December 21, 2024 [Z1A]
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Criminal Courts

The Criminal Courts consist of the District Courts, which hear felony cases, and the County Criminal Courts at Law, which hear Class A and B misdemeanor cases and cases appealed from the Justice of the Peace and Municipal Courts.

Criminal District Courts

Please see the Harris County District Courts homepage for additional information including:

County Criminal Courts at Law

Please see the Harris County Criminal Courts at Law homepage for additional information including:

Cite and Release Docket

Cite and Release Dockets are held every Wednesday at 1:00 pm, at 49 San Jacinto, First Floor, Houston, TX 77002.

Probable Cause Court

Probable Cause Court hearings are held via teleconference 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they are open to the public. They may be viewed in the Public Viewing Room on the second floor of the Joint Processing Center located at 700 N. San Jacinto.

Bonds

For information about bond conditions, contact your attorney, or for personal bonds, contact Harris County Pretrial Services at (832) 927-3520.

Your private bonding company may also have information concerning surety bond conditions.

Learn more about posting a bond, bond forfeitures, cash bond refunds, and the Bail Bond Board here.

Criminal Collections Payment Options

Criminal Collections sets up payment plans for specific cases as ordered by the District Criminal Courts and the County Criminal Courts at Law. Criminal Collections works as an agent to ensure timely payment of court costs, fines, and fees.

Criminal court fees and customer service fees can be found here.

Payments should be made payable to Marilyn Burgess, Harris County District Clerk, and include your Case Number. If you do not know your case number, please include your full name and date of birth.

Personal checks are not accepted.

1. In Person

At the Criminal Justice Center at 1201 Franklin, First Floor, Suite 1026

Open Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

We accept in-person payments in the following forms:

  • Cash
  • Bank Cashier's Check
  • Money Order
  • Debit/Credit Cards
  • No Personal checks

2. By Mail

We accept payments by mail in the following forms.

  • Bank Cashier's Check
  • Money Order
  • No Personal checks

Payments should be mailed to:

Marilyn Burgess, Harris County District Clerk
ATTN: Criminal Collections Division
P.O. Box 53750
Houston, Texas 77052-3750

3. Drop Box

Located in the Criminal Justice Center at 1201 Franklin, First Floor, on the right side at the main entrance.

Accessible Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 5:45 pm

We accept drop-box payments in the following forms:

  • Money Order
  • Bank Cashier’s Check
  • No cash payments or personal checks should be left in the Drop Box

Criminal Customer Service

The following are handled in the Criminal Customer Service area:

  • Returning/filing search warrants (original copy)
  • Filing documents related to a criminal case for Pro Se filers only.*
  • Filing Petitions for Non-Disclosure for Pro Se filers only.*
  • Filing Petitions for an Occupational/Restricted Driver’s License for Pro Se filers only.*
  • Filing Subpoenas for Pro Se filers only.*

*Please note: Per the state mandate, Harris County requires electronic filing in all criminal courts, which restrict us from accepting paper filings from anyone other than Pro Se filers. Pro Se filers may also file electronically for an additional fee. Click here to learn more about electronic filing.

Need help e-Filing? Please visit our e-File FAQs page, which includes state and Harris County e-Filing requirements, updates, and news; common reasons why files are returned; as well as a list of contacts for filers requiring assistance.

Please note, the District Clerk’s Office will no longer accept Cash Bond Assignments, in compliance with the Office of Attorney General Opinion #GA-0773.

Additional forms can be found here.