Eastland County Court Records

Eastland County Courts, TX *

Eastland County is located in Central West Texas, covers 932 sq miles, and had a population of 18,325 as of 2025, with Eastland city as the county seat. The county was created in the year 1858 and organized in 1873. The county was also named after William Mosby Eastland, a Texas Revolution soldier. Ranching and farming have long been the backbone of Eastland County. It also experienced a dramatic oil boom from 1917 to 1922, which shaped its growth, infrastructure, including the courthouse, and legal history.

Eastland County falls under the Texas Judicial system, which consists of District Courts, Constitutional County Courts, County Courts at Law, Statutory Probate Courts, Justice Courts, and Municipal Courts. In Eastland County specifically, these courts cover felony criminal cases, Class A and B misdemeanors, probate, civil disputes, family law, traffic offenses, and city ordinance violations.

Overview of the Eastland County Court System

Eastland County courts operate under the Texas Judicial Branch, administered by the Office of Court Administration (OCA). This is a state agency that operates under the direction and supervision of the Supreme Court of Texas and the Chief Justice. The Eastland County courthouse houses the County District Court, the Constitutional County Court, and the County Justice Court of the 8th Administrative Judicial Region. Additionally, the specific judicial district assigned to Eastland County is the 91st Judicial District, which is composed solely of Eastland County.

Eastland County Courts are located in one central hub: the County Courthouse at 100 W. Main St. in Eastland. It houses the 91st District Court, Suite 302; the District Clerk, Suite 206; the County Clerk, Suite 102; and the Eleventh Court of Appeals, Suite 300, which is shared by multiple counties in the state of Texas. The court serves as Texas's intermediate appellate court. Other courts within Eastland County include the Eastland Municipal Court, which meets at a different location from the county Courthouse. Below is a detailed discussion of all these courts and the case loads.

Types of Courts in Eastland County, TX

Eastland County has a number of different courts that are responsible for different types of cases. Other than the county's Eastland Municipal Court, all the other courts are located within the county courthouse. Understanding the legal cases handled within each of these courts is important when filing cases within Eastland County.

District Court

The 91st District Cour t is Eastland County's primary trial court of general jurisdiction. It is located at the County Courthouse.

The court has jurisdiction over:

Felony criminal cases
Civil cases (no upper dollar cap)
Family law matters include divorce, child custody, child support
Juvenile cases
Protective orders
Cases appealed up from the lower courts

The terms of the 91st District Court begin on the first Monday in February, April, June, August, October, and December. The District Clerk is responsible for managing all court records, indexes, and securing case files, collecting filing fees, handling funds held in litigation, including money awarded to minors, and coordinating jury panel selection.

Constitutional County Court)

The Eastland County Court is the constitutional county court mandated by the Texas Constitution, which handles mid-level criminal, probate, and guardianship matters. It is located at the County Courthouse.

The court's jurisdiction includes:

Class A and B misdemeanors
Probate and estate administration
Guardianship proceedings
Mental health hearings
Appeals from Justice of the Peace and Municipal Courts

The County Clerk maintains all misdemeanor court records, processes probate and guardianship filings, issues marriage licenses, and manages election records. For anyone dealing with an estate, a guardianship case, or a Class A/B misdemeanor charge, the County Clerk's office is the first stop.

Justice of the Peace Court

The Justice of the Peace Courts are Eastland County's entry-level trial courts. Eastland County has two JP precincts: Precinct 1, which covers the Eastland area, and Precinct 2, which covers the Cisco area. Both operate out of the Eastland County Courthouse.

The court's jurisdiction includes:

Class C misdemeanors are for a fine only, but no jail time
Small claims for civil matters up to $20,000
Evictions and forcible entry proceedings
Foreclosure of liens within the court's jurisdiction
Magistrate duties
Courts of inquest

Within the JP courts, the county clerk manages all JP court filings, processes citations, handles civil fee payments, and coordinates jury service for both precincts.

Municipal Courts

There are five municipal courts in Eastland County, one per incorporated city that operates its own police department. None of them is located in the county's main courthouse. Each sits within its own city hall or city facility. They are the Eastland Municipal Court, Cisco Municipal Court, Ranger Municipal Court, Rising Star Municipal Court, and Gorman Municipal Court.

These courts have jurisdiction over:

Class C misdemeanor offenses
City ordinance violations punishable only by fine (e.g., traffic tickets, speeding, minor traffic offenses, and local ordinance violations)

The municipal court you go to depends entirely on where the offense occurred.

