Hays County Justice of the Peace Courts

Hays County Justice Courts Overview

Texas Justice of the Peace courts are local courts with limited jurisdiction. The Hays County Justice of the Peace landing page states that JP courts have original jurisdiction in criminal cases punishable by fine only and in other matters provided by law. They perform magistrate functions, set bonds and conditions, issue search and arrest warrants, conduct preliminary hearings, administer oaths, perform marriages, and conduct inquests where there is no medical examiner.

Hays County has seven JP courts spread across five precinct areas. Precinct 1 and Precinct 2 each have two courts. Precincts 3, 4, and 5 each have one. The county warns users to confirm the court name and the judge before paying through any pay-fines link, since the seven courts use separate online payment pages.

Hays County JP Courts and Judges

The table maps each court to its judge and location. Phone numbers and hours that were not in the harvested sources are marked "confirm by phone" rather than invented.

For the full landing page and pay-fines links, visit the county Justice of the Peace page.

The two San Marcos courts share Suite 2235 of the Government Center and operate with separate dockets and judges, while the Kyle, Wimberley, Dripping Springs, and Buda courts run from their own precinct offices. Hours vary by precinct, and several JP courts close at noon on Friday. Confirm hours by phone before you travel.

Hays County Justice Court Jurisdiction

JP courts in Texas cover several distinct kinds of cases. Their criminal jurisdiction is limited to fine-only offenses, generally Class C misdemeanors. Their civil jurisdiction includes small claims and debt claims up to a statutory limit. They also hear eviction cases, set bonds, sign search and arrest warrants, hold preliminary hearings for higher-level cases, perform marriages, and conduct inquests where the county has no medical examiner.

Traffic citations are one of the highest-volume case types in JP courts. A citation written by a county officer in a precinct's area is filed in that precinct's JP court. City-issued citations are heard in municipal court, not in JP court, so the source of the ticket matters.

Small claims and debt claim cases are also common. A landlord uses the JP court to file an eviction. A neighbor uses the JP court for a small money dispute. A business may use the JP court for a debt claim under the statutory limit. The court has its own forms and a streamlined procedure that makes it more accessible than the higher trial courts. Self-help filers should still read the local rules and the relevant statute before filing.

Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 15 controls arrest warrants generally. The JP courts in Hays County exercise that statutory authority every day. When an officer presents a sworn complaint to a JP, the judge reviews the complaint, signs a warrant if probable cause exists, and the warrant is then served by the Sheriff or by city police. That is one reason the JP courts handle so many warrant-related questions from the public.

JP 1-1 and JP 1-2: San Marcos

Precinct 1 covers San Marcos and the surrounding area. Both courts sit in Suite 2235 of the Government Center.

JP 1-1 is led by Judge Jo Anne Prado.

The court page sits at JP 1-1 San Marcos. JP 1-2 is led by Judge Maggie Moreno.

That court's page is at JP 1-2 San Marcos. The two San Marcos courts share office space but operate on separate dockets.

JP 2-1 and JP 2-2: Kyle

Precinct 2 covers Kyle and nearby areas. JP 2-1 is led by Judge Beth Smith.

The court's page is at JP 2-1 Kyle. JP 2-2 is led by Judge J.R. Mendoza.

That court's page is at JP 2-2 Kyle. JP 2-1 also publishes that staff cannot give legal advice and offers complimentary notary services.

JP 3, JP 4, and JP 5: Wimberley, Dripping Springs, and Buda

The rural precincts each have one JP court. JP 3 in Wimberley is led by Judge Andrew Cable.

The court's page sits at JP 3 Wimberley. JP 4 in Dripping Springs is led by Judge John Burns.

That court's page is at JP 4 Dripping Springs. JP 5 in Buda is led by Judge Sandra Bryant; the JP 5 page is shown on the warrant records page.

The three rural JP courts share many traits with the urban San Marcos and Kyle courts but serve smaller, geographically spread communities. JP 3 covers Wimberley and the Devil's Backbone area in the western part of the county. JP 4 covers Dripping Springs and other communities to the north. JP 5 covers Buda and parts of the I-35 corridor near the Travis County line. Each court manages its own docket, its own staff, and its own community calendar of hearings and inquests.

Pay Fines and Court Costs

Each Hays County JP court has its own pay-fines link, and the county warns users to confirm the court and judge before paying. Paying a ticket can count as a plea, so check eligibility for a driver safety course or deferred disposition before you pay. The county's JP landing page lists the seven pay-fines links by judge.

• Judge Prado - JP 1-1 pay fines
• Judge Moreno - JP 1-2 pay fines
• Judge Smith - JP 2-1 pay fines
• Judge Cable - JP 3 pay fines
• Judge Burns - JP 4 pay fines
• Judge Bryant - JP 5 pay fines

For a deeper look at traffic citations and how JP records relate to state driver records, see the traffic court records page.

The pay-fines link is not a substitute for the court itself. If you want to set a court date, enter a not-guilty plea, request a defensive driving option, or ask for a deferred disposition, you contact the court directly rather than the payment page. Each court answers procedural questions during its posted hours and can tell you the next available date for a hearing. JP 3 in Wimberley publishes staff contacts by name, including a court administrator and a court clerk, which is unusual transparency for a precinct court.

Magistrate, Warrants, and Inquests

JP courts in Hays County do more than fine-only cases. They sign arrest and search warrants on probable cause. They set bonds at the magistrate stage for higher-level criminal cases, even when the underlying case will move to a county court at law or to the district court. They hold preliminary hearings and conduct inquests where the county has no medical examiner. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 15 governs the arrest warrant side, and Chapter 17 governs bail.

That magistrate role explains why a warrant from a fine-only case lives at the JP court, while a warrant from a felony case still passes through a magistrate before it goes to the district docket. For warrants generally, see the warrant records page. JP courts also issue capias and capias pro fine writs when fines and costs go unpaid.

Inquests are the other unusual JP duty. In a county without a medical examiner, the JP determines cause of death in certain cases. That work supports death certificates issued through the County Clerk's vital records process. Notary services and marriage ceremonies are smaller items on the JP menu, but they are still part of the role; JP 2-1, for example, publishes that it offers complimentary notary services to the public.

Related Hays County Resources

For the higher trial courts, see district court and county courts at law. For traffic citations, see traffic court records. For warrants, see warrant records. For free case search across the county, see court records.