Municipal Court Questions

No, you may retain an attorney but you do not have to have one. This is a class C misdemeanor which 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 Driving Safety Course. For more information visit the Deferred Disposition and Driving Safety Course page to see if you qualify.

Yes, the Court allows you to set up a payment plan for citations. Please reference the section for Payment Plans. You must first enter a plea, then fill out a Payment plan application, and choose one of two payment plan options. The payment plan does require a 25% down payment. If you are unable to pay for any reason you should come to court to explain those reasons to the Judge. 

You must file a motion for a continuance stating the reasons you cannot appear. Complete the motion for continuance form

MUST BE IN WRITING.