On October 2, 2026, the Supreme Court of Texas gave final approval to amendments that raise the limit for an “expedited action” under Texas Rules of Civil Procedure 47 and 169 from $250,000 to $325,000. The order, Misc. Docket No. 26-9079, took effect immediately (order as published in the Texas Register, October 16, 2026). For a Houston car accident lawsuit, the new figure decides whether a case runs on the faster, shorter-trial track and how much a judgment in that track can award.
This page explains a change to a Texas court rule. It is general information about how the rule works, not legal advice about any person’s case, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
What did the Supreme Court of Texas change on October 2, 2026?
It replaced the $250,000 figure with $325,000 in Rules 47 and 169. A suit now follows the expedited-actions process when every claimant pleads only for money relief of $325,000 or less, not counting interest, statutory or punitive damages, penalties, attorney fees and costs. Nothing else in either rule was changed.
The order states: “This order gives final approval to the amendments as set forth in Misc. Dkt. No. 26-9037 and reproduced below, effective immediately.” It adds: “No additional changes have been made to the proposed amendments following the public comment period.” The proposal had been published for comment by the Court’s preliminary order of May 29, 2026, Misc. Docket No. 26-9037 (Texas Register, June 12, 2026), which said: “The Court expects the amendments to take effect on October 1, 2026.” The final order is signed with the line “Date: October 2, 2026.”
As amended, Rule 169(a) reads that the process applies to a suit in which all claimants, other than counter-claimants, “affirmatively plead that they seek only monetary relief aggregating $325,000 or less, excluding interest, statutory or punitive damages and penalties, and attorney fees and costs.” Rule 169(b) reads: “In no event may a party who prosecutes a suit under this rule recover a judgment in excess of $325,000, excluding interest, statutory or punitive damages and penalties, and attorney fees and costs.” The comment to the 2026 change explains the reason: “Rule 169 is amended to implement amendments to section 22.004(h-1) of Texas Government Code.”
What is an expedited action under Texas Rule 169?
It is a shorter, cheaper track for smaller civil lawsuits. Discovery is limited and lasts 180 days, a party can ask for trial within 90 days after discovery ends, and each side gets eight hours to try the whole case to the jury. The track is mandatory for any suit pleaded within the limit.
The trial-setting rule, Rule 169(d)(2), reads: “On any party’s request, the court must set the case for a trial date that is within 90 days after the discovery period in Rule 190.2(b)(1) ends. The court may continue the case twice, not to exceed a total of 60 days.” The time limit in Rule 169(d)(3) reads: “Each side is allowed no more than eight hours to complete jury selection, opening statements, presentation of evidence, examination and cross-examination of witnesses, and closing arguments.” On a showing of good cause, the court may extend the time limit to no more than twelve hours per side. The comment the Court wrote when the rule was adopted in 2013 says: “The expedited actions process created by Rule 169 is mandatory; any suit that falls within the definition of 169(a)(1) is subject to the provisions of the rule.” (Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, consolidated edition on txcourts.gov, read October 31, 2026). The table below sets the expedited limits beside the default Level 2 rules that govern most other suits. Fewer deposition hours make the evidence gathered early, such as photographs of the crash scene and statements from witnesses, carry more weight.
Why did the limit rise from $250,000 to $325,000?
Because the Legislature raised the figure in Government Code § 22.004(h-1), which tells the Supreme Court to adopt rules for prompt, low-cost resolution of civil cases up to a set amount. House Bill 16, effective December 4, 2025, changed that amount to $325,000, and the Court then amended its rules to match.
Section 22.004(h-1) now reads: “In addition to the rules adopted under Subsection (h), the supreme court shall adopt rules to promote the prompt, efficient, and cost-effective resolution of civil actions filed in county courts at law in which the amount in controversy does not exceed $325,000.” The statute’s history note lists Acts 2025, 89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session, chapter 7 (H.B. 16), effective December 4, 2025 (Texas Government Code chapter 22, read October 31, 2026). The Legislative Budget Board’s fiscal note on H.B. 16 summarizes the same change: “The bill would increase the amount in controversy limit in civil actions filed in statutory county courts from $250,000 to $325,000.” (fiscal note, Texas Legislature Online). The figure was $100,000 when Rule 169 was adopted in 2013 and $250,000 after the 2021 amendment, according to the comments printed with the rule.
What does the change mean for a Houston car accident lawsuit?
More car accident cases can now fit the expedited track. A claimant whose losses are pleaded at $325,000 or less goes into the shorter process, with its limits on discovery and trial time, and cannot take a judgment above $325,000 in that track, not counting interest, fees, costs and the other excluded items.
