All trials upon the merits shall be conducted in open court and so far as convenient in a regular courtroom. All other acts or proceedings may be done or conducted by a judge in chambers, without the attendance of the clerk or other court officials, and at any place either within or without the county where the action is pending, but no trial or evidentiary hearing, other than an authorized ex parte hearing, shall be conducted outside the county where the case is pending without the consent of all parties affected thereby.
Rule 55.29.Place of Hearing and Acts in Chambers.
Part I · Rule 55: Pleadings, Motions and Hearing · Last amended July 1, 2025 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceRule 55.29 requires trials on the merits to be conducted in open court, ordinarily in a regular courtroom, while allowing a judge to handle other acts or proceedings in chambers anywhere in or out of the county, but bars trials or evidentiary hearings outside the county without the consent of the affected parties.
Full Text of Rule 55.29
Amendment History
Adopted Jan. 19, 1973, eff. Sept. 1, 1973. Amended June 1, 1993, eff. Jan. 1, 1994; Amended Oct. 1, 2024, eff. July 1, 2025.
Plain-English Summary
Trials on the merits belong in open court, and so far as convenient, in a regular courtroom. That default keeps the most consequential proceedings in a case visible and accessible instead of conducted privately.
Other acts and proceedings — the routine business of managing a case instead of trying it — can be handled by a judge in chambers, without the clerk or other court staff present, and at any place in or out of the county where the case is pending. But that flexibility has a limit: no trial or evidentiary hearing, other than an authorized ex parte hearing, can be conducted outside the county where the case is pending without the consent of all parties affected by it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must a Missouri trial be held in a courtroom?
Trials on the merits must be conducted in open court, and so far as convenient, in a regular courtroom.
Can a judge handle case matters outside the county where the case is pending?
Yes, for acts other than trials or evidentiary hearings — those can be conducted in chambers anywhere in or out of the county.
Can an evidentiary hearing be held outside the county where the case is pending?
Only with the consent of all parties affected, unless it’s an authorized ex parte hearing.
What is the ex parte hearing exception under Rule 55.29?
An authorized ex parte hearing can be conducted outside the county without the consent otherwise required for trials and evidentiary hearings.
Do parties have to consent to an out-of-county hearing?
Yes, for any trial or evidentiary hearing outside the county, other than an authorized ex parte hearing.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Missouri State & Federal Court Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Missouri. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: place of trial Missourihearings in chambersopen court requirementex parte hearing locationout-of-county hearing consent