Tex. Codes » Labor Code · TITLE 2. PROTECTION OF LABORERS · SUBTITLE A. EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION · CHAPTER 21. EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION
Texas Codes

Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201 (2026)

Filing Of Complaint; Form And Content; Service

✓ current as of May 2026
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Sec. 21.201. FILING OF COMPLAINT; FORM AND CONTENT; SERVICE. (a) A person claiming to be aggrieved by an unlawful employment practice or the person's agent may file a complaint with the commission.

(b) The complaint must be in writing and made under oath.

(c) The complaint must state:

(1) that an unlawful employment practice has been committed;

(2) the facts on which the complaint is based, including the date, place, and circumstances of the alleged unlawful employment practice; and

(3) facts sufficient to enable the commission to identify the respondent.

(d) The executive director or the executive director's designee shall serve the respondent with a copy of the perfected complaint not later than the 10th day after the date the complaint is filed.

(e) A complaint may be amended to cure technical defects or omissions, including a failure to verify the complaint or to clarify and amplify an allegation made in the complaint.

(f) An amendment to a complaint alleging additional facts that constitute unlawful employment practices relating to or arising from the subject matter of the original complaint relates back to the date the complaint was first received by the commission.

(g) If a perfected complaint is not received by the commission within 180 days of the alleged unlawful employment practice or, for a complaint alleging sexual harassment, within 300 days of the alleged sexual harassment, the commission shall notify the respondent that a complaint has been filed and that the process of perfecting the complaint is in progress.

Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 269, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 9.06(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1995.

Amended by:

Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 443 (H.B. 21), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2021.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 150 cases (32 in the last 5 years), 1995–2026 · leading case: Texas Dep't of Pub. Saf. v. Alexander, 300 S.W.3d 62 (Tex. App. 2009).
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Texas Dep't of Pub. Saf. v. Alexander, 300 S.W.3d 62 (Tex. App. 2009). · cites it 21× “In order for a document to constitute a proper complaint of discrimination, it must: (1) be in writing; (2) be made under oath; (3) state that an unlawful employment practice was committed; (4) contain the facts on which the complaint is based, including the date, place, and…”
Texas Parks & Wildlife Dep't v. Dearing, 240 S.W.3d 330 (Tex. App. 2007). · cites it 6× “" Tex. Lab.Code Ann. § 21.201 (West 2006) (emphasis added).”
Waffle House, Inc. v. Williams, 313 S.W.3d 796 (Tex. 2010). · cites it 2× “2008) ("In creating the Texas Workers' Compensation Act, the Legislature carefully balanced competing interests—of employees subject to the risk of injury, employers, and insurance carriers—in an attempt to design a viable compensation system, all within constitutional…”
Sonya Thorn Lopez v. Texas State Univ., Sherri H. Benn, & Stella Silva, 368 S.W.3d 695 (Tex. App. 2012). · cites it 4× “See Tex. Lab. Code Ann. § 21.201 (West 2006) (among other requirements, charge must be made under oath and served on respondent employer within 10 days of filing).”
Univ. of Texas v. Poindexter, 306 S.W.3d 798 (Tex. App. 2009). · cites it 2× “In reaching its holding that the trial court lacked jurisdiction because Poindexter did not comply with the 180-day statutory period for filing her retaliation and disparate-impact claims, see Tex. Lab. Code Ann. §§ 21.201 , .202 (West 2006); Specialty Retailers, Inc.”
Williams v. Vought, 68 S.W.3d 102 (Tex. App. 2001). · cites it 4× “Tex. Lab.Code Ann. § 21.201(c) (Vernon 1996).”
Metro. Transit Auth. of Harris Cnty. v. Douglas, 544 S.W.3d 486 (Tex. App. 2018). · cites it 2× “§ 2000e-5(e)(1) ; Tex. Lab. Code §§ 21.201 -.202; 40 Tex. Admin.”
Davis v. Educ. Serv. Ctr., 62 S.W.3d 890 (Tex. App. 2001). · cites it 3× “Tex. Lab. Code Ann. §§ 21.201 (a), 21.202(a); Schroeder v.”
Texas Tech Univ. v. Finley, 223 S.W.3d 510 (Tex. App. 2006). · cites it 3× “The TWC-CRD has recently clarified that “[f]or the purpose of satisfying the filing requirements of Texas Labor Code § 21.201 ... timeliness of the complaint shall be determined by the date on which *515 the complaint is received by EEOC.”
Bartosh v. Sam Houston State Univ., 259 S.W.3d 317 (Tex. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “See Tex. Lab.Code Ann. §§ 21.201, 21.202 (Vernon 2006).”
Prairie View A&M Univ. v. Diljit K. Chatha, 381 S.W.3d 500 (Tex. 2012). “§ 2000e-5(e)(l); Tex. Lab.Code §§ 21.201, .202; 40 Tex. Admin.”
Blaire Reid v. SSB Holdings, Inc., D/B/A Protec Lab'y, 506 S.W.3d 140 (Tex. App. 2016). · cites it 4× “See Tex. Lab. Code Ann. §§ 21.201 -.202. Although Protec acknowledged that Reid had filed a complaint with the Commission, in addition to contesting its timeliness, it alleged that the complaint was not made under oath as required by the TCHRA.”
Show all 150 citing cases →
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(a) — 22 cases
Davis v. Educ. Serv. Ctr., 62 S.W.3d 890 (Tex. App. 2001). “Tex. Lab. Code Ann. §§ 21.201 (a), 21.202(a); Schroeder v.”
John Hinkley v. Envoy Air, Inc., 968 F.3d 544 (5th Cir. 2020).
Metro. Transit Auth. of Harris Cnty. v. Douglas, 544 S.W.3d 486 (Tex. App. 2018). “§ 2000e-5(e)(1) ; Tex. Lab. Code §§ 21.201 -.202; 40 Tex. Admin.”
Alief Independant Sch. Dist. (AISD) v. Raymond Brantley, 558 S.W.3d 747 (Tex. App. 2018).
Thomas v. Clayton Williams Energy, Inc., 2 S.W.3d 734 (Tex. App. 1999).
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(b) — 5 cases
Sonya Thorn Lopez v. Texas State Univ., Sherri H. Benn, & Stella Silva, 368 S.W.3d 695 (Tex. App. 2012). “See Tex. Lab. Code Ann. § 21.201 (West 2006) (among other requirements, charge must be made under oath and served on respondent employer within 10 days of filing).”
Blaire Reid v. SSB Holdings, Inc., D/B/A Protec Lab'y, 506 S.W.3d 140 (Tex. App. 2016). “See Tex. Lab. Code Ann. §§ 21.201 -.202. Although Protec acknowledged that Reid had filed a complaint with the Commission, in addition to contesting its timeliness, it alleged that the complaint was not made under oath as required by the TCHRA.”
TCOE, Inc. v. SA Quad Ventures, LLC (Tex. App. 2019).
Texas Health & Human Servs. Comm'n v. Chayla Cooper (Tex. App. 2024).
Lakeview Police Dep't & the City of El Lago v. Corrie Moody (Tex. App. 2025).
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(c) — 4 cases
Williams v. Vought, 68 S.W.3d 102 (Tex. App. 2001). “Tex. Lab.Code Ann. § 21.201(c) (Vernon 1996).”
Brownsville Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Michael A. Alex, 408 S.W.3d 670 (Tex. App. 2013).
the Univ. of Texas Health Sci. Ctr. at Houston v. Dr. John McNeely (Tex. App. 2021).
Texas Tech Univ. Health Sciences Ctr., Texas Tech Univ. Sys., Texas Tech Univ. & Texas Tech Univ. Sys. Bd. of Regents v. Pureza \DIDIT\" Martinez" (Tex. App. 2022).
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(c)(2) — 2 cases
Harris Cnty. v. Michael J. Hall (2026).
Keryl L. Douglas v. Houston Hous. Auth. & Ernie Etuk (Tex. App. 2013).
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(c)(3) — 3 cases
Ramirez v. Drc Distributors, Ltd., 216 S.W.3d 917 (Tex. App. 2007).
the Univ. of Texas - Pan Am. & the Univ. of Texas Sys. v. Howard Miller (Tex. App. 2013).
Mary Ramirez v. Drc Distributors, Ltd. (Tex. App. 2007).
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(d) — 5 cases
Texas Tech Univ. v. Finley, 223 S.W.3d 510 (Tex. App. 2006). “The TWC-CRD has recently clarified that “[f]or the purpose of satisfying the filing requirements of Texas Labor Code § 21.201 ... timeliness of the complaint shall be determined by the date on which *515 the complaint is received by EEOC.”
Gorges Foodservice, Inc. v. Huerta, 964 S.W.2d 656 (Tex. App. 1998).
Shoreline, Inc. v. Hisel, 115 S.W.3d 21 (Tex. App. 2003).
Gunter P. Coffey v. Texas Parks & Wildlife Dep't (Tex. App. 2021).
Texas Health & Human Servs. Comm'n & the Texas Dep't of Aging & Disability Servs. v. Jose P. Baldonado (Tex. App. 2015).
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(e) — 9 cases
Texas Dep't of Pub. Saf. v. Alexander, 300 S.W.3d 62 (Tex. App. 2009). “In order for a document to constitute a proper complaint of discrimination, it must: (1) be in writing; (2) be made under oath; (3) state that an unlawful employment practice was committed; (4) contain the facts on which the complaint is based, including the date, place, and…”
Bartosh v. Sam Houston State Univ., 259 S.W.3d 317 (Tex. App. 2008). “See Tex. Lab.Code Ann. §§ 21.201, 21.202 (Vernon 2006).”
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Canchola, 64 S.W.3d 524 (Tex. App. 2002).
Tex. Dep't of Aging & Disability Servs. v. Lagunas, 546 S.W.3d 239 (Tex. App. 2017).
Univ. of Texas at El Paso v. Jamie Isaac, 568 S.W.3d 175 (Tex. App. 2018).
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(f) — 4 cases
El Paso Cnty., Texas v. Mary Lou Vasquez, 508 S.W.3d 626 (Tex. App. 2016).
Collins-Pearcy v. Mediterranean Shipping Co. (USA), 698 F. Supp. 2d 730 (S.D. Tex. 2010).
the City of Sugar Land v. Leon Kaplan, 449 S.W.3d 577 (Tex. App. 2014).
Univ. of Texas at El Paso v. Jamie Isaac, 568 S.W.3d 175 (Tex. App. 2018).
— Tex. Lab. Code § 21.201(g) — 2 cases
Univ. of Texas at El Paso v. Jamie Isaac, 568 S.W.3d 175 (Tex. App. 2018).
Gunter P. Coffey v. Texas Parks & Wildlife Dep't (Tex. App. 2021).
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