How to Access Eastland County Court Records

Most court records in Eastland County are public under Texas law. But there are sealed or restricted records within the county court records. Records are typically sealed in juvenile and family violence cases, in expunged criminal records, and in certain mental health proceedings. A judge's order is required to seal them. For publicly accessible records, a fee of 10 cents per page, up to $6 per document, applies when downloading documents through the state portal. Certified copies requested in person from the clerk's office may carry additional fees.

Online Access

r e:SearchTX is the official statewide portal for Texas court records. The platform covers all 254 Texas counties, including Eastland, and allows the public to search case information, view docket entries, and access e-filed documents. A free subscription plan lets you search civil cases from district, county, and probate courts. Public access covers records going back to November 2018. And when downloading full documents, a small fee is required.

Alternative Online Options

When accessing the case file and records, there are instances when the official system is unclear. This is where alternative online options come in. Platforms like CourtCaseFinder aggregate public records from multiple sources and courts. They are useful when you are unsure which specific office holds the records you need, or when searching across case types such as divorces, arrests, and other public filings, all in one place.

In-Person Requests

You can also access the court case files in person, which helps you access the certified records. For District Court records, you can visit the District Clerk, and for the County Court, probate, and misdemeanor records, you need to visit the County Clerk. To access the JP court records in person, you need to visit the JP Clerk's office, Basement 2, in the courthouse.

Archived Records

Older Eastland County court records that predate the e-filing era are available only in hard copy and are held by the respective clerk's offices at the courthouse. For records predating 2018, in-person requests to the District Clerk or County Clerk are the most reliable route. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission's Texas Court System may also hold some historical county records.

For Attorneys and Legal Professionals

There are different things local Eastland County attorneys already know that outside attorneys don't know. They know the Judge's courtroom preferences, the 91st District Court's term schedule, how the District Clerk and County Clerk offices operate, typical docket timelines, and any standing orders in effect. An outside attorney walking in cold lacks all of that institutional knowledge. There are several reasons an attorney from outside Eastland County needs access to its records or courts.

It is important to note that e-filing is mandatory for all attorneys filing civil, family, probate, or criminal cases in all district and county courts across Texas. All filings in the 91st District Court and County Court go through eFile Texas. Outside attorneys must register on the platform before they can file anything in Eastland County courts. And to find the local rules and standing orders for Eastland County courts, you need the OCA's Local Rules, Forms, and Standing Orders database, which is the official repository required by Texas rules to be published there for enforcement. Then search for Eastland County or the 91st District Court specifically.

How to File a Case in Eastland County

Filing a case requires careful attention; filing in the wrong court can cause delays, extra costs, and procedural complications. Each court in Eastland County has specific jurisdiction. A case filed in the wrong court must be refiled in the correct court, resetting the entire timeline. Eastland County has four distinct court types, and the type of case determines exactly which court and which clerk receives your filing.

Step 1: Choose the Correct Court

This is the most important step of the case-filing process in the Eastland County Court system. Selecting the wrong court means all the other steps will be wrong. Which means you need to correctly align your case with the correct court. And to do this, you need to understand the different types of courts present in Eastland County, and then, among those courts, which court handles your type of case. To get more help with this it is possible to contact the court clerks, the District clerk, and the County Clerk.

Step 2: Complete Required Forms

After selecting the correct court, you need to get the required court forms. The eFile Texas self-help section includes guided interviews that help you complete forms to file with the court, covering family, civil, and probate cases. The Texas Law Help site also provides free downloadable forms. For Justice of the Peace Court filings, civil filing instructions and forms are available directly from the Eastland County website.

Step 3: File Your Case

Once all the forms are correctly filed out, e-filing is mandatory for all attorneys in civil, family, probate, and criminal cases in district and county courts. Self-represented filers are encouraged but not required to e-file. You can also physically file the case by visiting the District Clerk to file District Court cases at Suite 206 in the courthouse, the County Clerk for filing County Court cases at Suite 102, and the JP clerk for filing JP Court cases at Basement 2, also in the courthouse.

Step 4: Pay Filing Fees

During filing there is a filing fee which varies by court and case type. District and county courts collect a $30 e-filing fee on top of standard filing fees. JP Court small claims start at $54. For those who cannot pay, a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs, which is a fee waiver form, can be filed with the court. You can find it at TexasLawHelp. And then you have to wait for the judge to decide whether to grant you the waiver.

Step 5: Serve the Other Party

Service of process is the formal legal procedure of notifying the other party that a case has been filed against them. In Texas, including Eastland County, service may be carried out by a sheriff, constable, or a process server certified through the Judicial Branch Certification Commission. You cannot serve the papers yourself. Once served, the server completes a Return of Service form documenting when and where the party was served, which is then filed with the court.

