Searching the La Salle County Court Docket
Start with the weekly schedule. The 81st and 218th Judicial District Courts docket index posts PDF dockets grouped by county and date. La Salle County sits under the code LASA. A PDF can confirm a setting and give you the docket number. Even so, it is only a schedule snapshot. Filings, judgments, certified copies, and older material belong to the County/District Clerk. When the local record is integrated, re:SearchTX extends case and hearing access statewide.
Gather a few things before you search. Know which court is named on the notice. Add the docket or case number if you have one. The case type and a rough filing or hearing date narrow things further. A name alone works in a portal. A precise number and the correct court cut down false matches.
- Identify the court level from the citation, notice, filing, or prior order. Do not assume that every Cotulla matter is filed with the county clerk.
- For an 81st or 218th District Court setting, open the docket index and select a La Salle County PDF for the relevant date.
- Read the PDF header and confirm LASA, the docket type, court, setting date, and run date before reviewing a row.
- Use re:SearchTX for broader electronic case or hearing detail, or contact the correct local clerk when the online route is incomplete.
- Ask the custodian for a plain or certified copy when the docket PDF does not provide the filed document needed.
La Salle County Docket Entry Points
For current notices and links, the county homepage is the working entry point. The official La Salle County homepage lays out the local government navigation a searcher follows to reach the clerk, the Justice Courts, and public-information channels.
Treat that page as a live starting point, not a fixed directory. Courthouse notices shift, and the right docket channel depends on which court created the record. Check it before you travel.
| Channel | Best Use | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 81st/218th PDFs | District hearing schedules by county and date | Not a complete file |
| re:SearchTX | Electronic cases, hearings, and available documents | Registration is required and coverage varies |
| County/District Clerk | District and county records, copies, and certification | Request must identify the record |
| Lower-court clerk | JP or municipal citation and ordinance matters | Each court keeps its own docket |
Inside a La Salle County Court Docket
La Salle County district docket PDFs carry real detail. Expect the docket number, case style, time, filing date, case age, case type, docket set, and a setting communication or comment. Criminal trial and appearance PDFs add attorney-role areas. Civil appearance dockets may list a reason set. Comments can note a reset or temporary-orders setting. Remember, these fields describe court activity only, not the entire file.
| Docket number | The court's identifier for locating a listed matter and requesting the related file. |
|---|---|
| Style of case | The case caption. Public examples should not be copied when they expose private parties or minors. |
| Date filed and age | Timing fields that help distinguish similar entries and show how long a listed case has been open. |
| Docket set | The calendar grouping, such as APPEAR or TRIAL, rather than a final outcome. |
| Setting comment | A short code or note about the purpose, status, reset, or assigned event. |
| Time and date | The scheduled setting shown when the PDF ran, subject to later court revision. |
A docket listing has limits. It may not show pleadings, evidence, a payment ledger, a judgment, or a final disposition. For those items, turn to the clerk's case file when it is public and available.
Start La Salle County Docket PDFs with LASA
One shared district-court site serves five counties, so always check the county code before trusting a PDF. LASA marks La Salle County. A filename with LASA-CR-DC is a district criminal trial docket, and LASA-CV-DC signals district civil material. Appearance dockets often appear under LASA-CR or LASA-CV instead.
- APPEAR
- An appearance docket grouping, not proof that a case ended.
- ARR
- An arraignment setting code found in criminal docket comments.
- MTR
- A motion-to-revoke setting label used in criminal material.
- DWOP
- A dismissal docket or dismissal-for-want-of-prosecution calendar label, not a blanket disposition statement.
- RESET
- A notation that a setting moved from an earlier date.
Read the header, code, docket type, setting date, and PDF run date each time. That habit keeps another county's calendar or a stale setting from being mistaken for the current La Salle County court docket.
