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 by the  judge,  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 can not 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