Montgomery County Family Court Guide
Every Montgomery County family court case lands in one of three courtrooms in the Conroe building at 301 N Main St: the 410th District Court, the 418th District Court or County Court at Law No. 3. This guide walks through how the assignment happens and which county rules govern all three.
Which three courtrooms decide family disputes in Montgomery County?
Most Montgomery County family filings go to one of three courts: the 410th District Court, the 418th District Court and County Court at Law No. 3. Each sits inside the courthouse in downtown Conroe, and each applies the same county family rules and standing order.
The county's family local rules define a family trial court as any district court, or any county court at law, that regularly gets more than 10 percent of the county's family law filings under the current order of assignment. A county court at law can hear these cases because Texas Government Code § 25.1722 gives Montgomery County's courts at law the same family law jurisdiction as the district courts.
Who decides which Montgomery County family court gets a new case?
The District Clerk's office does, not the parties: each new family petition it receives goes to a court under a written order of assignment signed by the county's local administrative judges. After assignment, the case remains in that court for all purposes unless it is transferred.
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Filing with the District Clerk
Rules of Administration of Montgomery County, Rule 4.1(a), effective January 1, 2023.
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The order of assignment picks the court
The filing party does not choose. Under the county's order of case assignment signed July 2, 2020, the District Clerk sends new family cases 40 percent to the 410th, 40 percent to the 418th and 20 percent to County Court at Law No. 3. The exception is cases brought by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which all go to County Court at Law No. 3.
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The case stays put
Rule 4.1(e) keeps a case in its assigned court. A misfiled case is moved by the clerk if citation has not issued (Rule 4.1(f)).
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Later cases follow the first one
A later suit between the same parties, including a modification or enforcement, goes to the family court that first had the case (Family Local Rule 8.2).
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Bench exchanges and transfers
The courts may exchange benches to manage dockets without moving the case (Rule 8.1). A transfer between family courts needs both judges' written agreement (Rule 8.3).
What does the county standing order require once a divorce or custody petition is on file?
The Montgomery County Second Amended Standing Order Regarding Children, Pets, Property and Conduct of the Parties, effective January 1, 2023, applies in every divorce and every case about a child filed in the county. Nobody has to request it: a copy is attached to the petition.
When it starts
It works as a temporary restraining order for 14 days after filing. If no party contests it at a hearing within 14 days after service, it continues as a temporary injunction until a further order, final order or dismissal (paragraph 8).
Children
No moving a child out of Texas to change residence, pulling a child from school, hiding a child, or criticizing the other parent's family in the child's hearing. In an original divorce, no overnight dating partner while the child is present (paragraph 1).
Conduct and pets
No threats, harassing messages, injury to the other party or a child, opening the other party's mail or email, or harming a family pet (paragraphs 2 and 3).
Property in a divorce
No selling or hiding property, new debt other than legal expenses, deleting social media content or changing life insurance beneficiaries. Ordinary living expenses stay allowed (paragraphs 4 to 7).
A protective order controls where it differs (paragraph 9). Whether a final order limits where a child may live is a separate question, covered under geographic restriction on the child custody page.
What do the county's family local rules require of both sides?
The Local Rules of Practice before the Family Courts of Montgomery County, adopted November 16, 2022, apply to every family case in the county's district courts and courts at law.
- Motions carry a certificate of service, a certificate of conference and a separately filed proposed order (Rule 2.1).
- A motion decided on paper, called submission, is set at least 10 days after filing; responses are due 2 business days before (Rule 2.3).
- Each side must check for a docket control order and get a copy from the District Clerk (Rule 3.1).
- A child in the case comes to the courthouse only with the judge's approval or the coordinator's instruction (Rule 4.1).
What financial records must be exchanged, and by when?
| Deadline | What each side files and exchanges | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours before a temporary orders hearing on child or spousal support | Financial information statement; federal tax returns for the last two years; the six most recent pay stubs; for a self-employed party, the three most recent bank statements; health and dental insurance details | 5.1 |
| 30 days before a final trial where support is at issue | The same items | 5.2 |
| 30 days before a final divorce or annulment trial | A sworn inventory and appraisement of all property and debts, with character and value | 5.3 |
If only one spouse files an inventory on time, the court adopts that inventory as stipulated (Rule 5.3). How property is divided is explained on the property division page.
