Which Bell County Justice Court Hears Your Case
In Texas, evictions and most rent claims start in a Justice of the Peace court, and you file in the precinct where the rental sits. Bell County has four JP precincts; Precincts 3 and 4 each have two judges (Place 1 and Place 2).
| City | JP precinct | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Killeen | Precinct 4 | Place 1 and Place 2 |
| Harker Heights | Precinct 4 | Place 2 serves Killeen and Harker Heights (local rules) |
| Copperas Cove, Bell County side | Precinct 4 | Check the exact address |
| Temple | Precinct 3 | Place 1 and Place 2, both in Temple |
| Belton | Precinct 1 | The county seat |
Check any address near a boundary on the county's JP precinct map (Bell County JP map; precinct maps). Copperas Cove needs extra care, because most of the city is in Coryell County, where it's split between Coryell County JP Precincts 1 and 2. Both offices are at 210 South 1st St. in Copperas Cove, and the county publishes a map of the split (Coryell County Copperas Cove JP map; Coryell County JP).
2026 Filing Fees and Eviction Timeline
The $54 filing fee is the same in every Texas justice court (Texas Judicial Branch). What changes by county is service and the writ. Bell County's JP pages list (Bell County JP evictions; small claims and debt claims):
| Item | Eviction | Small claims or debt claim |
|---|---|---|
| Filing | $54 | $54 |
| Service, first defendant | $100 | $85 |
| Each added defendant | $25 (same cause number) | $85 |
| Total, one defendant | $154 | $139 |
| Jury (optional) | $22 | $22 |
| After judgment | Writ of possession $180 ($5 plus $175 for the first two hours) | Writ of garnishment or turnover order $234 |
Two figures conflict. The Precinct 4 constable's fee page lists $80 for a justice court citation, against the JP pages' $100 for eviction service and $85 for small claims. Budget on the JP court's numbers and confirm with the serving constable before you file. Ignore a $126 Bell County small claims figure on a non-official site; the county's own schedule is $54 plus service. Writs that run past two hours add $40 per deputy per hour, according to the county's civil fee page.
Bell County sets eviction hearings 10 to 21 days after filing, as Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 510.4 requires, and a writ of possession can issue six days after judgment. An uncontested case with prompt service usually runs about three to four weeks from filing to the writ. A jury request, an appeal or a service problem pushes that out. The notice to vacate comes first; our Texas rent collection laws guide covers the statewide steps. The calculator below adds up a Bell County case.
How Bell County Compares With Austin and Round Rock
| County | Filing + service | Writ of possession |
|---|---|---|
| Bell (Killeen, Temple) | $154 | $180 |
| Travis (Austin) | $144 | $205, plus constable service (Travis County 2026) |
| Williamson (Round Rock) | $134 | $205 (Williamson County) |
Bell County costs a little more to start and less to finish. The process is the same statewide; the differences are local fees and hearing calendars. For the other two counties, see our Austin and Round Rock and Williamson County guides.
Fort Cavazos Shapes the Killeen Rental Market
Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, had 38,642 active-duty personnel in the Texas Comptroller's 2023 installation data (Texas Comptroller). That's what drives Killeen's rental demand, and it's also what drives its move-out balances:
- Summer PCS season. Moves cluster from roughly May through August, so lease endings, make-readies and final balances all pile up at once.
- SCRA terminations. Soldiers with PCS or deployment orders can end a lease early. You can collect prorated rent and documented damage, but not a lease-break fee or repayment of concessions. Our guide to collecting from military tenants covers the rules, and Texas adds its own under Prop. Code 92.017.
- Housing allowance gaps. The 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing for the Fort Hood area is about $1,695 a month for an E-5 with dependents and $1,530 without (2026 BAH, Fort Hood). HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the metro is $1,233 for a two-bedroom and $1,711 for a three-bedroom, so a junior enlisted family renting a larger home can run short each month.
- Deployments. A deployed soldier's household can face banking, paperwork and family-care disruptions that delay payment, even when the money is there.
The practical step for Killeen properties: verify active-duty status on the Defense Manpower Data Center site before any default judgment or collection placement (DMDC SCRA), and keep the orders and termination notice in the file.
