Which Tarrant County JP Court Hears Your Case
Tarrant County has eight Justice of the Peace precincts, and the property address, not your office, decides which one you use.
Tarrant County's JP courts hear evictions, small claims and debt claims up to $20,000. An eviction must be filed in the precinct where the rental property is located, and the county points filers to its address lookup tool to find the right one. Don't pick by ZIP code or by which courthouse is closest to your office.
Tarrant County offers two electronic filing routes: E-file Texas Self-Help, a guided filing for new eviction, small-claims and debt-claim cases, and standard E-file Texas, where you upload your own prepared documents. The Precinct 7 eviction page lists what to have ready: a sworn eviction petition, a military-status affidavit, and the notice to vacate, which you bring to the hearing.
2026 Filing, Service and Writ Costs
Tarrant County raised its constable fees for 2026, and several county pages still show the old numbers.
| Item | 2026 amount | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Eviction, small claim or debt claim filing | $54 | $54 |
| Constable service of citation | $90 per defendant | $144 for one defendant |
| Writ of possession | $5 issuance + $180 constable | $185 |
| Writ of execution | $5 issuance + $180 constable | $185 |
| Extra writ work | $80 per deputy per hour after two hours | Variable |
| Abstract of judgment from the JP clerk | $5 | $5 |
| Recording with the County Clerk | $20 first page + $4 each additional | Usually $20 to $24 |
The $90 service and $180 writ charges come from the 2026 sheriff and constable fee schedule, and the Precinct 7 eviction page confirms the $54 and $90. Older pages still in circulation show $75 for service, a $129 one-defendant total, and $150 for writ execution. Those are pre-2026 figures. Use the 2026 numbers for budgeting, but check the checkout amount with the assigned precinct, since the county hasn't updated every page.
How Long a Fort Worth Eviction Takes
SB 38 sets the timeline statewide for cases filed from January 1, 2026. Tarrant's precincts control where you land within it.
| Stage | Rule | Working estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Filing to trial | Day 10 to 21 after filing, not before day 4 after service | About two to three weeks |
| Appeal window | 5 days after judgment | 5 days |
| Writ of possession | Not before day 6 after judgment | Request once the appeal window closes |
| Constable execution | 24-hour posted notice, then move-out coordinated with the manager | A day or more, depending on scheduling |
| Overall | Implied by the windows above | Roughly 17 to 28 days for a clean, unappealed case |
That range is arithmetic from the statutory windows, not a county service guarantee. Failed service, weekends, docket load and constable scheduling all push it out, and continuances generally can't exceed seven days without written agreement. Small-claims and debt cases for money owed after move-out don't have the same 10-to-21-day trial window, and Tarrant doesn't publish a median, so don't promise owners a fixed timeline for those.
Fort Worth's Rental Handbook and Registration Rules
Fort Worth's local layer isn't an extra eviction step. It's a disclosure requirement and a registration program.
The Fort Worth Rental Handbook. The city's multifamily ordinance requires landlords to give tenants a copy of the handbook when the lease is signed or when the landlord performs the prescribed unit inspection. The handbook covers grounds for eviction, who may deliver an eviction notice, the tenant's right to challenge it, agencies that can help, and Code Compliance contacts. Knowingly failing to provide it is an offense. Keep a signed acknowledgment in the lease file.
No added notice period. No Fort Worth ordinance adds a city notice-to-vacate period, just-cause requirement, mandatory payment plan or right to cure for ordinary nonpayment. The state rules in our Texas guide control the pre-suit notice.
Multifamily registration. Fort Worth requires annual registration for apartment properties with three or more units through its Multifamily Registration and Inspection Program, with fees based on unit count and extra charges for complexes placed on probation. A multifamily property also needs a certificate of occupancy, and a new owner generally has to get a new one within 30 days of purchase. For one- and two-family rentals, the city describes registration as mostly voluntary outside problem properties; confirm with Code Compliance before relying on a fee figure.
Rental Assistance and Mediation
Help exists, but it's limited, and none of it pauses a case unless you agree to.
- City emergency rental assistance closed to new applications on March 31, 2022. Community Action Partners may help case by case, but it isn't a dependable diversion fund.
- Tarrant County rent and utility assistance moved to the Center for Transforming Lives on November 1, 2025, with about $2.3 million. The provider expected the money to run out around September or early October 2026, so verify it's still available before holding a filing for it.
- Tarrant County Dispute Resolution mediates landlord-tenant and unpaid-debt disputes, including virtually. Its published schedule charges $60 per party for ordinary Justice Court mediation, while court-referred eviction dockets are county-funded.
If you agree to hold a filing or writ while assistance is pending, put the terms in writing, including what happens if the money doesn't arrive.
