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

This page is for families in Palo Pinto County, Texas, including Mineral Wells, where DFPS lists its county office Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations. It gives you the official local contacts we could confirm for CPS cases: the district court, the District Clerk, the DFPS office, and free or low-cost legal help. This is legal information, not legal advice.

The short answer

State law says the 29th Judicial District is made up of Palo Pinto County Tex. Gov't Code §24.131. The 29th District Court's phone number is 940-659-1274 Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Court, and the District Clerk's is (940) 659-1279 Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Clerk. 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 Palo Pinto County in its Region 3 Texas DFPS, Counties in DFPS Regions and Districts. It has a Mineral Wells office at 4113B Hwy 180 E., (940) 325-6959 Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.

The district court in Palo Pinto County

State law says the 29th Judicial District is made up of Palo Pinto County Tex. Gov't Code §24.131. The court's page posts its standing orders for family law Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Court.

• 29th District Court: P.O. Box 187, Palo Pinto, TX 76484. Phone: 940-659-1274 Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Court.
• The county's website lists the Palo Pinto County Courthouse at 520 Oak Street, Palo Pinto, TX 76484 Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Court.

Getting court records

A clerk is the office that files court papers and keeps the official record of each case. For the district court, that is the District Clerk.

Palo Pinto County District Clerk

• Mailing address: P.O. Box 189, Palo Pinto, TX 76484. Phone: (940) 659-1279 Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Clerk.
• The District Clerk's page also posts the 29th District Court's standing orders for family law Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Clerk.
• Fees: The District Clerk says court costs and fees are set by Texas law and do not guarantee you will win your case. The clerk cannot refund fees, whatever the outcome Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Clerk.
• If you can't afford court costs: The District Clerk's page posts a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs form Palo Pinto County, Texas, District Clerk.

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 Palo Pinto County

DFPS lists Palo Pinto 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 one location in Palo Pinto County Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations:

• 4113B Hwy 180 E., Mineral Wells, Texas 76067. Phone: (940) 325-6959. The programs listed here are APS, CCI, CCL, CPI and CPS Texas DFPS, Region 3 Office Locations.

In DFPS's list, APS means Adult Protective Services, CCI means Child Care Investigations, CCL means Child Care Licensing, CPI means Child Protective Investigations and CPS means Child Protective Services 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 Palo Pinto County under Child Protective Services (CPS) TexasLawHelp.org, Legal Help Directory (Palo Pinto 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 (Palo Pinto 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 Weatherford office lists Palo Pinto 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.
• Its Fort Worth office also lists Palo Pinto 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.
• 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 (Palo Pinto 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 (Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto 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.