Temple's Renters: Students and Healthcare Workers
Temple's renter base is more diversified than Killeen's. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple is a 640-bed hospital and the only Level I trauma center between Dallas and Austin (Baylor Scott & White). That brings stable employment, but also travel nurses, residents and contract clinicians on short leases, which means frequent turnover and smaller move-out balances rather than large arrears.
Students are a smaller factor than in a college town. Texas A&M University-Central Texas reported a record 2,417 students in spring 2025, up 8.2% (A&M-Central Texas), and many take classes online. Temple College enrolled about 5,274 students in 2024-25, but 3,549 were part-time. Students here rent conventional apartments and houses rather than purpose-built student housing, so roommate liability and parent guarantors matter more than by-the-bed leases. See our guide to collecting from co-signers and guarantors.
Local Rules, Assistance Programs and Market Data
Neither city runs a rental registration or periodic rental inspection program. Killeen's code enforcement is complaint-driven and covers nuisance and property maintenance under Chapter 18 (City of Killeen). Temple's Code Compliance and Transform Temple program work the same way (City of Temple). Temple's Rental Reinvestment Program gives owners matching grants to repair rentals so they pass HUD inspection for Housing Choice Vouchers (Temple grants), but its renter assistance page currently lists no opportunities. The statewide Texas Rent Relief and eviction diversion programs ended in 2023 (TDHCA). In practice, there's no local program likely to pay a former tenant's balance.
| Measure | Figure | Source and area |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,208 | Census QuickFacts, 2020-2024, Killeen city only (Census) |
| Typical asking rent | About $1,308 (Sept. 2026) | Zillow Observed Rent Index, metro, via a market compilation (compilation) |
| Multifamily vacancy | 7.5% (2026) | Commercial broker report, Killeen (report) |
| Eviction filing rate | 7.67% (2016, latest) | Eviction Lab, Killeen city (Eviction Lab) |
Treat the market figures with care. There is no single official source for Killeen-Temple rent, vacancy and evictions in 2024 to 2026; Eviction Lab doesn't track Bell County, and its city data ends in 2018. The Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center's metro page covers home sales, not rentals (TRERC). The direction is still clear: vacancy above the national average and steady new supply mean concessions, more moves at lease end, and more contested move-out balances at older properties.
Collecting Killeen and Temple Balances With Elite Recovery Group
Elite Recovery Group collects former-resident balances for property managers across Bell County, with military status checks built into placement. Once a tenant has moved out, a collection agency is usually faster and cheaper than a debt claim plus a writ of garnishment. Our Texas collection agency comparison covers how to choose one, and eviction judgment collection covers what to do if you already have a judgment.
Uses the 2026 Bell County JP schedule. Confirm service fees with the constable before filing. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Which court handles a Killeen eviction?
Bell County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4, which has two judges, Place 1 and Place 2. Harker Heights and the Bell County side of Copperas Cove are in Precinct 4 too.
-
Is Copperas Cove in Bell County or Coryell County?
Mostly Coryell County, with a small part in Bell County. Coryell County addresses go to JP Precinct 1 or 2 depending on the street, so check the county's Copperas Cove map.
-
How long does an eviction take in Bell County?
About three to four weeks from filing to the writ for an uncontested case: a hearing 10 to 21 days after filing, then a writ six days after judgment. Service problems, a jury or an appeal add time.
-
What is the small claims limit in a Bell County justice court?
$20,000, excluding statutory interest and court costs but including attorney's fees. Filing plus service on one defendant is $139.
-
Can a soldier break a lease in Killeen?
Yes, with PCS orders or deployment orders of 90 days or more, under the federal SCRA and Texas Property Code 92.017. The lease ends 30 days after the next rent due date, with no early termination fee.
-
Does Killeen or Temple require a rental license or registration?
No. Neither city runs a rental registration or periodic rental inspection program; code enforcement in both is complaint-driven.
-
Is there rental assistance in Killeen or Temple that can pay back rent?
Not in practice. The statewide Texas Rent Relief program ended in 2023, and Temple's renter assistance page currently lists no opportunities.
-
Can I collect from a former Killeen tenant who moved out of Texas?
Yes. A lawsuit means serving them where they now live, which gets slow and costly across state lines, especially after a PCS move. A collection agency can work the account wherever the former tenant lives, without a lawsuit.