Slip and fall in Fort Worth: who is responsible and when to find a lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

If you fell at a store or on private property in Fort Worth, you generally have 2 years to sue.1 If you fell on City of Fort Worth property, written notice is due within 180 days, unless you show good cause.2 Other Texas government bodies must get notice within six months.3

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Road map of downtown Fort Worth around 200 Texas Street, where notices of claim go to the city's Risk Management office
Fall on Fort Worth city property? Written notice is due in 180 days. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who is responsible for a broken sidewalk in Fort Worth?

It is not always the city. Fort Worth's code declares any defective, unsafe or hazardous sidewalk a nuisance.4 It then puts the job of fixing one on the owner, agent or tenant of the property next to it, within 30 days after the city orders the repair.5

That code section is about repair, and it does not say who has to pay a person who gets hurt. So do not assume either answer. A homeowner may say the city never ordered anything. The city may say the owner should have fixed it. Whether anyone ordered the repair before you fell can matter a lot, and it is something you can ask the city about in a records request.

State roads are not the answer either. The city's MyFW page says TxDOT does not maintain sidewalks or bike paths under city or county jurisdiction.6 Once you have your own photos, report the damage in the MyFW app as Sidewalk Hazard Repair, or call the City Call Center at (817) 392-1234.78

How do I file a claim with the City of Fort Worth after a fall?

  1. Mark day 180 on a calendar. The charter counts from when the injury happened, and only good cause excuses a late notice.2
  2. Write down the injury, the date and place, how it happened, your damages and the amount you would settle for. The charter asks for each of these.9
  3. Send it to HR/Risk Management, 200 Texas Street, Fort Worth 76102, or email [email protected]. The fax is 817-392-5874.1011
  4. If two of you were hurt and you are not married to each other, file two claims.12
  5. Keep proof of when you sent it. Risk Management can be reached at (817) 392-7402 to confirm it arrived.13

Filing also gives the city the right to look into your injury or inspect property.14 Licensed adjusters inside the city handle these claims, and the program is largely self-funded, so the person across the table works for the city.1516

Does the city owe me as much care as a store in Fort Worth?

Where you fellWhat the owner generally owes
Government property, no fee paidLess care than a store owes a customer17
Land opened to you for recreationOften limited to what a trespasser is owed, with some exceptions18
Somewhere you had no right to beOnly to avoid hurting you on purpose, recklessly or through gross negligence19

Paying matters. The lower government standard does not apply if you paid to use the property.17 Keep the ticket or receipt from any paid city facility.

What if I fell in a Fort Worth park or on a trail?

Park falls are hard to win. Between the government rules and the recreation rule, the bar sits well above a shop floor case.1718 Still send the 180-day notice if the city runs the park, so you keep your options open.2 Photograph what tripped you, note the nearest trail marker or park sign, and write down whether you paid anything to be there.

What should I do after falling in a Fort Worth store or apartment complex?

  1. Report it to a manager before you leave and ask for a copy of the incident report.
  2. Photograph the spill, the rug, the step or the broken stair, and include your shoes in one picture.
  3. Collect contact details from people who saw you fall. Staff who help you may not be there next month.
  4. Ask in writing that the store keep its camera footage from that day.
  5. See a doctor quickly. JPS and Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth treat the most serious injuries as Level I trauma centers.2021
  6. Do not give a recorded statement to the store's insurer until you know the extent of your injury.

Your own part counts. Being more than 50 percent at fault for the fall means you cannot recover.22

What if I fell at a Tarrant County building or on Trinity Metro in Fort Worth?

Tarrant County manages its own self-insurance through Budget and Risk Management, 100 E. Weatherford, Room 401, 817-884-2640.23 Trinity Metro's customer line is 817-215-8600.24 We could not find a published claim form for either one. Send written notice inside six months, keep proof of delivery, and do not wait for someone to tell you the rule.325

How many falls are reported in Fort Worth?

We could not find a public count of injury falls for Fort Worth. Unlike car wrecks, falls are not tracked in a state database such as the one behind TxDOT's crash reports. Your own records may be the only record there is, so request them early. JPS accepts mailed requests at 1500 S. Main Street, and Texas Health handles them through Versima.2627

Where would a Fort Worth slip and fall case be filed?

It depends on the amount. Claims up to $20,000 can go to one of Tarrant County's eight justice courts.28 Bigger claims go to higher courts.

What should I ask a slip and fall lawyer in Fort Worth?

