Texas Judicial

Branch

Court Security

Closures & Reopening Reporting Instructions 

Please Read

  • Please read these instructions in full prior to submitting your first online closure report.
  • Please read the supplemental instructions on the online form itself, the first time you submit.

Who Can Report

  • Clerks, judges, and court staff may report court and clerk's office closures.
  • If, in an emergency, you cannot submit the online form yourself, email the OCA Service Desk, or call them at (512) 463-1642, and they will submit it for you.

How to Report

Closures

  • Report closures using our online form, Report a Closure.
  • Only submit the online form one time, that being when you initially report the closure.
  • Please read the instructions on the form itself, the first time you submit.

Reopenings

  • If you know the reopening date & time while you're reporting the closure, you can enter them at that time.
  • To report a reopening some time after you've reported the closure, email the OCA Service Desk, or call (512) 463-1642.

Delays

Treat a delay as a short closure, and submit the online form, Report a Closure.

Corrections

To amend a report:

What to Report

Only report closures due to:

  • Emergency
  • Special Circumstances

Emergency

Emergencies include, but are not limited to:

  • Hurricane
  • Flooding
  • Fire
  • Ice or snow storm
  • Bombing

Special Circumstances

Special Circumstances include, but are not limited to:

  • Courthouse being under repair

What Not to Report

Clerks and courts need not report:

  • Holiday closures

Other examples of what not to report include court closures due to:

  • Judge having a personal emergency
  • Judge being on sick leave
  • Judge being on vacation
  • Judge attending a conference or continuing education class, etc.

What Happens After Reporting

  • Your closure will be publicly visible on our Court & Clerk's Office Closures page.
  • Your closure will disappear from that page when the reopening time has passed. If no reopening time has been reported, it will stay there indefinitely.
  • If OCA determines that the closure doesn't qualify, it may be removed from the page prior to the reopening time.