County judge says Collin County will need 11 county courts by 2030; urges planning for courthouse expansion

The presiding judge of County Court at Law No. 6 told the Collin County Commissioners Court that Collin County will need 11 county courts of law by Jan. 1, 2030, based on data from the Texas Office of Court Administration (OCA). The judge said OCA currently calculates Collin County needs 8.6 county courts now — effectively nine when rounded — and projected two more courts will be required by 2030.

The judge said Collin County now has seven county courts at law and estimated the county population at about 1.3 million, compared with about 700,000 when County Court No. 6 was added. “If we extrapolate that out…by 01/01/2030 we should be about 1,600,000 people living here,” the judge said, adding that OCA’s workload analysis shows the county’s existing judges are carrying roughly 22% more work than the statewide benchmark.

Why it matters: The judge said the county lacks physical courtroom space to add the courts OCA recommends and asked the commissioners to factor future judicial needs into courthouse expansion plans. He recommended building courtrooms with larger jury boxes to accommodate possible changes in jury-size law and to provide space for growth.

In his presentation the judge reviewed factors that have affected caseloads since 2015: changes to civil discovery procedures, criminal-law adjustments such as the DWI 0.15 offense and deferred-adjudication options, decriminalization and later legislative movement on THC offenses, and technological shifts (e-filing, Zoom, juror-summons software) that both sped some dockets and introduced new workflow demands. He said some policy changes — such as potential future legislative changes that would expand civil jurisdiction or require 12-person juries for higher-value civil cases — should be accounted for in space planning.

The judge noted courtroom space originally set aside for future county-court growth was later allocated to district courts, leaving no immediately available courtrooms for expansion. “We do not have any space to add to it, which is why now I think we’re looking towards the courthouse to actually be expanded,” he said. He told commissioners that when courthouse construction was planned years earlier, county leaders were informed that a bond-to-occupancy timeline could take roughly five years once a bond passes.

The judge described OCA’s comparative data showing Collin County judges as efficient relative to peer counties but reiterated that current efficiency is being maintained while carrying workloads above the recommended level. He said technology improvements — such as remote hearings and e-filing — helped during the pandemic and improved operations, but that population growth and possible statutory changes could still drive the need for more judges and physical courtrooms.

Commissioners asked whether existing courtrooms could be used differently or whether night court would help; the judge said there is no practical alternative to physical expansion given current space constraints and civic expectations for juror service and courtroom facilities. He said the county should plan for additional courtrooms and larger jury boxes as part of any courthouse expansion timetable.

The judge’s presentation was given at the commissioners court’s public meeting and followed by a brief question-and-answer period with commissioners.

Ending: The judge concluded by asking commissioners to consider OCA projections and to plan courthouse expansion with additional courtrooms and jury capacity in mind; commissioners did not take a vote on funding or scheduling for courthouse expansion at the meeting.