Statewide Texas coordination
Texas sets one set of rules for citation and service, but the practice differs between a Harris County district court, a Dallas County court at law, and a rural justice court. Assignments are routed to the venue named in the citation, and every attempt is recorded in the form that venue expects.
Assignment basics
Nothing here guarantees a service outcome; results depend on the defendant, the address, and the court's requirements.
Jurisdiction
The Texas Rules of Civil Procedure control who may serve, how citation is delivered, and what the return must say.
Who may serve. Under TRCP 103, citation is served by a sheriff or constable, or by any person who is at least eighteen, not a party to the case, and not interested in its outcome. The rule also allows court-ordered alternatives, including service by the clerk by certified mail in defined circumstances.
Method. TRCP 106 sets the methods: personal delivery to the defendant, or delivery to anyone over sixteen at the defendant’s usual place of abode or business when the rule or a court order permits it. Substituted service in practice requires the court’s authorization and an affidavit showing diligence.
Proof. TRCP 107 governs the officer’s or authorized person’s return. It must state when, how, and to whom citation was delivered. An incomplete return is one of the most common grounds for a motion to quash, so the description is written for the specific court.
Venue is district-specific
A Harris County citation, a Dallas County citation, and a justice court citation do not carry the same filing expectations. The issuing court is identified before the first attempt so the return matches it.Execution
One protocol across the state, adjusted for the court, the address type, and the defendant.
Case details, defendant information, service address, and documents are captured in one request.
The assignment is matched to the venue, county, and precinct responsible for that address.
Each attempt is recorded: date, time, address description, access conditions, and contact outcome.
Where personal service fails, substitute service or a diligence record for alternative service is prepared.
When service is completed, a signed, sworn affidavit of service documents the applicable recipient, date, time, location and method of service. When service is unsuccessful, a signed, sworn affidavit of non-service or due diligence documents the attempts, circumstances, findings and unsuccessful outcome. Both are executed under penalty of perjury and prepared in accordance with the applicable jurisdiction's execution and filing requirements.
Coverage
County-level hiring pages exist for the largest Texas markets; every other county is coordinated through the statewide desk.
County hiring pages
City hiring pages
Local logistics
Geography, building access, and court practice decide how an attempt is planned.
Houston and Dallas assignments routinely span forty minutes of driving between attempts. Attempt windows are planned by geography so a day of attempts is not spent in traffic.
Master-planned communities in the Houston and Dallas suburbs often restrict entry. Gate codes, guard procedures, and access outcomes are recorded at each attempt because that record supports substituted service later.
Entity service is directed to the registered agent or an officer identified on the Texas Secretary of State record, and the capacity of the person served is stated in the return.
Texas citations carry a service deadline. If a deadline is close, say so at intake; rush coordination is confirmed when the assignment is accepted, not assumed.
Documents
Each category is handled with the method the governing rule allows.
Service options
Standard, rush, or emergency coordination — same documentation standard.
Documented multi-attempt service with a filing-ready affidavit.
Priority dispatch and accelerated attempt scheduling.
Immediate coordination for time-critical court deadlines.
Dispatch timing does not guarantee completion. Completion depends on defendant access, address conditions, and the requirements of the issuing court. How pricing is determined
Education
Nationwide
Texas
Send the county, the service address, and the documents. The issuing court and venue are confirmed before the first attempt.
Intake is open 24/7. Requests are reviewed in the order received; urgent deadlines should be flagged by phone.