  • Who actually controlled the spot where I fell?
  • Has the 180-day or six-month notice clock started, and has it run?
  • How would you show the owner knew, or should have known, about the danger?
  • Is this a premises liability case worth bringing, given my medical bills?

Questions

How long do I have to sue after a slip and fall in Fort Worth?

Generally 2 years.1 For city property, written notice is due in 180 days, unless you show good cause.2

Who fixes broken sidewalks in Fort Worth?

City code puts an ordered repair on the owner, agent or tenant of the property next to it.5

Where do I send a claim to the City of Fort Worth?

HR/Risk Management, 200 Texas Street, 76102, or [email protected].1011

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Sources

  1. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a), checked 2026-11-08. “personal injury, forcible entry and detainer, and forcible detainer not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues.”
  2. Fort Worth City Charter, Chapter XXVII, Section 25, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty (180) days after the same has been sustained, unless good cause is shown”
  3. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101(a), checked 2026-11-08. “A governmental unit is entitled to receive notice of a claim against it under this chapter not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred.”
  4. Fort Worth City Code § 30-1, checked 2026-11-08. “Any sidewalk, parkway, driveway or curb which has become or is defective, unsafe or hazardous is declared a nuisance.”
  5. Fort Worth City Code § 30-1, checked 2026-11-08. “within 30 days from the receipt of notice from the director of public works”
  6. City of Fort Worth, MyFW, checked 2026-11-08. “TxDOT does not maintain roads, sidewalks, or pedestrian or bike paths in cities within city/town or county jurisdiction.”
  7. City of Fort Worth, MyFW, checked 2026-11-08. “Sidewalk Hazard Repair Please use this service request to report sidewalk repairs.”
  8. City of Fort Worth, TPW Customer Care, checked 2026-11-08. “City Call Center (817) 392-1234”
  9. Fort Worth City Charter, Chapter XXVII, Section 25, checked 2026-11-08. “the amount of damages, the amount for which the claimant will settle”
  10. City of Fort Worth, Notice of Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “HR/Risk Management 200 Texas Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102”
  11. City of Fort Worth, Notice of Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “[email protected]”
  12. City of Fort Worth, Notice of Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “Unless married, each claimant must submit their own separate claim.”
  13. City of Fort Worth, Notice of Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “Office (817) 392-7402”
  14. City of Fort Worth, Notice of Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “by filing a claim, you agree to allow the city or its agent to inspect your property or to investigate the personal injury”
  15. City of Fort Worth, Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “Third-party liability claims against the City and subrogation efforts by the City are handled internally by licensed claims adjusters.”
  16. City of Fort Worth, Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “The liability insurance program is largely self-funded for liability claims and lawsuits, settlements and expenses.”
  17. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.022(a), checked 2026-11-08. “if a claim arises from a premise defect, the governmental unit owes to the claimant only the duty that a private person owes to a licensee on private property, unless the claimant pays for the use of the premises.”
  18. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 75.002(c), checked 2026-11-08. “If an owner, lessee, or occupant of real property other than agricultural land gives permission to another to enter the premises for recreation, the owner, lessee, or occupant, by giving the permission, does not: (1) assure that the premises are safe for that purpose; (2) owe to the person to whom permission is granted a greater degree of care than is owed to a trespasser on the premises;”
  19. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 75.007(b), checked 2026-11-08. “An owner, lessee, or occupant of land does not owe a duty of care to a trespasser on the land and is not liable for any injury to a trespasser on the land, except that an owner, lessee, or occupant owes a duty to refrain from injuring a trespasser wilfully, wantonly, or through gross negligence.”
  20. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “JOHN PETER SMITH HOSPITAL 11/1/2028 E FORT WORTH 76104”
  21. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “TEXAS HEALTH HARRIS METHODIST HOSPITAL FORT WORTH 1/1/2029 E FORT WORTH 76104”
  22. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent.”
  23. Tarrant County, Budget and Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “817-884-2640 100 E. Weatherford, Rm. 401”
  24. Trinity Metro, TEXRail brochure, March 2026, checked 2026-11-08. “Customer Support and Solutions 817-215-8600”
  25. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”
  26. JPS Health Network, Patient Records, checked 2026-11-08. “JPS Health Network Health Information Management 1500 S. Main Street Fort Worth, TX 76104”
  27. Texas Health, Request Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Texas Health has partnered with Versima”
  28. Tarrant County, Justice of the Peace Courts, checked 2026-11-08. “(jurisdictional limit is $20,000)”

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