Ector County
Ector County is located in western Texas and is the home of approximately 165,000 residents. The county was established in 1887 and named for a Confederate general in the American Civil War. The county seat and largest city is Odessa.
The court set up within Ector County is made of constitutional, municipal, justice, and most county courts. The municipal court handles city ordinance violations, traffic violations, and minor criminal offenses within the municipalities. The justice courts are authorized to handle criminal and civil cases including civil claims within certain financial limits, small claims, foreclosures of mortgages, enforcement of liens of personal property, certain traffic misdemeanors, and some misdemeanor offenses without penalties for incarceration.
County courts at law in Ector County handle general civil claims where the amount in dispute is more than $500 but under $100,000. These courts may also handle trusts, mental health, guardianship, sexual assault protection, and juvenile considerations as well as cases pertaining to domestic violence.
Ector County constitutional county courts maintain a jurisdiction over probate cases, although contested probate cases may be handled by the district court. These courts also share
A common jurisdiction that justice courts have as well in most civil cases. It's important to note that this is only the case when amounts between $200 and up to $10,000 are being considered. The jurisdiction is shared with district courts in instances when the disputed amount is valued in a range of $500 up to $5,000.
Ector County district courts retain general jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters but give preference to criminal cases. The types of criminal cases evaluated in the district court are similar to those handled by county courts, including preliminary hearings for all types of criminal cases and trials for most misdemeanors.
Ector County court records are maintained by the court by the clerk of the court where the case was filed. For access to court records of the district court, visit the Ector County courthouse located at:
300 North Grant Avenue
Room 301
Odessa, Texas 79761
Online access to records of the courts in the county is available via the court's public portal. The portal allows for the search of case information by party name or case information.
