Harris County Legal Research

A significant amount of information of interest to local researchers is available on Harris County government websites. Below, you will find links to local regulations and legislation, court documents, and more. Click on a category below to get started.

Regulations and Ordinances

Harris County Commissioners Court Agenda - Meeting announcements and agendas for the legislative body of Harris County. Past agendas, meeting results, and video of previous Commissioners Court meetings are also available.

Harris County Regulations (Harris County Attorney's Office) - Listing of current regulations passed by the Harris County Commissioners Court organized by subject.

Houston City Charter and Code of Ordinances - Free, searchable version of the City Charter and Code of Ordinances of the City of Houston maintained by Municode. Ordinances for Baytown, Bellaire, Deer Park, Humble, La Porte, South Houston, Tomball, and other cities are available on the Municode Library: Texas page.

Courts and Court Documents

Harris County District Courts - Portal for local civil, criminal, family, and juvenile district courts. Resources include local court rules, individual courts' webpages, juror information, process server information, and FAQs.

Harris County Courts at Law - Portal for the local civil, criminal, and probate courts at law. Resources include local courts rules, fee schedules, and downloadable forms.

Harris County Justice of the Peace Courts - Portal for local Justice of the Peace Courts. Resources include local court rules, court-provided information and forms, individual JP webpages, and more.

Harris County District Clerk - The Harris County District Clerk's Office is the custodian of documents for Harris County District Courts. Through its website, you can find information about current court documents and dockets, historical documents, costs and filing fees, and a limited selection of approved forms.

Harris County Clerk's Office - The Harris County Clerk's Office is the custodian of records for Harris County Commissioners Court and Harris County Civil and Probate Courts at Law and the official recorder of real property and personal records. Many of these document collections are searchable through the Document Search Portal. Additional information, including approved forms and an election website, is available through the Office's website.

Additional Resources