What are Texas Traffic Court Records?

Texas traffic court records are documents the Municipal and Justice of the Peace Courts generate when handling traffic cases. In addition to providing an official account of court proceedings, these records encompass traffic tickets or citations issued by law enforcement officers to offending motorists.

Most Common Traffic Violations Ticketed in Texas

Texas law enforcement officers issue most traffic tickets for moving violations. Notwithstanding, traffic tickets are issued for both major and minor violations. The most common major traffic violations in Texas are:

• Reckless driving
• DWI (driving while intoxicated)
• Driving without a license
• Hit and run
• Intoxication manslaughter
• Felony overspeeding in Texas

Some offenses are tried in criminal courts and may be punished by jail time, fines, and driver's license suspensions. For example, DWIs are punishable by a minimum of 3 days in jail, while intoxication manslaughter carries prison terms between 2 and 20 years.

How Do I Look Up My Texas Traffic Ticket?

In Texas, county courts handle traffic tickets. These are Texas courts with jurisdiction over Class C misdemeanor cases. To find out the details of a traffic ticket, contact the Justice Court (or Municipal Court in an incorporated city) in the county where the ticket was issued. You may call or visit this court for information. Most county courts also put traffic ticket information online on their websites. The public can also use these resources to search for unpaid traffic tickets.

Use the agency's Citation Search tool for traffic tickets written by Texas State Highway Patrol officers. This online search provides results for all traffic tickets issued by the Highway Patrol within the last 24 months. The Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) also provides a search tool to determine if you have an overdue court appearance or traffic ticket. Visit the TxDPS Failure to Appear/Failure to Pay Program page to find out if you have an outstanding ticket issued by the State Highway Patrol.

Publicly available records are accessible from some third-party websites. These websites offer the benefit of not being limited by geographical record availability and can serve as a starting point when researching specific or multiple records. To find records using the search engines on these sites, interested parties must provide:

• The name of someone involved, provided it is not a juvenile
• The assumed location of the record in question, such as a city, county, or state name

Third-party sites are not government-sponsored websites; record availability may differ from official channels.

What Is the Legal Blood Alcohol Concentration Limit in Texas?

In Texas, motorists operating vehicles with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of. .08 is deemed guilty of DWI (Driving While Intoxicated).

Minor traffic violations and infractions in Texas usually do not involve crashes, injuries, or death. Some of these are responsible for most traffic tickets issued for parking violations. The most common minor traffic violations in Texas are:

• Speeding
• Parking in a disabled space
• Failure to stop for a school bus
• Disobeying railroad crossing signs
• Taking a ride in a vehicle without wearing a seat belt

Besides these moving and parking violations, other common reasons Texas police officers issue traffic tickets are driving without auto insurance, failure to provide a vehicle inspection certificate, and passing authorized emergency vehicles.

What to Do When You Get a Traffic Ticket in Texas

When Texas law enforcement officers issue traffic tickets, the recipients are required to sign the tickets. Signing a traffic ticket is not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgment of receipt. A Texas traffic ticket will typically provide the following information:

• Citation number
• Name of the law enforcement officer issuing the ticket
• Date of issue
• Violator information, including name, gender, race, and address of the offending motorist
• Vehicle information includes make, model, color, and license number
• Location of the offense
• Violations, including fine amounts
• Name and address of the traffic court where the ticketed motorist must appear
• Court appearance date

Regardless of pleas, ticketed motorists are usually required to appear in court on or before their appearance dates. However, they may appear in person or mail their citations and pleas to the court. Individuals appearing in person may do so with or without their attorneys. If you received a traffic ticket in Texas, you may enter any of the following pleas:

• Guilty
• Not guilty
• No contest

Ticketed motorists who plead guilty are usually expected to pay the Texas traffic ticket. These fines are typically paid at their court appearances. If left unpaid, the motorist will receive court notices to pay their traffic fines within 30 days. They may also have points added to their driving records, have their licenses suspended, be required to complete defensive driving classes, and/or be tried for criminal felonies and misdemeanors arising from the violations listed on their tickets. Texas used to have a Driver Responsibility Program that required additional surcharges from offending motorists, but it has recently been repealed.

