Texas Traffic Ticket

Go To Court

When you receive your traffic ticket, you will have until the court date listed on the ticket, generally around 10 days, to decide how you want to handle it: pay a fine or appear in court. You absolutely must contact the court before the date on your ticket, or face a charge of failure to appear in court.

Whatever your decision, you will have the option of attending a driver safety class to have the ticket dismissed. You will still need to pay for court charges, but with the ticket dismissed from your driving record, your insurance rates will not increase as a result of the ticket.

Points System in Texas

The points system in Texas, known as the Driver Responsibility Law, assigns points to moving violations classified as Class C misdemeanors and applies surcharges to offenders. The point system in Texas is fairly simple:

• Two points for any moving violation defined by 37 TEX. ADMIN. CODE $15.89. The attached graphic is a list of violations which will be assigned points.
• Two points are added for child safety seat violations.
• Three points for any moving violation resulting in a vehicle collision.

For serious violations, or violations that may put you over the point limit, you may need to contact an attorney specializing in traffic cases. Points are not assigned for speeding less than 10% over the posted limit or for seat belt convications.

Points Surcharge

If you accumulate six points or on your license during a three-year period, you will have to pay a violation surcharge. You, the driver, are then required to pay a $100 surcharge for the first six points, and $25 for each additional point. Surcharges are cumulative and may vary with each annual assessment if convictions are added or removed from the driving record.

Annual Surcharge

For more serious offenses, an annual surcharge for three years from the date of conviction will be assessed. These surcharges are also cumulative.

• DWI, or DWI-related offense
  • First conviction - $1,000
  • Second or subsequent conviction - $1,500
  • DWI with Blood Alcohol Content .16 or greater - $2,000
• Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility - $250
• Driving While License Invalid - $250
• Driving Without a Valid License (ie. No Driver License, No Commercial Driver License, No Endorsement Violation, No Motorcycle License, Operate with License for Other Class Vehicle) - $100

Defensive Driving School

With the permission of the court that issued your ticket, in Texas you can attend a defensive driving school. You may do this for one conviction per year, and only with the court's permission. The judge can always refuse to accept a certificate of completion.

To be eligible for defensive driving, you will have to enter a plea of "nolo contendere" or "no contest" for the ticket. The judge will then make a determination as to whether you are eligible to take a driver improvement program. Once you complete the program, you will need to return your certificate of completion to the court.