Frequently Asked Questions

No, you may retain an attorney but you do not have to have one. As this is a fine only offense the court will not appoint an attorney.

Typically only the prosecutor may dismiss a citation. Some citations that are dismissed by the Court are:

1. Failure to Provide Financial Responsibility: This citation may be dismissed if the defendant can bring his/her original insurance policy to the Court that shows liability coverage on the date and time that the citation was issued. The policy must have a declarations page that specifies that either the vehicle or defendant was covered on the date and time of the offense.
2. Failure to Display Driver's License: If the defendant can produce a Texas driver's license that was current on the date and time of the offense, the Court may dismiss the citation for this particular offense.
3. Expired Violations: If you are charged with expired drivers license or registration these may be dismissed by the Court.

The law provides two alternatives designed to keep citations from adversely affecting your driving record. These programs are Deferred Disposition and Defensive Driving. Deferred Disposition is associated with an administrative fee and a probation period in lieu of the fine. Defensive Driving allows you to pay court costs and an administrative fee, and take a state approved driver's safety course for the dismissal of your citation.

Yes, the Court allows you to set up a payment plan for outstanding citations. You may not be eligible for this option if you have previously defaulted on a payment plan. The Court Clerk will give you more detailed instructions on this option upon requesting it at the customer service windows at the Court. If you are unable to pay the fine and cost for any reason you should come to court to explain those reasons to the Judge. A form(PDF, 167KB) is online to provide information to the Judge which will be considered in determining whether you should pay.

You must file a motion for a continuance(PDF, 15KB) stating the reasons you cannot appear. This can be in the form of a letter addressed to the Court.

If you are unable to pay the fine and cost for any reason you should come to court to explain those reasons to the Judge. A form(PDF, 167KB) is online to provide information to the Judge which will be considered in determining whether you should pay. If you delay you will only make matters worse and you may subject yourself to being arrested because you ignored your promise to appear.

Not necessarily. The Judge performs all judicial functions by law and can only delegate clerical duties to the clerks. Therefore all decisions on matters must be decided by a Judge and not the clerk.