Step 6: Monitor Your Case

Once all the steps have been executed, you are provided with a case number by the respective court clerk. You can then use it to track your case at re:SearchTX, which shows docket entries, filings, and hearing dates. You can also contact the District Clerk or the County Clerk directly.

Eastland County Courthouse Directory

The main courthouse serves as the central hub for all county-level court operations. The only courts not present at this location are the Municipal Courts, which are in their respective cities within the county.

Eastland County Courthouse

Address: 100 W. Main Street, Eastland, TX 76448

91st District Court, Suite 302: (254) 629-1797; email: 91court@eastlandcountytexas.com

District Clerk, Suite 206: (254) 629-2664; email: ecdc@eastlandcounty.gov

County Judge/County Court, Suite 203: (254) 629-1263; email ecjudge@eastlandcountytexas.com

County Clerk, Suite 10: (254) 629-1583

JP Court, Basement 2: (254) 629-1088

Eleventh Court of Appeals, Suite 300: (254) 629-2638

Website: eastlandcountytexas.com

Eastland Municipal Court

Eastland

Address: 113 E. Commerce St., Eastland, TX 76448

Phone: (254) 629-8227

Website: eastlandtexas.gov/court

Cisco Municipal Court

Cisco

Address: 500 Conrad Hilton Blvd., Cisco, TX 76437

Phone: (254) 442-1762

Website: ciscotexas.gov/court

Ranger Municipal Court

Ranger

Address: 400 W. Main St., Ranger, TX 76470

Phone: (254) 647-3318

Website: rangertx.gov/municipal-court.html

Rising Star Municipal Court

Rising Star

Address: 104 N. Miller St., Rising Star, TX 76471

Phone: (254) 643-4261

Website: cityofrisingstar.org/municipal-court/

Gorman Municipal Court

Gorman

Address: 116 S. Kent St., Gorman, TX 76454

Phone: (254) 734-2317

Website: town-court.com/directory/texas/eastland-county/gorman-municipal-court/

Legal Help and Self-Help Resources

In Eastland County, there are various legal aid platforms that can guide you through the county's court process with ease. Some are free, while others are affordable.

Free Legal Assistance

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT) is the primary free civil legal aid provider for Eastland County. LANWT serves 114 counties across North and West Texas, with the Abilene branch office specifically covering Eastland County. They provide free civil legal services to income-eligible residents in areas including family law, housing, benefits, and consumer matters. Eastland County residents can call the legal aid line or apply online to determine eligibility.

Local Legal Support

The State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS) serves over 246 counties in Texas, including Eastland County. It connects residents with a licensed attorney for an initial 30-minute consultation for $20.

FAQs

Can I get a traffic ticket dismissed in Eastland County without going to court?

Possibly. The Eastland Municipal Court offers a Deferred Disposition and Driver Safety Course option that may result in dismissal upon completion. You must contact the municipal court that issued the citation first, and then an approval is required before taking any action.

Does the 91st District Court handle divorces in Eastland County?

Yes. Divorce, child custody, and child support cases are all filed in the 91st District Court. Contact the District Clerk at (254) 629-2664 to begin the filing process.

Can I represent myself in Eastland County JP Court?

Yes. You do not need an attorney in Justice of the Peace Court proceedings, though one may be able to provide important legal assistance. JP judges are not permitted to give legal advice.

How do I find out if someone has an active warrant in Eastland County?

Search re:SearchTX using the person's name. For confirmed warrant information, contact the Eastland County Sheriff's Office directly or the District Clerk's office at (254) 629-2664.

Can I get my criminal record expunged through Eastland County courts?

Possibly. Texas allows expungement if your case was dismissed, you were acquitted, or you were never charged. The petition is filed with the 91st District Court. The process typically takes three to six months and costs between $300 and $500 in court fees, plus attorney fees if you hire one.

Who handles probate matters when someone dies in Eastland County?

Probate and estate administration matters are handled by the Eastland County Court/Constitutional County Court, presided over by a County Judge. Contact the County Clerk at (254) 629-1583 to file.

What is the small claims limit in Eastland County JP Court?

Justice of the Peace Court handles civil matters not exceeding $20,000, excluding interest. Small Claims Court also covers matters up to $20,000, but judgments are limited to money only, no injunctions.

Where do I pay a JP court citation online in Eastland County?

Citations from the JP Court can be paid online at TexasOnlineRecords. Municipal court citations are paid separately through each city's own payment portal.

What happens if I miss my court date in Eastland County?

A failure to appear typically results in a warrant being issued for your arrest and an additional charge. Contact the relevant court immediately, the District Clerk for district court matters, or the JP Court at (254) 629-1088 for JP matters, to address the situation before a warrant is executed.

Eastland County Court Records Lookup

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