Pleas & Payment Options

Overview
The following are options to take care of a traffic ticket before or by the initial appearance date:
(the initial appearance date can be found on the citation given by the officer)
 
  • PAY FINE ONLINE (Citation and Identification Information required)
  • Deferred Disposition (Probation) must be Court approved. See section below.
  • Driving Safety Course (DSC) must be Court approved. See section below.
  • Compliance Dismissal requires court approval. See section below.

Convictions for moving violations are reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Payments may be made before your court date, in person, by mail, or online. Municipal Court payments may be made by cash, check, money order, or credit card (a 2.5% credit card processing fee applies).
Online Payments third-party vendor charges an additional $1.50 transaction fee for this service.

Pleas Overview

Under our American system of justice, all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Your decision concerning which plea you enter is very important. Below are explanations of all three types of pleas.

Guilty 

A plea of guilty means that you admit that you committed the offense charged against you and accept the court’s punishment. Your options are:

Nolo Contendere (No Contest)
A plea of nolo contendere means that you do not contest the state’s charge against you. The court can find you guilty and assess punishment. Your options are:

Defendants have a right to appear in front of the presiding judge, a request for a hearing may be submitted to the court. The initial appearance date on the citation is not a hearing with the presiding judge, that is more like a "deadline" for defendants to appear in court to determine how they wish to resolve the citation.

The following citations may be dismissed upon corrective action performed as detailed below and proof provided to the Court by the defendant:

Expired Motor Vehicle Registration must be corrected no more than 20 working days after the offense or by the initial appearance date, whichever is later. There is a dismissal fee of $20 if proof of penalty is paid at the tax office.

Expired Driver’s License must be corrected no more than 20 working days after the offense or by the initial appearance date, whichever is later. The dismissal fee is $20.

Failure to Report Change of Address or Name must be corrected no more than 20 working days after the date of offense or by the initial appearance date, whichever is later. The dismissal fee is $20.

Failure to Maintain Insurance may be dismissed at no charge, if proof of financial responsibility covering the vehicle listed on the citation is provided on or by the initial appearance date. The policy must be in effect at the date and time of the citation was issued. The proof should be an insurance card or a policy with a name and telephone number of the listing agent. All policies will be verified prior to dismissal. 

Operating a Vehicle with Defective Required Equipment (or in unsafe condition) such as a lighting violation, must be corrected by the initial appearance date. The dismissal fee is $10.


Not Guilty
A plea of not guilty means that you deny guilt and the State must prove the charge that is filed against you. If you plead not guilty, you will need to decide whether to hire an attorney to represent you. If you choose to represent yourself, you are held to the same standards as the prosecutor. 

Juveniles(16 and under)
All juveniles must appear in person with a parent or guardian. When a juvenile receives a citation, the court will send a separate notice by mail with a different court date. Notification will be sent by mail with a separate notice to the parent or guardian to appear with the juvenile. 

After January 1st, 2025 Juveniles engaged in conduct that constitutes a misdemeanor punishable by fine only, other than a traffic offense have the option to opt-in for the Youth Diversion Program. For more information, please click on the following link for the Fair Oaks Ranch Youth Diversion Plan.


Conduct & Ordinance Violations

All conduct & ordinances require an appearance with the presiding judge. When a defendant receives a citation, the court will send a separate notice by mail with a different court date.