What process serving costs in Texas

Updated October 9, 2026 · General information, not legal advice. Rules quoted from the official Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; confirm current text and local requirements with the court.

There is no statewide price for serving papers in Texas. Constable fees are set county by county, and private process servers set their own prices. Below are figures we could check in published documents — nothing here is an average we made up.

Published government fees (example: Harris County)

Service	Fee	Source
Constable service of a citation within Harris County	$85.00	2025 Harris County Civil Process Fees, in the District Clerk's schedule effective Jan. 1, 2026
Expedited service (added to any other fee)	+$85.00	same
Service by mail (added to listed fees)	+$15.00	same
Writ of execution / writ of possession	$185.00 / $155.00	same
Certified or registered mail service of a citation by the District Clerk (civil)	$100.00	Harris County District Clerk schedule (family-fees section lists $90.00)
Constable service fee on an original civil petition in Harris County Justice Courts	$85.00 per defendant	Harris County Justice Courts schedule, effective Jan. 1, 2025

The Harris County schedule describes these as civil process service fees approved by Commissioners Court, applicable to each defendant served. Other counties publish their own schedules — check the county or district clerk's website.

Constable fee to serve a citation in the five biggest counties (2026)

County (largest city)	Constable fee per citation	Official source
Dallas (Dallas)	$80.00	Dallas County Constable fee schedule, eff. Jan. 1, 2026
Harris (Houston)	$85.00	Harris County District Clerk schedule, eff. Jan. 1, 2026
Tarrant (Fort Worth)	$90.00	Tarrant County 2026 Sheriff and Constable Fee Schedule
Travis (Austin)	$90.00 (charged even if the attempt fails)	Travis County Constable fees, eff. Jan. 1, 2026
Bexar (San Antonio)	$92.00 (in county or by certified mail)	Bexar County Clerk civil fee schedule, eff. Jan. 1, 2026

Clerks may also charge a separate fee to issue the citation (for example, the Bexar County Clerk lists $8.00 for citation issuance). Fees are per paper or per defendant; check the official schedule for your court.

What private process servers advertise

Mighty Process Server's Texas directory page states that routine process service in Texas typically costs between $75 and $150. It also shows a published listing rate range of $75–$350 — but notes this is based on published rates from only 5 live listings, not a statewide average.
ServeNow, a national directory, says prices vary server to server, state to state, and case to case and that many people see costs range from $20 to $100+ (a nationwide statement, not Texas-specific).

We don't publish our own price survey because we haven't run one. Listed servers set their own prices — ask for a written quote.

What changes the price

Number of defendants and addresses. Government fees are charged per defendant served (as in the Harris schedule); private servers commonly quote per party or per address.
Speed. Rush or same-day service costs more — Harris County adds $85 for expedited constable service.
Attempts and locating. Hard-to-find defendants may need extra attempts or skip tracing. If personal or mail service fails, alternative service requires a court order under Rule 106(b).
Type of process. Writs cost more than citations, and some process (e.g., eviction citations, writs requiring possession) may only be served by a sheriff or constable unless a court orders otherwise (Rule 103).

Constable or private server?

Both are allowed under Rule 103 for most civil citations. A certified private server must put their JBCC number and expiration date on the return (Rule 107(b)(10)) — here's how to check it. Then find a certified server in your county.

Find a certified server: Houston · Dallas · San Antonio · Austin · Fort Worth · all 254 counties.