Sec. 574.001. APPLICATION FOR COURT-ORDERED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. (a) A county or district attorney or other adult may file a sworn written application for court-ordered mental health services. Only the district or county attorney may file an application that is not accompanied by a certificate of medical examination.

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (f), the application must be filed with the county clerk in the county in which the proposed patient:

(1) resides;

(2) is found; or

(3) is receiving mental health services by court order or under Subchapter A, Chapter 573.

(c) If the application is not filed in the county in which the proposed patient resides, the court may, on request of the proposed patient or the proposed patient's attorney and if good cause is shown, transfer the application to that county.

(d) An application may be transferred to the county in which the person is being detained under Subchapter B if the county to which the application is to be transferred approves such transfer. A transfer under this subsection does not preclude the proposed patient from filing a motion to transfer under Subsection (c).

(e) An order transferring a criminal defendant against whom all charges have been dismissed to the appropriate court for a hearing on court-ordered mental health services in accordance with Subchapter F, Chapter 46B, Code of Criminal Procedure, serves as an application under this section. The order must state that all charges have been dismissed.

(f) An application in which the proposed patient is a child in the custody of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department may be filed in the county in which the child's commitment to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department was ordered.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 770, Sec. 4, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1086, Sec. 38, eff. June 19, 1997; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 35, Sec. 10, eff. Jan. 1, 2004.

Amended by:

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.1371, eff. April 2, 2015.