Johnson County, Texas: CPS Courts, Court Records, DFPS Offices and Free Legal Help

This page is for families in Johnson County, Texas. The county's district courts and County Courts at Law are in Cleburne Johnson County, Texas, 18th District Court Johnson County, Texas, County Court at Law No. 1 Johnson County, Texas, County Court at Law No. 2, and so are its DFPS offices Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations. This page gives you official local contacts for CPS cases: the courts, the clerks who keep court records, the DFPS offices, and free or low-cost legal help. This is legal information, not legal advice.

The short answer

Johnson County has three district courts, the 18th, 249th and 413th, and the county says they hear civil, family and criminal cases Johnson County, Texas, District Clerk. State law also gives the county's two County Courts at Law the power to hear family law cases alongside the district court Tex. Gov't Code §§25.1281–25.1282. Which clerk has your file depends on which court has your case. DFPS (the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Texas DFPS, Contact Us, the state agency whose programs include Child Protective Services Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs) lists Johnson County in its Region 3 Texas DFPS, Counties in DFPS Regions and Districts and has two offices in Cleburne Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.

Courts that handle CPS cases in Johnson County

District courts. State law says the 18th and 249th Judicial Districts are made up of Johnson and Somervell counties, and the 413th is made up of Johnson County Tex. Gov't Code §§24.119, 24.426, 24.557. The county says the same: the 18th and 249th serve Johnson and Somervell Counties, and the 413th serves Johnson County only Johnson County, Texas, 18th District Court. The county lists divorce cases among the cases district courts hear Johnson County, Texas, 18th District Court. The District Clerk says the three district courts hear civil, family and criminal cases Johnson County, Texas, District Clerk.

County Courts at Law. Johnson County has two County Courts at Law (county-level courts set up by state law): No. 1 and No. 2 Tex. Gov't Code §§25.1281–25.1282. State law says they share jurisdiction with the district court in family law cases Tex. Gov't Code §§25.1281–25.1282. Jurisdiction means the kinds of cases a court has the power to decide. The County Clerk says these courts hear family matters, including divorces, adoptions and suits affecting the parent-child relationship Johnson County, Texas, County Clerk Family Law. New County Court at Law cases are assigned to one of the two courts on a rotating basis Johnson County, Texas, County Clerk Court Section.

Where the courts are (addresses and phone numbers as the county publishes them):

• 18th District Court: 204 S Buffalo Ave, Suite 304, Cleburne, Texas 76033 Johnson County, Texas, 18th District Court.
• 249th District Court: 204 S Buffalo Ave, Cleburne, Texas 76033. Domestic court phone: (817) 556-6825 Johnson County, Texas, 249th District Court.
• 413th District Court: 204 S Buffalo Ave, Cleburne, Texas 76033. Civil phone: (817) 556-6040 Johnson County, Texas, 413th District Court.
• County Court at Law No. 1: 204 S. Buffalo Ave, Cleburne, Texas 76033. Phone: (817) 556-6353, which the county also lists for the court's civil and family coordinator Johnson County, Texas, County Court at Law No. 1.
• County Court at Law No. 2: 204 S. Buffalo, Suite 409, Cleburne, TX 76033. Civil and family coordinator: (817) 556-6088 Johnson County, Texas, County Court at Law No. 2.

Getting court records

Which clerk keeps your court file depends on your court. A clerk is the office that files court papers and keeps the official record of each case.

Johnson County District Clerk (for district court cases)

The District Clerk is responsible for the care and safekeeping of all court records for the district courts of Johnson County Johnson County, Texas, District Clerk.

• Address: 204 South Buffalo Avenue, Cleburne, Texas 76033. Phone: (817) 556-6839. Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Johnson County, Texas, District Clerk.

Johnson County Clerk, Court Section (for County Court at Law cases)

Every case heard by County Court at Law No. 1 or No. 2 starts with the County Clerk's Court Section. It accepts the first filing, records everything filed in the case and makes the case available to the court Johnson County, Texas, County Clerk Court Section.

• Address: 204 S. Buffalo Ave., P.O. Box 662, Cleburne, TX 76033. Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Hours may change around holidays, and the office may close early the day before a holiday Johnson County, Texas, County Clerk Court Section.
• Phone: 817-556-6323. The civil and family extension is 1300 Johnson County, Texas, County Clerk Court Section. For the status or outcome of a specific civil case, the County Clerk says to call (817) 556-6323, Ext. 1300 Johnson County, Texas, County Clerk Family Law.
• How to ask for copies: The Court Section says copy, research and public information requests must be sent to [email protected] Johnson County, Texas, County Clerk Court Section.

Court records are different from DFPS's own case records. To ask DFPS for its records, see How to Get Your CPS Case Records in Texas.

DFPS in Johnson County

DFPS lists Johnson County in DFPS Region 3 Texas DFPS, Counties in DFPS Regions and Districts. The Region 3 headquarters is at 1200 E. Copeland Road, Arlington, TX 76011 Texas DFPS, Region 3.