Courts That Keep Dockets in La Salle County
No single office keeps every La Salle County docket. The 81st and 218th Judicial District Courts serve the county jointly. The constitutional County Court handles reported criminal, civil, juvenile, and probate categories. Four Justice Courts keep their own records. They cover fine-only misdemeanor, citation, and small-civil matters. Cotulla and Encinal municipal courts hold city ordinance and Class C cases. Child-protection and federal cases run through separate systems.
| Court | Docket Covers | Where to Search |
|---|---|---|
| 81st and 218th District Courts | Felony, district civil, family, and juvenile matters | 81st/218th PDFs, re:SearchTX, County/District Clerk |
| Constitutional County Court | County criminal, civil, juvenile, and probate categories | County/District Clerk and County Court |
| Justice Courts, Precincts 1-4 | Fine-only misdemeanors, citations, and small civil claims | The specific precinct clerk |
| Cotulla and Encinal Municipal Courts | City ordinance, Class C, and city traffic matters | The relevant municipal clerk |
| Child Protection Court | Separate child-protection date dockets | Texas child-protection docket portal |
| Southern District of Texas | Federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy matters | PACER and the Laredo Division |
One La Salle County Clerk Office, Two Roles
Population rules let La Salle County fold county-clerk and district-clerk duties into one elected office. That makes first contact simpler. Many district and county records start there. It does not merge the courts or their case types. Sonia Maldonado serves as County/District Clerk. Her staff sorts each request into the district side or the county side. The official county-clerk detail source shows the public-facing clerk information. It routes La Salle County docket and record requests.
The combined office has boundaries. It does not hold JP, municipal, child-protection, or federal dockets. Name the specific court and case category rather than requesting every record tied to a person.
How to Find La Salle County Court Dates
Two tools work together here. The 81st/218th annual calendar gives the broad date plan. Weekly La Salle County docket PDFs give case-level settings. Calendar codes include CV, CR, JT, NJ, GJ, ARR, JDC, and DWOP. Judge codes add another layer. The setting page states that settings are generally at 9:00 a.m. The actual notice and the confirmed docket still control.
Calendars get revised. Read them with care. A day marked "NO MORE SETTINGS" is closed to new settings. A requested matter is not on the docket until the coordinator confirms it. Use the full La Salle County Court Dates resource for calendar routing. Then verify the latest setting with the court before travel, service, or filing.
La Salle County Docket PDF or Case File
A La Salle County docket PDF and a full case file answer different questions. The PDF suits "When is this matter set?" and "What kind of setting is listed?" The clerk file answers "What was filed?", "Was an order signed?", and "Can I get a certified copy?" re:SearchTX can bridge part of the gap, showing case or hearing details and documents the court has made available electronically.
Practical distinction: A missing PDF row or online hit does not prove that no La Salle County case exists. Confirm the court and ask its clerk.
Some requests still need a phone call or visit. Older files, restricted matters, and anything not yet in the statewide system may require direct contact. For district and county cases, give the docket number, date range, case type, requested document, desired format, and whether you need certification.
Public Access to La Salle County Court Dockets
Texas splits its access rules by record type. Court case records answer to court rules, statutes, and common law. Judicial administrative records follow Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 12. The Texas Public Information Act covers most government records. It treats the judiciary differently, though. For filed civil records, Rule 76a presumes openness. Sealing standards still apply. Sensitive data gets redacted under the applicable court rules.
Key Rules:
Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 12 governs access to defined judicial records and provides a request and review framework.
Texas Government Code Chapter 552 is the Texas Public Information Act; Section 552.0035 explains the judiciary distinction.
Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a sets the presumption and procedure for sealing civil court records.
Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 21c supplies sensitive-data redaction requirements relevant to public copies.
Juvenile, child-protection, sealed, and other protected material may be missing or limited in a public docket. Access also does not permit republishing birth dates, children's identities, home addresses, financial account data, or similar sensitive values pulled from a raw court document.
Current La Salle County Courthouse Notices
La Salle County rededicated its courthouse after a four-year restoration backed by more than $3.5 million in Texas Historical Commission grants. Nice history. The practical lesson is that courthouse operations and closure notices shift, so check the current notice area and the receiving office before you drive over. Routing questions are easier with the official La Salle County contact page, which lists the offices behind each docket and record service. That page shows who to call when a docket PDF leaves your question unanswered.
Use that route to reach the right office, then confirm hours by phone. A County Court matter, a County/District Clerk request, and a Justice Court citation can sit at different counters even though Cotulla is the shared destination.
Docket Records at the La Salle County Clerk's Office
The County/District Clerk handles the core district and county record inquiry. That covers La Salle County. You can reach the office in person, by phone, fax, or email. Written requests go by mail, and administrative public-information requests go through the county's GovQA portal. Keep two processes straight. A Rule 12 request and a court case-record request are not the same thing. The official County/District Clerk page lists the office identity, location, schedule, and public record duties. Check it before you call.
