Texas / Pleadings
Texas jury trial demand deadline
In Texas, a written jury request must be filed a reasonable time before the trial date set on the non-jury docket — and in no event less than 30 days before it (Tex. R. Civ. P. 216(a)).
Estimates based on standard Texas rules and court-holiday closures; not legal advice. Confirm against your specific case, local administrative orders, and the current rules.
How the deadline works
Rule 216(a) keys the jury demand to the trial setting rather than to the pleadings: the written request must come a reasonable time before the date set for trial on the non-jury docket, and never less than 30 days before. This calculator counts back 30 days from the trial date to give the outer limit.
Rule 216(b) requires the jury fee — $10 in district court, $5 in county court — to be deposited within that same period. Paying late is as fatal to the jury right as requesting late.
- The fee is half the deadline Rule 216(b) requires the jury fee deposit within the same window. A timely request with a late fee still risks waiver.
- 30 days is a floor, not a target Rule 216(a) requires a "reasonable time" before trial and no less than 30 days. A demand filed exactly 30 days out can still be challenged as unreasonable on these facts.
Questions
- When must I demand a jury trial in Texas?
- A reasonable time before the trial date set on the non-jury docket, and never less than 30 days before it, with the jury fee deposited in the same period (Tex. R. Civ. P. 216).
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