Is mediation required before a hearing or trial in Montgomery County?
The county family rules leave mediation to each court and require every party and attorney to attend in person unless the court allows otherwise (Rule 6.2). The 410th and 418th each add a written order requiring mediation before temporary orders hearings, summarized on each court's page. County Court at Law No. 3 posts no separate mediation order.
Where do court papers go for filing in a Montgomery County family case?
One office takes the filings for all three courts: the Montgomery County District Clerk, in the courthouse at 301 N Main St, Suite 103, phone 936-539-7855. The District Clerk website sends electronic filers to eFileTexas.gov and links to the county's online case search.
Where is the Montgomery County Courthouse?
The Montgomery County Courthouse is at 301 N Main St, Conroe, TX 77301. Fritz Law Firm, PLLC, at 220 1/2 W Davis St, is directly across the street.
The county lists the 410th courtroom in Room 210 (court office in Room 214), the 418th in Suite 217 and County Court at Law No. 3 in Suite 110.
Court-by-court guides, grouped by county
Each court page covers only that court's own standing orders, hearing rules and contact details.
Montgomery County
410th District Court
Orders on motions, mediation and default judgments, a pretrial status report, and an associate judge for family cases.
418th District Court
Orders on motions, mediation before temporary orders, a required parenting course and settlement rules near trial.
County Court at Law No. 3
A statutory county court that follows the county family rules and standing order.
Harris, Fort Bend and Waller Counties
Family court guides for these counties are coming after launch. Until then, the Areas We Serve page explains which county a case belongs in.
Montgomery County family court: common questions
Can I choose which Montgomery County family court hears my case?
No. Each case is filed with the District Clerk and assigned under the county's written order of assignment. If the same parties already had a family case in one of the courts, a new case, including a modification, goes to that court under Family Local Rule 8.2.
Must someone request the Montgomery County standing order before it takes effect?
No. Montgomery County's Second Amended Standing Order covers every divorce and every case about a child filed in the county without anyone asking for it. Its terms bind the parties as of the filing date.
How early do financial papers go to the other side before a Montgomery County family court hearing?
At least 24 hours before a temporary orders hearing where support is at issue, and at least 30 days before a final trial, under Family Local Rule 5. A divorce trial also requires a sworn inventory 30 days ahead.
Can I bring my children to the courthouse?
Not unless the judge approves or the court coordinator says so, under Family Local Rule 4.1. Even then, a child does not enter the courtroom without the judge's consent.
Have a case in a Montgomery County family court?
Call or send a message to set a time to talk with Jessica Fritz, directly across the street from the courthouse.
Last reviewed: November 8, 2026. General information only, not legal advice.
Meet your attorney
Jessica Fritz, family law attorney in Conroe, Texas
Every case at Fritz Law Firm, PLLC is handled by one lawyer, Jessica Fritz, working with the firm's staff. There are no associates, so your case is not handed off to someone you have never met.
Jessica Fritz gives clients straight answers about Texas family law, a frank view of where their case stands, and a clear next step.
- Texas law license
- Licensed by the State Bar of Texas since 2008
- Cases handled
- Family law, mostly in Montgomery County, with regular cases in Harris, Fort Bend and Waller Counties
- Office
- 220 1/2 W Davis St, Conroe, TX 77301, across the street from the Montgomery County Courthouse
- Roots
- Born in Amarillo; now lives in Cypress, Texas
Ready to talk through your family law case? The office sits across the street from the Montgomery County Courthouse in Conroe. Most of the firm's cases are in Montgomery County, with steady work in Harris, Fort Bend and Waller Counties too.
Fritz Law Firm, PLLC
- Family law office in downtown Conroe
- 220 1/2 W Davis St, Conroe, TX 77301
- 713-887-7500
- info@fritz-law.com
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© 2026 Fritz Law Firm, PLLC, Conroe, Texas
This website is attorney advertising. Fritz Law Firm, PLLC practices family law in Texas from its principal office in Conroe. The pages on this site share general information, not legal advice for your situation. Calling, emailing or messaging the firm does not make you a client; representation starts only after both sides sign a written engagement agreement. Results in past matters do not predict results in future ones, because each case depends on its own facts. Jessica Fritz, a member of the State Bar of Texas, is the attorney responsible for this website.