Texas § GV.29.003 - JURISDICTION

§ GV.29.003. JURISDICTION

JURISDICTION. (a) A municipal court, including a municipal court of record, shall have exclusive original jurisdiction within the municipality's territorial limits and property owned by the municipality located in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction in all criminal cases that: (1) arise under: (A) the ordinances of the municipality; or (B) a resolution, rule, or order of a joint board operating an airport under Section 22.074 , Transportation Code; and (2) are punishable by a fine not to exceed: (A) $2,000 in all cases arising under municipal ordinances or resolutions, rules, or orders of a joint board that govern fire safety, zoning, or public health and sanitation, other than the dumping of refuse; (B) $4,000 in cases arising under municipal ordinances that govern the dumping of refuse; or (C) $500 in all other cases arising under a municipal ordinance or a resolution, rule, or order of a joint board. (a-1) The governing body of a municipality by ordinance may provide that the court has: (1) civil jurisdiction for the purpose of enforcing municipal ordinances enacted under Subchapter A , Chapter 214 , Local Government Code, or Subchapter E , Chapter 683 , Transportation Code; (2) concurrent jurisdiction with a district court or a county court at law under Subchapter B , Chapter 54 , Local Government Code, within the municipality's territorial limits and property owned by the municipality located in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction for the purpose of enforcing health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances; and (3) authority to issue: (A) search warrants for the purpose of investigating a health and safety or nuisance abatement ordinance violation; and (B) seizure warrants for the purpose of securing, removing, or demolishing the offending property and removing the debris from the premises. (b) The municipal court has concurrent jurisdiction with the justice court of a precinct in which the municipality is located in all criminal cases arising under state law that arise within the municipality's territorial limits or property owned by the municipality located in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction and that: (1) are punishable only by a fine, as defined in Subsection (c); or (2) arise under Chapter 106 , Alcoholic Beverage Code, and do not include confinement as an authorized sanction. (c) In this section, an offense which is punishable by "fine only" is defined as an offense that is punishable by fine and such sanctions, if any, as authorized by statute not consisting of confinement in jail or imprisonment. (d) The fact that a conviction in a municipal court has as a consequence the imposition of a penalty or sanction by an agency or entity other than the court, such as a denial, suspension, or revocation of a privilege, does not affect the original jurisdiction of the municipal court. (e) The municipal court has jurisdiction in the forfeiture and final judgment of all bail bonds and personal bonds taken in criminal cases of which the court has jurisdiction. (f) This section does not affect the powers given exclusively to a joint board operating an airport under Section 22.074 (d), Transportation Code. (g) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 372 (H.B. 1631 ), Sec. 6(1), eff. June 2, 2019. (h) A municipality with a population of 1.19 million or more and another municipality contiguous to that municipality may enter into an agreement providing concurrent jurisdiction for the municipal courts of either jurisdiction for all criminal cases arising from offenses under state law that are: (1) committed on the boundary of those municipalities or in one or both of the following areas: (A) within 200 yards of that boundary; or (B) within 2.25 miles of that boundary on a segment of highway in the state highway system that traverses a major water supply reservoir; and (2) punishable by fine only. (i) A municipality may enter into an agreement with a contiguous municipality or a municipality with boundaries that are within one-half mile of the municipality seeking to enter into the agreement to establish concurrent jurisdiction of the municipal courts in the municipalities and provide original jurisdiction to a municipal court in which a case is brought as if the municipal court were located in the municipality in which the case arose, for: (1) all cases in which either municipality has jurisdiction under Subsection (a) or (b); and (2) cases that arise under Section 821.022 , Health and Safety Code, or Section 65.003 (a), Family Code. Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 480, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1985. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 148, Sec. 2.32(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 641, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 680, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 108, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 449, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 533, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1013, Sec. 40, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 611, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 660, Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1122, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1149 (S.B. 1119 ), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2007. Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 230 (S.B. 1504 ), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2009. Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 76 (H.B. 984 ), Sec. 1, eff. May 19, 2011. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 680 (H.B. 274 ), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2015. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 935 (H.B. 2398 ), Sec. 30, eff. September 1, 2015. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1154 (S.B. 631 ), Sec. 2, eff. June 19, 2015. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1004 (H.B. 1264 ), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2017. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 372 (H.B. 1631 ), Sec. 6(1), eff. June 2, 2019. Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 934 (H.B. 3774 ), Sec. 3.05, eff. September 1, 2021. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 23 (S.B. 304 ), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2025.