Harris County, TX Consumer Law

Tools and Resources for Harris County, TX Consumers

Texas Inheritance Law & Probate Procedure

• Texas PROBATE COURT FINDER:
  
  • Probate Court for Harris County: Key information about your local probate court (Probate Court in Texas) for Harris County.
• How Probate Works in Texas: How to handle the probate of an inheritance at Harris County's probate court.
  • Here are links to Texas probate forms from the Texas probate court website.
• Small Estates Procedures in Texas: Learn how to use Texas's Small Estate procedures that can save you time and money.

  • You can use an Affidavit in New Mexico for estates with less than $50,000, not counting liens or encumbrances (like a mortgage). There is a 30-day waiting period.

    N.M. Stat. Ann 45-3-1201.

    You can also use an Affidavit for real estate if a married couple owns a principal residence, valued for property tax purposes at $500,000 or less, and holds it as community property. The surviving spouse can file an Affidavit with the county clerk if no other assets require probate. (If, for example, the other assets are bank accounts held in joint tenancy and retirement accounts or life insurance that pass by beneficiary designation.) There is a six month waiting period.

    N.M. Stat. Ann 45-3-1205.

    You can use a summary probate procedure for estates in which the value of the estate, less liens or encumbrances, doesn't exceed the homestead allowance, exempt property, family allowance, and costs of administration, funeral expenses, and last illness expenses.

    N.M. Stat. Ann. 45-3-1203 and following.

     

• Texas Estate Taxes:

  • Texas, like most states, does not impose an estate or inheritance tax. Only a few states do.

• Avoiding Probate in Texas. Find out what property bypasses probate death and goes directly to beneficiaries. such as:
  • Transfer on Death Deeds (TODDs)

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Texas Wage & Hour Law

• Texas Minimum Wage:  

  • The minimum wage in New Mexico is $12 an hour. Because this is higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, employees in The Land of Enchantment must be paid at least $12 an hour. A handful of local governments in New Mexico have passed their own minimum wage ordinances.

    Harris County Minimum Wage

    The minimum wage in Harris County is $12 an hour, the state minimum wage. Texas law prohibits city and county governments from adopting a local minimum wage that's higher than the state minimum wage.  

    Houston Minimum Wage

    The minimum wage in Houston, Texas, is $12 an hour, the state minimum wage. Texas law prohibits city and county governments from adopting a local minimum wage that's higher than the state minimum wage.

  • Visit https://www.dws.state.nm.us/Minimum-Wage-Information to find out more about New Mexico’s minimum wage.

• Overtime Pay: Every state has rules about weekly maximum hours and overtime. Learn about the overtime laws in Texas and whether they apply to you.

  • If you work more than 40 hours in a workweek, your employer must pay you 1-1/2 times your regular hourly wage for each overtime hour you work, unless you are exempt. See Frequently Asked Questions About Wage and Hour Rights, at the website of the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, for more information on New Mexico's overtime rules. 

• Wage Claims: If you're being unlawfully underpaid, you need to learn how to file a "Wage Claim" in Texas. 

  • The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions has posted its wage claim form and instructions at its website. 

• Tips : Every state has special pay rates for tipped workers. Find out the rules for tipped workers in Texas.

  • In Texas, your employer may pay you a minimum wage of $3 an hour, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your total hourly pay up to the full minimum wage, $12 an hour. If you don’t earn enough in tips to bring your compensation to the full minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference.

• State Labor Board:
  • Learn more about your rights under Texas law from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. Albuquerque: 505-841-4400; Las Cruces: 575-524-6195; Santa Fe: 505-827-6817

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Texas Unemployment Benefits

• Benefit Amounts in Texas: Learn how unemployment works, how much you'll get, and for how long.
  • In Texas, unemployment benefits range from $101 per week to $542 per week.
  • Formula:

    In New Mexico, your weekly benefit will be 53.5% of your average weekly wages in the quarter of the base period in which you earned the most. 

  • Duration:

    In Texas, you can receive unemployment benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks under state law. 

• Eligibility: >Whether you qualify for unemployment.
• How to Apply: How to apply for unemployment in Texas.
• Unemployment Office Near Me? How to find your local unemployment office.

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Bankruptcy & Debt

• Free Texas MEANS TEST CALCULATOR for Harris County (applies the state and county income and expense standards into your means test calculation. Updated with the latest median income and expense standards for April 1, 2024)
• Free Texas BANKRUPTCY EXEMPTION FINDER: Search detailed listings of bankruptcy exemptions under Texas law and Federal law, for use in filing out Schedule C, when you file for bankruptcy. 
• Texas BANKRUPTCY COURT ESSENTIAL INFO: Get information about using your local bankruptcy court.
• FREE BANKRUPTCY FORMS:
  We'll tell you which bankruptcy forms you need and where to find them.

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Child Custody & Family Courts in Texas 

• State Standards For Custody Decisions: How Texas Courts make child custody decisions
• Family Court for Harris County: Harris County Family Court information, including maps, forms and links.
• Enforcement of Custody Orders: Can you enlist local police to help enforce a custody court order?
• Child Custody Lawyers: To help you handle your child custody matters.

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Texas Obamacare

• Sign Up: We have the latest on how to sign up for Obamacare Insurance in Texas!
• Is Health Insurance Mandatory in Texas? Learn about whether Texas imposes tax penalties for not having health insurance.
• Special Enrollment Periods: How to enroll because of a "special enrollment period."
• Rates & Providers in Your County: Information and rates for providers for Harris County if you live in a state served by Healthcare.gov.

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Democracy In Texas, Harris County, Houston 

• Elected Representatives: Find out the websites and phone numbers of those representing you at the Federal, State, County, and City levels of government.
• How to Vote: Learn how to register and where and when to vote in Harris County, TX.
• Gerrymandering in Texas: Has your state been gerrymandered? Find out how to end gerrymandering and have voters pick politicians, not vice versa.
• Tracking Issues: Organizations that track legislation you care about 

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Find a Lawyer in Harris County, TX

• Our Lawyers by Zipcode section allows users to find a local lawyer using the best online resources, including on topics we don't cover.
• DUI, Criminal Defense
• Auto Accidents & Personal Injury
• Immigration
• Legal Aid in Texas:
  • Law Help New Mexico 
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