What the Kaufman County Justice of the Peace charges to file an eviction or a small claims case, what the constable charges to serve it, and how to ask the court to waive the fees. Cases are heard in the Kaufman County Justice Courts.
Filing fee plus sheriff service plus enforcing the order, using only figures we have verified for this county. Attorney fees, if you use one, are on top of this and are not included.
Everything the clerk charges on an eviction or small claims case in Kaufman County. A dash means the county does not publish that figure — we would rather show you a gap than a guess.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eviction filing — possession + rent claim | $54 | The Texas justice court filing fee: $21 state consolidated fee plus $33 local consolidated fee. Fixed by statute at $54 in all 254 counties since January 1, 2022 (S.B. 41). Counties have no discretion over it, and it is the same whether or not you also claim unpaid rent. |
| Eviction filing — possession only | $54 | Texas does not charge less for a possession-only eviction. The filing fee is the same $54 either way. |
| Appearance fee — eviction defendant | — | We found no Texas justice court charging a defendant a fee to file an answer. |
| Appearance fee — small claims defendant | — | No defendant answer fee was found in Texas justice courts. |
| Jury demand — 12 jurors | $22 | Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 504.1. Uniform statewide. |
| Jury demand — 6 jurors | — | Texas does not publish a separate six-juror fee. |
| Jury demand — small claims | $22 | The same $22 jury fee applies in small claims. |
| Mediation fee | — | |
| E-filing surcharge | — |
The filing fee is not the whole bill. Somebody has to serve the defendant, and in Texas the constable sets that price county by county — it is the most variable number on this page. Across the Texas counties we have verified, constable service runs from $75 to $173 per defendant, and executing the writ of possession from $155 to $275.
A flat $100.00 per defendant to serve a citation, plus the cost of certified mail for the return of service. This comes from Constable Precinct 2's own page; we were not able to cross-check the other three precincts.
Executing a writ of possession is $200.00 for the first two hours, then $50.00 per deputy per hour, plus mileage at the IRS rate.
Source: Kaufman County Constable civil process fees. Checked July 30, 2026.
Texas courts will waive court fees, costs, and charges for people below certain income levels, under Tex. R. Civ. P. 502.3 and Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 502.3. There is one statewide form — you do not need a Kaufman County version of it.
| The court waives | If your available income is |
|---|---|
| Full | You file a sworn Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs and no one successfully contests it. Justice courts use Rule 502.3, which is related to but textually separate from Rule 145 used in district and county courts. |
Unlike Illinois, Texas justice courts do not appear to offer partial or tiered waivers — Rule 502.3 reads as all-or-nothing. We were unable to reach the Texas Judicial Branch's own current rule text to confirm that directly, so treat the absence of a partial option as probable rather than settled, and ask the clerk.
Fee waiver information verified July 30, 2026 against the Illinois General Assembly statute text and the Illinois Courts approved-forms library. We report what the statute and the form say. We cannot tell you whether you qualify — that is the court's decision.
Kaufman County Justice Courts
eFileTexas
E-filing is not mandatory for self-represented filers in Texas justice courts. Where an e-filing service provider is used, that provider charges its own convenience fee on top of the court's filing fee. eFileIL →
We publish the court's and clerk's own contact information and link to their pages. We do not take your information, route you to anyone, or file anything on your behalf. For questions about court procedure — as opposed to what it costs — use the Illinois Courts self-help center.
Texas is the opposite of Illinois. The justice court filing fee is fixed at $54 in all 254 counties by state statute, and no county may change it. What does vary — by a factor of more than two — is what the constable charges to serve the papers and to carry out the eviction. That is the number to check before you file.
Texas has no county fee schedules for justice court filing. The single $54 fee applies statewide. Constable service fees are set separately by each county's Commissioners Court under Tex. Loc. Gov't Code §118.131, capped only at the cost of providing the service and adjustable once a year with a January 1 effective date.
Statutory backbone: Tex. Loc. Gov't Code §§133.151(a-1), 135.103 — State and Local Consolidated Civil Fees — justice court. S.B. 41, 87th Legislature (2021), effective January 1, 2022. S.B. 41 collapsed dozens of separate justice court filing fees into a single $21 state consolidated fee plus a $33 local consolidated fee, and removed county discretion over the amount. Any Texas county page still showing a $46 filing fee predates that change and is out of date. Statute text checked July 30, 2026.
Compiled and verified by David Scott. We re-check every source document monthly and re-read any county whose schedule has changed. If the clerk quotes you something different from what is on this page, tell us and we will fix it. Read the full methodology.