When a La Salle County court docket is not online, the clerk page is your direct local fallback. Ask about current charges before ordering copies, since the county-linked 2022 court-cost document may not reflect today's copy schedule.
La Salle County/District Clerk
Sonia Maldonado, County/District Clerk
101 Courthouse Square #107
Cotulla, TX 78014
(830) 483-5120
Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
La Salle County Docket Copies and Fees
Texas Government Code Section 51.3033 sets the district-clerk fee baselines. No docket number? That costs a $5 search fee. Paper copies run $1 per page uncertified, while certified copies add a $5 certificate and seal plus page charges. Electronic-document amounts vary by length under the statutory rule. Confirm local totals and accepted payment methods with the clerk before ordering.
| District Clerk Item | Statutory Baseline |
|---|---|
| Search without a docket number | $5 |
| Noncertified paper copy | $1 per page |
| Certified paper copy | $5 certificate and seal, plus $1 per page |
| Noncertified electronic document | $1 through 10 pages, then $0.10 per page over 10 |
| Certified electronic document | $5 certificate and seal, plus the electronic-document charge |
A plain docket printout is not a certified court record. Statewide document-purchase charges and federal PACER fees sit apart from La Salle County clerk fees.
Four La Salle County Justice Court Dockets
La Salle County runs four Justice Court precincts. Offices sit in Cotulla, Encinal, Cotulla, and Fowlerton. These courts take fine-only misdemeanors, citations, small civil matters, and other statutory work. Each JP case stays with its own precinct clerk. The combined County/District Clerk is not a universal citation desk.
Call the court named on the citation. The county lists phone, counter, and mail routes. JP Precinct 1 offers an online payment channel. For a phone inquiry, have the citation number or driver license information ready. A mailed appearance needs the official form, a citation copy, and a money order before the appearance date. Paying a fine is not the same as a certified disposition.
County pages disagree on JP civil limits of $10,000 or up to $20,000. Verify current jurisdiction with the specific precinct. Do not trust an older figure on a web page.
La Salle County Court Dockets by City
The 2020 Census table for La Salle County lists two incorporated cities: Cotulla and Encinal. Their municipal courts keep city ordinance, Class C misdemeanor, and city traffic records. Those stay separate from the county and district systems. Cotulla counted 3,718 residents in 2020; Encinal counted 540. Fowlerton, with 73 people, is a census-designated place, not a city. Its local court role stays inside JP Precinct 4. It gets no separate city docket page.
Cotulla Docket Search
2020 population 3,718 · Cotulla Municipal Court keeps city matters; JP Precincts 1 and 3 and county courthouse offices are separate channels.
Encinal Docket Search
2020 population 540 · Encinal Municipal Court and JP Precinct 2 maintain separate citation and court records.
Cotulla posts no public municipal docket search. Encinal offers online payments, though the payment fields are worth confirming directly. In either city, start with the municipal clerk for a city citation and use LASA only for a county-level district calendar.
Federal Dockets for La Salle County Matters
Federal cases never land in La Salle County clerk files just because an event happened there. The statewide Texas case search will not hold them either. The county sits in the Laredo Division of the Southern District of Texas. PACER serves as the official federal docket system. CourtListener's RECAP collection offers a free coverage check, but it is not complete.
Federal district and bankruptcy records run on separate CM/ECF systems with separate fees. Venue is a legal question. County residence alone cannot tell you the right federal court. The Southern District also posts current service and outage notices. Read those before assuming an electronic system is up.
Map and Directions to the La Salle County Courthouse
District and county case files for La Salle County are kept by the combined County/District Clerk at the courthouse on Courthouse Square in Cotulla, the county seat, where the 81st and 218th Judicial District Courts also hold their La Salle hearings. The Clerk's counter is Suite/No. 107; the County Court office is a separate Suite 105 in the same building. The county's homepage reports a recent four-year restoration and a January 26 rededication, funded in part by more than $3.5 million in Texas Historical Commission grants, so building access may still be settling into its post-restoration routine.
La Salle County/District Clerk
101 Courthouse Square #107
Cotulla, TX 78014
(830) 483-5120
Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
The county's published code of conduct prohibits recording equipment and phones unless off or approved and restricts bags and packages in designated areas, with removal or prosecution authorized for violations, so plan for that screening before heading inside. Call the clerk ahead of a visit, since courthouse restoration and closure notices have affected hours in the past.