Texas Courts of Appeals Map: Districts, Counties, and Transfers

The Texas courts of appeals districts map divides the state into fifteen appellate districts. Fourteen of them cover defined groups of counties and hear appeals from the trial courts there; the fifteenth sits over the whole state and handles certain civil cases involving state government. Your county’s district determines where you file, which justices decide the appeal, and which body of precedent governs it.1Texas Judicial Branch. Courts of Appeals

The Fifteen Districts and the Counties They Cover

Every one of Texas’s 254 counties falls within at least one appellate district under Section 22.201 of the Government Code.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOVT 22.201 – Courts of Appeals Districts Each court has a seat city, a set number of authorized justices, and a defined territory.1Texas Judicial Branch. Courts of Appeals

  • First District — Houston. 9 justices, 10 counties (all 10 shared with the Fourteenth).
  • Second District — Fort Worth. 7 justices, 12 counties.
  • Third District — Austin. 6 justices, 24 counties.
  • Fourth District — San Antonio. 7 justices, 32 counties covering South Texas and the Hill Country down to the border.
  • Fifth District — Dallas. 13 justices, 6 counties.
  • Sixth District — Texarkana. 3 justices, 19 counties.
  • Seventh District — Amarillo. 4 justices, 32 counties across the Panhandle and parts of West Texas.
  • Eighth District — El Paso. 3 justices, 17 counties.
  • Ninth District — Beaumont. 4 justices, 10 counties.
  • Tenth District — Waco. 3 justices, 18 counties.
  • Eleventh District — Eastland. 3 justices, 28 counties.
  • Twelfth District — Tyler. 3 justices, 17 counties.
  • Thirteenth District — Corpus Christi and Edinburg (two seats). 6 justices, 20 counties along the coastal bend and the Rio Grande Valley.
  • Fourteenth District — Houston. 9 justices, 10 counties (all 10 shared with the First).
  • Fifteenth District — statewide. 3 justices, civil cases involving the state.

Staffing tracks caseload rather than geography. The Fifth District has thirteen justices for six counties because the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex generates enormous appellate volume. The Seventh and Eleventh Districts each cover large rural territories with only three or four justices.

The state’s most populous counties anchor the busiest courts. Harris County (Houston) feeds appeals to both the First and Fourteenth Districts. Dallas County goes to the Fifth, Bexar County (San Antonio) to the Fourth, Travis County (Austin) to the Third, and Tarrant County (Fort Worth) to the Second.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOVT 22.201 – Courts of Appeals Districts

Counties Assigned to Two Districts

Texas intentionally assigns some counties to more than one appellate district. The biggest overlap is Houston: the First and Fourteenth Districts share all ten of the same counties, which are Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Waller, and Washington.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOVT 22.201 – Courts of Appeals Districts Appeals from those counties are randomly assigned between the two courts, with occasional reassignment to keep dockets balanced.

East Texas has a similar arrangement. Gregg, Rusk, Upshur, and Wood counties all sit in both the Sixth District (Texarkana) and the Twelfth District (Tyler). Hunt County belongs to both the Fifth District (Dallas) and the Sixth District (Texarkana).2State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOVT 22.201 – Courts of Appeals Districts

The overlaps are not just administrative. Each court of appeals builds its own body of case law, and two courts sharing the same counties can reach different conclusions on the same legal question. If you appeal from an overlap county, the court you draw can affect the standards applied to your case. A split of that kind only gets resolved when the Supreme Court of Texas or the Court of Criminal Appeals takes it up.

The Fifteenth Court and Statewide Civil Cases

The Fifteenth Court of Appeals began operating on September 1, 2024, and covers every county in the state.2State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOVT 22.201 – Courts of Appeals Districts It has exclusive intermediate appellate jurisdiction over certain civil matters involving the state, state agencies, and state employees acting in an official capacity.3Texas Judicial Branch. Fifteenth Court of Appeals

Its statewide reach does not swallow the regional courts. The Fifteenth does not hear criminal cases, and certain civil categories against the state, including personal injury and eminent domain, still go to the regional court of appeals for the county where the case was tried. If you are appealing an ordinary civil judgment that has nothing to do with state government, the Fifteenth is not your court.

When Your Case Gets Transferred to Another District

Caseloads across the fifteen districts do not balance on their own. The Texas Supreme Court issues quarterly transfer orders under Section 73.001 of the Government Code that move cases from crowded dockets to lighter ones.4Texas Judicial Branch. Transfer of Cases for Equalization of Appellate Court Dockets Litigants cannot object to a docket equalization transfer.

The transfer changes the location of the decision, not the law that governs it. Under Rule 41.3 of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, the receiving court must decide the case using the precedent of the court that would have heard it originally.4Texas Judicial Branch. Transfer of Cases for Equalization of Appellate Court Dockets A case moved from Tyler to Eastland still follows Twelfth District precedent, not Eleventh District rulings. That rule is the main protection when your appeal lands in an unfamiliar court hundreds of miles from the trial.

Filing an Appeal in the Right District

Once you know your district, the deadlines are strict. In most civil cases, you have 30 days after the trial court signs its judgment to file a notice of appeal. That extends to 90 days if any party files a motion for new trial, a motion to modify the judgment, or a request for findings of fact and conclusions of law. Accelerated appeals carry a 20-day deadline. Restricted appeals, where you did not participate in the hearing below, allow up to six months.5Texas Judicial Branch. Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure Miss the deadline and you usually lose the right to appeal.

Filing is electronic for attorneys. All lawyers must file through eFileTexas, the state’s mandatory e-filing platform, for civil, family, and probate cases, and for subsequent filings in criminal cases at every appellate court.6eFileTexas.gov. Frequently Asked Questions Documents route through a certified electronic filing service provider rather than directly to the court, and the system operates around the clock with encryption in transit and at rest. Self-represented litigants should contact the specific court of appeals about paper filing, because practices vary by court.