Collecting the Judgment in Tarrant County
A judgment for unpaid rent doesn't collect itself. The useful sequence is find assets, abstract the judgment, then enforce only where there's something to reach.
Abstract of judgment. Request it from the JP clerk for $5 and record it with the County Clerk in every county where the debtor owns or may acquire non-exempt real property. The recorded abstract, not the judgment itself, creates the lien, and a Texas judgment lien ordinarily lasts ten years. It won't attach to a protected homestead.
Writ of execution. This directs the constable to seize and sell non-exempt property. Tarrant's post-judgment materials say it generally can't issue until 30 days after judgment. Budget $185 plus possible hourly, storage, towing or sale costs. Older Tarrant forms showing a $155 total are out of date.
Post-judgment discovery. You can serve discovery to locate bank accounts, non-homestead real estate, vehicles above the exemption, business interests and receivables, as long as the judgment isn't dormant or on appeal. The debtor generally gets at least 30 days to respond.
| Asset | Reachable for a rent judgment? |
|---|---|
| Homestead | Generally no |
| Current wages | No; Texas allows wage garnishment only for things like child support and certain federal debts |
| Personal property | Protected up to $100,000 for a family or $50,000 for a single adult |
| Bank accounts | Potentially, through a separate garnishment proceeding |
| Non-homestead real estate | Yes; the recorded abstract creates leverage on sale or refinance |
| Non-exempt business or personal assets | Potentially, through execution |
A former resident with no non-homestead property, only wages and exempt possessions, and little cash in the bank may be effectively judgment-proof today. That's why screening for assets before spending on execution matters, and why a recorded abstract is worth keeping alive. Our eviction judgment collection guide covers the strategy, and eviction cost recovery is where we take it on.
Fort Worth vs. Dallas
DFW is one rental market but two court systems. Keep separate cost sheets and filing workflows for each county.
| Issue | Fort Worth (Tarrant County) | Dallas (Dallas County) |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Tarrant JP precinct covering the property | Dallas County JP precinct covering the property |
| Filing and service | $54 + $90 per defendant = $144 | Dallas County's own constable schedule; don't copy Tarrant's |
| Writ of possession | $185 plus hourly after two hours | Dallas County's own sheriff and constable fees |
| Timeline | Statewide SB 38 windows; precinct controls the docket | Same windows; separate docket and service performance |
| Judgment liens | Record the abstract in each county where the debtor owns property | A Tarrant abstract creates no lien in Dallas County |
| City compliance | Rental Handbook, multifamily registration, certificate of occupancy | Dallas municipal requirements instead |
We haven't verified a current official 2026 Dallas County fee schedule, so we haven't put a Dallas dollar figure here. Our Dallas guide covers that side's process. A manager with properties in both counties can't file a Dallas property's case in Tarrant just because the office is in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Market Conditions
The public data supports the direction of the market more than precise city-only figures.
RealPage's 2026 forecast puts Fort Worth occupancy in the low-to-mid 93% range, roughly 6% to 7% vacancy, with a mild rent decline expected as the market absorbs new supply. Across DFW, Yardi Matrix counted more than 37,000 units delivered in both 2024 and 2025. On the court side, Eviction Lab tracks Tarrant County filings, and a 2026 report citing it counted about 46,207 filings over the prior year for the Fort Worth-area geography, which covers more than the city. Treat that as a regional stress signal, not a city delinquency rate. For collections, a market with this much new supply rewards early payment plans and fast placement of move-out balances, because residents who leave have plenty of options and stop answering quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How much does it cost to file an eviction in Fort Worth in 2026?
$54 to file plus $90 per defendant for constable service, so $144 for one defendant. A writ of possession adds $185. Some Tarrant County pages still show older $75 service and $150 writ charges, so confirm with the precinct.
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Does Fort Worth require extra notice before an eviction?
No. Fort Worth doesn't add its own notice-to-vacate period or right to cure for nonpayment; Texas law controls. The city does require landlords to give tenants the Fort Worth Rental Handbook.
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Do Fort Worth landlords have to register rental properties?
Yes for multifamily: properties with three or more units must register annually through the city's Multifamily Registration and Inspection Program. Registration for one- and two-family rentals is mostly voluntary outside problem properties.
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Can I garnish a former tenant's wages in Texas?
No. Texas exempts current wages from garnishment for ordinary debts like unpaid rent. Bank accounts and non-exempt property may be reachable through garnishment or a writ of execution.
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Can I file a Dallas property's eviction in a Tarrant County court?
No. An eviction must be filed in the JP precinct in the county where the rental property is located, regardless of where the management office is.
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How long does a Fort Worth eviction take?
For a clean, unappealed case, roughly 17 to 28 days from filing to the earliest physical move-out, based on the SB 38 trial window, the five-day appeal period and the constable's 24-hour notice. Service problems or an appeal extend it.