Welcome to The State Office of Administrative Hearings

Office Holiday Closure

All SOAH offices will be closed on Friday, April 3, 2026 in observance of Good Friday. All offices will reopen with normal business hours on Monday, April 6, 2026.

Audio/Video Exhibit Acceptable Formats

Audiovisual evidence must be in a common non-proprietary file format that can be played using either Windows Media or VLC Media Player.  If you have audio/video evidence to submit in your case, these are the formats that SOAH will accept: .av, .av3, .avi, .m4a, .m4v, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .mpg, .wav, .wgplayer, .wma, .wmv.

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Announcements

Standing Order on Permian Basin Reliability Plan Cases

SOAH's Chief Administrative Law Judge has issued a Standing Order Relating to Service of Process in Transmission Line Cases related to the Permian Basin Reliability Plan. The standing order is intended to promote administrative efficiency for case participants by allowing Administrative Law Judges to waive standard requirements for individual service of filed documents and authorize alternative service through the publication of filings on the Public Utility Commission's Interchange website.

Standing Order Abating Certain Consumer Complaint Matters

SOAH's Chief Administrative Law Judge has issued a Standing Ordering Abating Certain Consumer Complaint Matters Referred to SOAH by the Public Utility Commission. The standing order temporarily abates these matters to address resources limitations and ensure effective docket management for cases related to the Permian Basin Reliability Plan and other matters with statutory priority.

AI Advisory from Chief Administrative Law Judge

SOAH's Chief Administrative Law Judge released his advisory on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in SOAH cases. All parties are expected to review the advisory, which cautions about the risks associated with the use of AI in SOAH cases. Visit Advisories and Standing Orders.

New Hearings Capacity for FY 26

SOAH has announced the agency’s total hearings capacity for FY 2026, as set by the Texas Legislature, based on the projected number of judge hours required to meet statewide demand. More information can be found under Reports and Publications.

Popular Forms

General Hearings Forms

Forms

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Driver's License Hearings Forms

Forms

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About SOAH

Visiting SOAH

Visiting SOAH The State Office of Administrative Hearings is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and has seven staffed regional offices located throughout the state. In addition to these locations, the agency holds hearings in remote locations across Texas. Each of the remote hearing locations and each Texas county is geographically assigned to one staffed State Office of Administrative Hearings office location as a primary point of contact.
Information About Our Locations >

Chief Administrative Law Judge

Kristofer Monson has served as Chief Administrative Law Judge for the State Office of Administrative Hearings since April 2019. Monson is the fifth Chief Administrative Law Judge to serve at State Office of Administrative Hearings.
About Judge Monson >

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to most questions have been generalized for most hearings at the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Information for your specific hearing may vary, depending on the referring agency and type of hearing.

See Our FAQ's >

Our Mission

The State Office of Administrative Hearings, also called SOAH, is an independent and neutral agency for hearing and mediating administrative disputes and appeals in Texas. While judicial in form, SOAH operates in the executive branch of state government, overseeing thousands of disputes between Texas agencies, private citizens, and other governmental entities. SOAH employs more than 50 Administrative Law Judges, referred to as ALJs or judges, across eight offices statewide who conduct contested case hearings for more than 50 referring agencies. Approximately 28,000 contested case hearings are conducted by ALJs at SOAH each year, with each case resolving legal disputes over administrative actions taken by the state or other governmental bodies.

SOAH was created to:

  • Conduct fair and objective administrative hearings.
  • Provide fair, timely and efficient decisions and proposals for decision.
  • Offer the opportunity for parties to resolve their disputes through mediation (or alternative dispute resolution).
More About Our Mission and Philosophy >