(a) Within the municipal court system established and created for the City of Fort Worth in accordance with the terms, provisions, powers, duties and limitations set forth in Tex. Government Code Title 2 and in Chapter VII of the Charter of the City of Fort Worth, there is hereby created, established and designated a unified municipal court of record to be known as the “municipal court of record in the City of Fort Worth” with nine divisions to be known as Division No. 1, Division No. 2, Division No. 3, Division No. 4, Division No. 5, Division No. 6, Division No. 7, Division No. 8 and Division No. 9.
(b) Each division of the municipal court of record in the City of Fort Worth shall have and exercise concurrent jurisdiction with the other divisions thereof.
(c) The municipal court of record in the City of Fort Worth shall have and exercise such jurisdiction as is granted by the Charter and ordinances of the City of Fort Worth and by any laws of this state, including, but not limited to, general jurisdiction provided by Tex. Government Code Chapter 30, that may now exist or may hereafter be passed by the legislature of this state regulating or increasing the jurisdiction of the municipal courts in cities of the grade and size of the City of Fort Worth.
(d) In addition to other jurisdiction provided for herein and in accordance with Tex. Government Code § 30.00005(c), the Fort Worth city council by ordinance hereby provides that the municipal court of record in the City of Fort Worth has concurrent jurisdiction with a justice court in any precinct in which the City of Fort Worth is located in criminal cases that arise within the territorial limits of the city and that are punishable only by fine.
(e) In addition to other jurisdiction provided for herein and in accordance with Tex. Government Code § 30.00005(d), the Fort Worth city council by ordinance hereby provides that the municipal court of record in the City of Fort Worth has:
(1) Civil jurisdiction for the purpose of enforcing municipal ordinances enacted under Tex. Local Government Code Chapter 214, Subchapter A or Tex. Transportation Code Chapter 683, Subchapter E;
(2) Concurrent jurisdiction with a district court or a county court at law under Tex. Local Government Code Chapter 54, Subchapter B within the city’s territorial limits and over property owned by the city located in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction for the purpose of enforcing health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances; and
(3) Authority to issue:
a. Search warrants for the purpose of investigating a health and safety or nuisance abatement ordinance violation; and
b. Seizure warrants for the purpose of securing, removing or demolishing the offending property and removing the debris from the premises.
(Ord. 9509, § 1, passed 11-5-1985; Ord. 19626-04-2011, § 1, passed 4-5-2011)