday before a Monday Trial setting.

The parties should exchange and file with the Court exhibit lists, motions in limine, depositions offers and proposed jury charges or proposed findings of facts and conclusion at least three (3) days before trial or the Thursday before a Monday Trial setting.

CRITICAL

Deadline

24 hours

Responses should be filed at least 24 hours before the hearing, or the Court may disregard the pleadings.

All responses should be filed at least 24 hours before the hearing in order to give the Court adequate opportunity to review the filing. Failure to file a response 24 hours before the hearing could subject the result in the Court not taking the pleadings into consideration.

CRITICALCivil cases

Parties should set all motions to challenge experts for hearing at least seven (7) days before trial.

Parties should set all motions to challenge experts for hearing at least seven (7) days before trial.

CRITICALCivil cases

Expert challenges must be filed by the date set in the Court's docket control order.

Expert challenges should be filed by the date set out in the Court's docket control order.

CRITICALCivil cases

Deadline

48 hours

The proposed order must be filed at least 48 hours before submission or oral hearing.

You must file a proposed order with your motion at least 48 hours prior to your submission or oral hearing.

CRITICALCivil cases

Motions on the submission docket require 10-day notice; otherwise they will be automatically passed.

Motions placed on a submission docket without the requisite 10-day notice will be automatically passed by the Clerk of the Court.

CRITICAL

Counsel has fourteen days to file an Agreed Judgment or Final Non-Suit after announcing settlement.

Counsel has fourteen days to file an Agreed Judgment or Final Non-Suit with the Court.

CRITICAL

A summary judgment hearing notice must be sent no less than 21 days before the hearing date.

a hearing Notice must sent NO LESS THAN 21 days prior to the hearing date.

CRITICALCivil cases

Deadline

7 calendar days

Exchange and file deposition excerpts as soon as practical, but no later than 7 days before voir dire.

Deposition excerpts shall be exchanged and filed as soon as practical but no later than 7 days prior to the voir dire examination.

CRITICALCivil cases

Deadline

35 calendar days

An MSJ set for oral hearing must be set between the 35th and 60th day after the motion is filed.

An MSJ, if set for an oral hearing, must be set 35 days after the motion is filed and before the expiration of 60 days from the date the motion is filed. In other words, the motion must be set between the 35th and 60th day after the filing of the motion.

CRITICALCivil cases

If no oral hearing notice is filed, the MSJ is automatically placed on the submission docket on the first Monday after 35 days.

If no oral hearing notice is filed by the movant, the Court will automatically place the motion on the submission docket on the first Monday after the expiration of 35 days.

CRITICALCivil cases

Extending the MSJ setting deadline to 90 days requires a Rule 11 agreement filed into the case file.

If the movant wishes to extend the setting deadline to 90 days, a rule 11 agreement must be filed into the case file.

CRITICALCivil cases

Related motions, agreed orders, or nonsuits/dismissals must be on file prior to the DWOP date.

The Dismissal for Want of Prosecution (DWOP) docket is a no-appearance docket. Please have any related motions, agreed orders, or nonsuits/dismissals on file prior to your DWOP date.

CRITICALCivil cases

Deadline

10 calendar days

The submission docket is every Monday at 8:00 am with at least ten days' notice; no reservation is needed.

The submission docket is every Monday at 8:00 am with at least a ten-day notice. There is no need to reserve a date with the clerk for the submission docket. Simply choose an appropriate date and file your notice.

CRITICALCivil cases

Deadline

3 calendar days

File objections to deposition excerpts no later than 3 days before voir dire.

Objections to the excerpts shall be filed no later than 3 days prior to voir dire examination.

CRITICALCivil cases

Deadline

14 calendar days

Additional motions in limine and exhibits must be exchanged among all parties no later than 14 days before voir dire.

Motions in Limine which are in addition to the Court's Standing Motion in Limine, and exhibits must be exchanged among all parties pursuant to the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, but no later than 14 days before voir dire examination.

CRITICALCivil cases

Deadline

24 hours

File the appointee fee and proposed final judgment 24 hours before the minor-settlement hearing.

Please ensure the appointee fee and proposed final judgment are filed 24 hours prior to the hearing.

CRITICALCivil cases

Expert-exclusion motions should be filed and set well before trial; a motion filed after the docket-control-order deadline will not be considered without leave demonstrating exceptionally good cause.

All motions to exclude experts should be filed AND set for hearing WELL IN ADVANCE OF TRIAL. The court will NOT consider such motions filed after the deadline in the docket control order without a motion for leave demonstrating exceptionally good cause.

CRITICALCivil cases

A final judgment or other dispositive e-filing should be submitted within 14 days after settlement notice, or the case may be dismissed; the Court may extend the deadline if appropriate.

If a final judgment or other dispositive efiling is not submitted within fourteen (14) days after the Court is notified of the settlement, the case may be dismissed for want of prosecution. The Court may extend this deadline if appropriate.

CRITICALCivil cases

The submission docket is Monday at 8:00 a.m. and requires 10 days’ notice.

Submission docket is on Monday at 8:00 AM after 10 days’ notice.

CRITICALCivil cases

Submit disputed jury-questionnaire questions to Judge Hughes by submission or oral hearing before docket call.

If there are any questions not agreed on, you need to present them to Judge Hughes by submission or oral hearing PRIOR to the docket call.

CRITICAL

If a respondent has not appeared, a case may be dismissed unless a return of service or a properly executed waiver is on file before the dismissal date.

If a respondent has not appeared, a case may be dismissed unless a return of service or a properly executed waiver is on file before the dismissal date.

CRITICAL

The Court sets the entry date for final orders, and failure to enter the order by that date may result in dismissal.

Entry dates on final orders will be set by the Court in its rendition or at an oral prove-up of an agreement. Failure to enter the order before that date may result in dismissal of the case.