About the Court
Where is JP5?
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5 (JP5) is located in downtown Austin at the historic Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse. Precinct 5 covers most of central Travis County and includes popular locations in Austin like: the Texas Capitol, the UT Austin campus, Austin City Hall, Mt. Bonnell, and the Elisabet Ney Museum.
What is a Justice of the Peace?
A Justice of the Peace (JP) is a judge that handles an assortment of cases both criminal, civil, and administrative. JP courts, also known as justice courts, have jurisdiction over civil cases with an amount in controversy of up to $20,000, eviction cases, writs of re-entry, traffic tickets and other fine-only criminal cases, and magistrate people faced with misdemeanor and felony cases (explaining a person’s rights and what the person is being charged with). JPs also officiate marriages.
To learn more about the types of cases and topics a JP deals with in court, click on the image below
