Tex. Government Code § 27.031
This is the official text of Tex. Government Code § 27.031, part of Texas’s Government Code — covers the structure and operation of Texas state and local government.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 27.031. JURISDICTION.
Official statutory text
(a) In addition to the jurisdiction and powers provided by the constitution and other law, the justice court has original jurisdiction of:
(1) civil matters in which exclusive jurisdiction is not in the district or county court and in which the amount in controversy is not more than $20,000, exclusive of interest;
(2) cases of forcible entry and detainer; and
(3) foreclosure of mortgages and enforcement of liens on personal property in cases in which the amount in controversy is otherwise within the justice court's jurisdiction.
(b) A justice court does not have jurisdiction of:
(1) a suit in behalf of the state to recover a penalty, forfeiture, or escheat;
(2) a suit for divorce;
(3) a suit to recover damages for slander or defamation of character;
(4) a suit for trial of title to land; or
(5) a suit for the enforcement of a lien on land.
(c) A justice court has concurrent jurisdiction with a municipal court in cases that arise in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction and that arise under an ordinance of the municipality applicable to the extraterritorial jurisdiction under Section 216.902, Local Government Code.
(d) A corporation need not be represented by an attorney in justice court.
(e) A justice court has concurrent jurisdiction with a district court and a municipal court of record over expunction proceedings relating to the arrest of a person for an offense punishable by fine only.
(1) civil matters in which exclusive jurisdiction is not in the district or county court and in which the amount in controversy is not more than $20,000, exclusive of interest;
(2) cases of forcible entry and detainer; and
(3) foreclosure of mortgages and enforcement of liens on personal property in cases in which the amount in controversy is otherwise within the justice court's jurisdiction.
(b) A justice court does not have jurisdiction of:
(1) a suit in behalf of the state to recover a penalty, forfeiture, or escheat;
(2) a suit for divorce;
(3) a suit to recover damages for slander or defamation of character;
(4) a suit for trial of title to land; or
(5) a suit for the enforcement of a lien on land.
(c) A justice court has concurrent jurisdiction with a municipal court in cases that arise in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction and that arise under an ordinance of the municipality applicable to the extraterritorial jurisdiction under Section 216.902, Local Government Code.
(d) A corporation need not be represented by an attorney in justice court.
(e) A justice court has concurrent jurisdiction with a district court and a municipal court of record over expunction proceedings relating to the arrest of a person for an offense punishable by fine only.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Texas?
Find a Texas lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.