DFPS's office list shows two locations in Johnson County, both in Cleburne Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations:

• 1406 Security Dr., Cleburne, Texas 76033. Phone: (817) 760-5000. The programs listed here are APS, CCI, CPI, CPS and SWI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.
• 1501 N. Robinson, Cleburne, Texas 76031. Phone: (817) 202-2200. The programs listed here are CPI, CPS and SWI Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.

In DFPS's list, APS means Adult Protective Services, CCI means Child Care Investigations, CPI means Child Protective Investigations, CPS means Child Protective Services and SWI means Statewide Intake Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.

If you have a question or complaint about your own case, DFPS says to contact its Office of Consumer Affairs Texas DFPS, Questions and Complaints. Its contact details are under "Statewide numbers" below.

Free and low-cost legal help

TexasLawHelp.org lists four free legal aid groups for Johnson County under Child Protective Services (CPS) TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Johnson County, Child Protective Services). Here are three of them:

• Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas gives free civil legal help to people with low incomes TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Johnson County, Child Protective Services). Call its Legal Aid Line at (888) 529-5277. TexasLawHelp.org lists CPS among its areas of work TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.
• Its Fort Worth office lists Johnson among the counties it serves. Address: 600 East Weatherford St., Fort Worth, TX 76102. Phone: 817-336-3943, toll-free 800-955-3959. To apply, call Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Fort Worth Office.
• Its Weatherford office also lists Johnson among the counties it serves. Address: 100 Austin Ave., Ste. 201, Weatherford, TX 76086. Phone: 817-594-6332, toll-free 800-967-6708. To apply, call Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Weatherford Office.
• Texas Foster Youth Justice Project gives free legal help to current and former foster youth in Texas. Phone: (877) 313-3688 TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Johnson County, Child Protective Services).
• Texas Free Legal Answers lets Texans with low or modest incomes work online with a volunteer lawyer for free TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Johnson County, Child Protective Services).

Can the court give you a lawyer? In some CPS cases, yes. If DFPS sues to end your parental rights or to be named your child's conservator (the person or agency the court gives legal custody), the court must appoint a lawyer for a parent who is indigent (can't afford a lawyer) and who opposes the case Tex. Fam. Code §107.013(a). If you don't have a lawyer the first time you appear in court in that kind of case, the court must tell you about your right to a lawyer and, if you are indigent and oppose the case, your right to a court-appointed one Tex. Fam. Code §107.013(a-1). Learn more in Your Right to a Lawyer in a Texas CPS Case.

State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS): For Johnson County, call (800) 252-9690 (toll free), Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time. That number serves every county except Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Jefferson, Travis and Tarrant State Bar of Texas, Lawyer Referral & Information Service. A lawyer the LRIS refers you to will give you a consultation of up to 30 minutes for no more than $20. The LRIS has no lawyers who offer free or reduced-fee help State Bar of Texas, Lawyer Referral & Information Service.

Statewide numbers

• Emergency: DFPS says to call 9-1-1 Texas DFPS, Contact Us.
• Texas Abuse/Neglect Hotline: 1-800-252-5400, or report online at www.txabusehotline.org. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week Texas DFPS, Hotlines.
• DFPS Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA): (800) 720-7777, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs. DFPS's hotline list gives the same hours in Central Time Texas DFPS, Hotlines. The OCA handles complaints about specific cases that involve DFPS program policy Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs. You can also use its online question and complaint form, or write to OCA/DFPS, PO Box 149030, MC: Y946, Austin TX 78714-9030 Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs.
• The OCA also does formal reviews when a CPS investigation concludes that a person abused or neglected a child. DFPS used to call this the OCR review process Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs. See How to Ask for an ARIF (Administrative Review of CPS Findings) in Texas and CPS Investigation Findings in Texas: Reason to Believe, Ruled Out and More.
• The OCA does not review what courts or law enforcement do or order Texas DFPS, Office of Consumer Affairs.
• Texas Parent Helpline: 1-833-680-0611. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Texas DFPS, Hotlines.
• DFPS Records Management Group (to ask for a DFPS record): 1-877-764-7230. Open 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday Texas DFPS, Hotlines.

Guides that apply in Johnson County

• The Texas CPS Investigation Process, Step by Step (Family Code §§261.301–261.302)
• Your Rights When Texas CPS Contacts You (Family Code §261.307)
• CPS Investigation Findings in Texas: Reason to Believe, Ruled Out and More
• Family-Based Safety Services (FBSS) in Texas: What Families Should Know
• Court-Ordered Services in Texas CPS Cases (Family Code §264.203)
• CPS Drug Testing in Texas: What DFPS Policy Says
• Your Right to a Lawyer in a Texas CPS Case
• How to Get Your CPS Case Records in Texas

Information verified against official sources on 2026-10-02. Call ahead; hours and locations can change.