Collin County Courts at Law Overview
County courts at law are statutory trial courts in Texas. They sit below the district courts but above the justice of the peace courts. Collin County lists seven county courts at law plus a dedicated probate court. These courts take a busy mix of criminal and civil work, which keeps cases moving without overloading the district benches.
All of the county courts at law sit in the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building at 2100 Bloomdale Road in McKinney. Each numbered court has its own judge and docket. The County Clerk acts as clerk for these courts, so case files and copy requests go through that office rather than the District Clerk.
What the County Courts at Law Handle
These courts cover a defined slice of the county's caseload. On the criminal side, they hear Class A and B misdemeanors and appeals from Class C cases decided in lower courts. On the civil side, they take suits within their statutory dollar limit. They also handle mental health cases and certain probate matters under county jurisdiction.
The main case types include the following.
- Class A and B misdemeanor criminal cases.
- Civil suits within the county court at law limit, currently $500 to $325,000.
- Mental health and involuntary commitment matters.
- Appeals from Class C misdemeanor cases tried in justice or municipal courts.
- Some probate matters alongside the county's probate court.
Felony, family, divorce, and higher-value civil suits are not county court at law cases. Those move up to the district courts. For that level, see district court. The county lists Probate Court 1 alongside the seven county courts at law, and that court carries the dedicated probate, guardianship, and mental commitment docket for the county.
List of Collin County Courts at Law
The seven county courts at law share the McKinney courthouse but each keeps its own judge and direct line. The table below lists the courts, judges, and phone numbers from the county's official county courts at law page. County Court at Law 4 also serves as the local administrative county court.
| Court | Judge | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| County Court at Law 1 | Corinne Mason | (972) 548-3860 |
| County Court at Law 2 | Barnett Walker | (972) 548-3820 |
| County Court at Law 3 | Lance S. Baxter | (972) 548-3695 |
| County Court at Law 4 | David Rippel | (972) 548-3840 |
| County Court at Law 5 | Randy Johnson | (972) 548-3850 |
| County Court at Law 6 | Jay A. Bender | (972) 547-1850 |
| County Court at Law 7 | David Waddill | (972) 548-5680 |
All seven courts use 2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney, TX 75071. The full list, with policies and forms, sits on the county's county courts at law page.
County Court at Law vs District Court
The line between these two levels comes down to how serious and how large a case is. District courts take felonies and the biggest civil and family cases. County courts at law take misdemeanors and mid-sized civil suits. The table below sets the two side by side.
| County Court at Law | District Court | |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Jurisdiction | Class A and B misdemeanors | Felony crimes |
| Civil Limit | $500 to $325,000 | Higher-value civil suits |
| Family Cases | No | Yes, including divorce |
| Other | Mental health, Class C appeals, some probate | Felony, family, large civil |
| Clerk | County Clerk | District Clerk |
For the higher courts, see district court. The dividing line tells you which court hears a case and which clerk keeps the file.
County Court at Law Records
The County Clerk keeps the case files for the county courts at law. Misdemeanor A and B charges and county civil suits within the jurisdictional limit are requested through the County Clerk Record Request Form. Felony, family, divorce, and higher-value civil suits go to the District Clerk instead. Civil and criminal requests use different phone lines at the courts building.
Many cases are searchable for free through the county's Judicial Online Search and Case Search tools. A result list shows the cause number, the case style, the filing date, and the status. County court at law criminal cases are online from 2000 forward, and civil and probate cases from 1984 forward. For older files outside online coverage, the County Clerk request process applies. For the full set of search tools, see court records.
To order copies or find the request forms, see the County Clerk page, which keeps these records.
How to Search County Court at Law Records
The county runs free public search tools that cover county court at law cases alongside district, justice, and magistrate cases. The main one, Judicial Online Search, is mobile-friendly and updated around the clock. Case Search runs through all case types from one screen, and updates daily at 6 p.m. A name or a cause number is enough to begin. In Texas, a case number is called a cause number, and the clerks use that term.
- Open the county case information page and pick Judicial Online Search or Case Search.
- Type a party name, cause number, case style, or attorney name in the search box.
- Open Advanced Filters and set Court Types to County to limit results to county court at law cases.
- Narrow further by case type, filed date range, status, or year of birth.
- Request a certified copy from the County Clerk if you need a court-ready document.
Same-day filings may not show in Case Search until after the 6 p.m. update. For real-time detail, the county's Case Record Inquiry system searches one case type at a time.
What a County Court Result Shows
A typical online result lists the basics of a case rather than the full file. You see the cause number, the case style, the filing date, and the status. Clicking through can show parties, attorneys, and outcomes. The list keeps sensitive identifiers off the screen. The table below shows the common visible fields.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Cause Number | The case number; county court formats vary by case type |
| Filing Date | When the case was filed, shown as MM/DD/YYYY |
| Case Style | The party caption, such as The State of Texas vs. a defendant |
| Status | Pending, Filed, or Case is Closed |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant shown through the case style |
For full document images, the County Clerk copy process and the statewide re:SearchTX portal hold more than the quick result list.
DWI and Drug Court
County Court at Law 7 hosts a DWI/Drug Court. This problem-solving court works with eligible impaired-driving and substance-related misdemeanor participants. It pairs court review with treatment, testing, and compliance checks rather than a standard criminal track. Entry depends on eligibility and court approval.
The program runs alongside the regular county court dockets. DWI and drug-related criminal records still flow through the County Clerk and the county case search. For arrest-side information, see arrest records.
Standing Order on Artificial Intelligence
The county courts at law have adopted a policy on technology in court filings. Standing Order No. 3 covers the use of artificial intelligence for any court filing. It is a fresh, 2026-era rule that reflects how courts are responding to new tools used to draft legal documents.
Filers should review the order before submitting anything generated with AI tools. The county posts its standing orders and policies on the county courts at law page, so check the current version before you file.
Note: Anyone unsure whether a filing complies with the order should confirm with the court clerk before submitting documents.
Email Scam Warning
The county courts at law page warns about a known email scam. Fake court notices circulate that can infect a recipient's device with viruses. The notices may look official but are not sent by the courts. Treat any unexpected court email with caution.
Verify suspicious notices. If you receive a court notice you did not expect, do not open attachments or click links. Call the court directly or contact Jury Services to confirm whether the notice is real.
Real summons and jury notices can be confirmed by phone. The court and Jury Services can tell you quickly whether a notice ties to an actual case. The District Clerk runs jury services for the county courts at law, so jury questions route there. Keeping the court's published phone number on hand is the simplest way to check any notice before you act on it.