The pleading is where the choice is made. Under the amended Rule 47(c), every original petition “An original pleading which sets forth a claim for relief, whether an original petition, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third party claim, shall contain” a statement placing the claim in one of five categories; the first three now use $325,000 as the dividing line. A case can also leave the expedited track: the court must remove it “on motion and a showing of good cause by any party; or” or when a claimant pleads for more than the rule allows, but a pleading that removes a case may not be filed without leave of court unless it is filed before the earlier of 30 days after the discovery period is closed or 30 days before the date set for trial.
The cap limits the judgment, not the verdict form. The 2013 comment explains that, because of Rule 169(b), the Greenhalgh rule “does not apply if a jury awards damages in excess of” the limit. Whether a lower-cost, quicker trial is worth a ceiling on recovery depends on the medical bills, lost income, insurance limits and evidence in a particular crash; our guide to how a Houston car accident claim is valued explains the parts of a claim that are added up, and our article on the types of damages in a car accident case describes each one. Insurance limits matter too: where the at-fault driver carries little coverage, an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim may sit beside the lawsuit.
Which Harris County courts can hear a $325,000 car accident case?
Both the civil district courts and the five County Civil Courts at Law. Government Code § 25.0003(c), also amended by House Bill 16, gives statutory county courts jurisdiction alongside the district courts in civil cases above $500 and up to $325,000, as alleged on the face of the petition.
The subsection covers “civil cases in which the matter in controversy exceeds $500 but does not exceed $325,000, excluding interest, statutory or punitive damages and penalties, and attorney’s fees and costs, as alleged on the face of the petition” (Texas Government Code chapter 25, read October 31, 2026). Section 25.1031(a) lists Harris County’s five county civil courts at law, numbered 1 through 5. They sit in the Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline, 5th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002 (Harris County Civil Courts at Law).
One local detail is worth knowing. When we read the courts’ own Venue and Jurisdiction page on October 31, 2026, it still said: “A county civil court at law may hear civil matters with an amount in controversy of up to $250,000” (ccl.hctx.net). The statute, as amended effective December 4, 2025, reads $325,000. Where a court web page and the statute differ, the statute governs. A case that involves a death is often worth far more than the expedited limit; our page on fatal car accident claims in Houston explains who may bring one.
What did the new rule not change for an injured driver?
The deadline to sue and the fault rules are the same. A Texas personal injury suit generally must be filed within two years, and a claimant found more than 50 percent responsible recovers nothing. The October 2 order touches only Rules 47 and 169, so the Level 1 discovery limits are unchanged.
Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003(a) provides that, with listed exceptions, “a person must bring suit for trespass for injury to the estate or to the property of another, conversion of personal property, taking or detaining the personal property of another, personal injury, forcible entry and detainer, and forcible detainer not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues” (chapter 16, read October 31, 2026). Section 33.001 provides that “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent” (chapter 33, read October 31, 2026). Our article on how long a Texas personal injury case takes explains the stages a case passes through before trial, and our article on the time limit to file after a crash covers the deadline in more detail. Fault is often shared when more than two vehicles are involved; see liability in multi-car accidents.
Where can I read more about Houston car accident claims?
On our Houston car accident page, which covers what to do after a crash, how fault and insurance work in Texas, and when a claim becomes a lawsuit. The pages below go further into single questions, including the steps to take in the first days after a collision.
- Houston car accident claims
- What to do after a car accident
- Common legal questions after a Houston car accident
- Texas car accident statistics
- Strategies insurers use on Houston car accident claims
- When an insurance company stalls a claim
- How much a Houston accident lawyer costs
- Recent Houston-area legal news
If you are deciding how to plead a car accident claim, the dollar category on the petition now carries a different line than it did before October 2, 2026. A lawyer can compare the expedited track with a standard case using the actual damages and insurance in your crash before anything is filed, and our list of what to bring to a case evaluation helps that conversation; our page on what car accidents cost shows the kinds of losses that go into that figure.
About the authors
Sam A. Maida, Jr.
Owner and Managing Attorney
Sam A. Maida, Jr. has represented injured Texans in the greater Houston area since the firm opened in 1993.
State Bar of TexasAvvoMartindale-HubbellLawLinkThatCarHitMeLinkedIn
Bernard G. Johnson III
Litigation Managing Attorney
Bernard G. Johnson III is a board certified trial lawyer licensed in Texas since 1996 and a graduate of South Texas College of Law.