Municipal Court

• Guilty - You admit you committed the act(s) for which you were charged. You admit the act you committed is prohibited by law and you have no legal defense for your actions.  
• Nolo Contendere / No Contest -   You are not admitting or denying you committed the act(s) for which   you were charged. This type of plea simply means you do not wish to   contest the state's charge against you. You may be found guilty but could still be eligible for deferred disposition or defensive driving. 
• Not Guilty - You deny you committed the act(s) for which you were charged. You have a defense for the offense(s) and will be set for pretrial conference with the prosecutor and possibly a pretrial date with the judge to file any motions or subpoenas related to your case. After this hearing, a trial date will either be assigned at that time or sent to you via U.S. mail. If you plead not guilty, the judge may not hear any facts regarding your case prior to the actual trial date.

 Under certain conditions, you may request a to take a Driver Safety Course to keep a citation off your driving record without appearing in Court.  You will have 90 days to complete the course, obtain all the necessary documentation, and return those items to the office in order to have your citation dismissed. During this time, you cannot receive any other citations. If you do not complete the course within the allocated time period, the Judge cannot extend your deadline. You will then be required to pay any remaining balance and the offense will be shown as a conviction on your driving record. 

Eligibility:

• You must have a valid Texas driver's license or permit, proof of active military duty or proof that you are a spouse or a dependent child of a person on active military duty. 
• You must present proof of valid financial responsibility (automobile insurance). 
• You must be over the age of 17

You are not eligible for the Driver Safety Course if any of the statements below pertain to you:

• 25 or more miles per hour over the speed limit in a regular zone; 15 or more miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone. 
• An offense relating to the "Duty to Give Information and Aid (leaving the scene of an accident);" 
• An offense relating to "Overtaking and Passing a School Bus;" 
• An offense committed in a construction or maintenance work zone while workers are present. 
• An offense identified as a serious traffic violation in Section 522.003(25) of the Transportation Code. 
•  If you have a CDL (commercial driver's license) you are NOT eligible to take defensive driving.  
•  You cannot have completed a defensive driving course in the past 12 months.  
•   You cannot currently be taking a driver safety course for a traffic violation in another court

Request Procedures: 

 If making a request for the driving safety course, you must submit the following:  

• $144.00 Court Cost Fee 
• A valid copy of your Texas driver’s license (or other approved documents). 
• A valid copy of your liability insurance card and/or proof of financial responsibility. 
• Enter a Plea of No Contest or Guilty.
• Completed Driver Safety Request form, and Affidavit (these can be found on the FORMS section of this website)

You may request a probationary period (Deferred Disposition) to keep a citation off your driving record without appearing in Court. The deferred disposition period will vary from 90 to 180 days according to the Judge's ruling.   During the deferral period, defendants must drive and operate their vehicle without receiving another moving violation during the probationary period. Failure to adhere to this rule will result in the case being set for a show-cause hearing. The hearing will allow you the opportunity to provide proof of the emergency situation that resulted in you receiving another citation while on probation.  

 Eligibility:

• You must have a valid Texas driver's license or permit, proof of active military duty or proof that you are a spouse or a dependent child of a person on active military duty.
• You must be over the age of 25

 You are NOT eligible for the Driver Safety Course if any of the statements below pertain to you:

• 25 or more miles per hour over the speed limit in a regular zone; 15 or more miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone. 
• An offense relating to the "Duty to Give Information and Aid (leaving the scene of an accident);" 
• An offense relating to "Overtaking and Passing a School Bus;" 
• An offense committed in a construction or maintenance work zone while workers are present. 
• An offense identified as a serious traffic violation in Section 522.003(25) of the Transportation Code. 
• If you have a CDL (commercial driver's license) you are NOT eligible to take defensive driving.  
• If you are currently on Deferred Disposition in any other court
•  You cannot currently be taking a driver safety course for a traffic violation in another court

 Request Procedures:  

If making a request for the Deferred Disposition, you must submit the following:

• Payment for Fine and Court Cost Fee 
• A valid copy of your Texas driver’s license (or other approved documents). 
• A valid copy of your liability insurance card and/or proof of financial responsibility. 
• Enter a Plea of No Contest or Guilty.
•  Completed deferred Disposition Request form (these can be found on the FORMS section of this website) 

You are NOT eligible for the Driver Safety Course if any of the statements below pertain to you:

• 25 or more miles per hour over the speed limit in a regular zone; 10 or more miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone. 
•  Your citation cannot have occurred in a construction zone with the workers present.
• An offense relating to the "Duty to Give Information and Aid (leaving the scene of an accident);" 
• An offense relating to "Overtaking and Passing a School Bus;" 
• An offense committed in a construction or maintenance work zone while workers are present. 
• An offense identified as a serious traffic violation in Section 522.003(25) of the Transportation Code. 
• If you have a CDL (commercial driver's license) you are NOT eligible to take defensive driving.  
• If you are currently on Deferred Disposition in any other court.