Individuals who plead not guilty to their traffic tickets choose to contest their citations in court. They may enter this plea at their court appearances, check the relevant boxes on their tickets, or complete the appropriate citation reply forms and then mail them to the courts of appearance.

Pleading no contest to a traffic ticket is not the same as pleading guilty. Doing so means the ticketed individual acknowledges the evidence against them and accepts the legal consequences of the violations recorded on their ticket. However, a no-contest plea differs from a guilty plea because it protects the offender from future civil lawsuits for the ticketed traffic offense.

How Do I Pay a Traffic Ticket in Texas?

Municipal (for incorporated cities) and Justice of the Peace (JP) Courts allow traffic violators pleading guilty to their tickets to pay fines:

• Online
• In-person
• By mail

Checks and money orders are usually accepted for payments sent by mail, while those choosing to pay their tickets in person may do so with cash, check, money order, or credit card. To find the specific payment instructions for traffic tickets, visit the Municipal or JP Court webpages listed on your ticket. Texas Municipal Courts usually have city web pages, while JP Courts can be found on county websites.

To pay a ticket issued by the Texas State Highway Patrol, find the ticket using the agency's Citation Search and then follow the payment instructions provided.

How Can I Reduce My Traffic Fine in Texas?

The court can set a lower fine for defendants who choose to pay their tickets. First, they have to plead guilty and come before a traffic court judge to plead for reduced fines. After considering the offender's ability to pay, the judge decides solely to set a smaller fine.

There are two other options for offending motorists hoping for reduced fines. These options are provided on the reverse side of a Texas traffic ticket. The first one is taking a Driving Safety Course. Note that not everyone is eligible for this option. Similarly, taking this course is not an option for certain traffic offenses. To be eligible for a Driving Safety Course in Texas and a reduced traffic fine, the offender is required to:

• Be at least 17 years old
• Present auto insurance documents
• Not having a commercial driver's license at the time of the offense
• Not going more than 24 mph over the posted speed limit if given a speeding ticket
• Not have attended and/or completed a driving safety course in the previous 12 months

The second option is Deferred Adjudication/Disposition. The court does not provide this option for everyone. However, where it is available, the defendant can plead guilty or no contest while the traffic court places them on probation. Deferred Adjudication is only offered at the discretion of the court. It is not available for motorists holding commercial driving licenses, traffic violations committed in work zones, or moving violations. Deferred Disposition is also unavailable to those who have used this option in the past 12 months.

Contesting a Traffic Ticket in Texas

There are different reasons to contest a traffic citation. One apparent reason is that you believe you did not commit the cited traffic violation and have enough evidence to prove your innocence. Ticketed motorists may also contest their tickets for reduced fines and/or sentencing. Other reasons to fight a traffic ticket include reducing the points accrued on their driving records, preventing their auto insurance rates from increasing, and avoiding losing their licenses.

The first step in contesting a traffic ticket in Texas is entering or submitting a not-guilty plea to the traffic court listed on the citation. Before entering their pleas, ticketed motorists should note the traffic violations listed on their citations and learn more about the Texas traffic laws related to these offenses. Traffic tickets usually provide statute numbers for easy reference.

After pleading not guilty, the Texas traffic court will set a trial date. All traffic cases in Texas are jury trials. However, defendants can waive their right to a jury trial and choose a bench trial. Only the judge hears the merits of a case in a bench trial. Defendants opting for bench trials must do so in writing.

When a traffic case proceeds to a jury or bench trial, the court sets the appropriate fine for the defendant. The fine is usually close to the amount required of the defendant if found guilty of the violation. The total amount payable by the defendant includes court costs. The court will refund the defendant, as appropriate, if it dismisses their ticket after the trial.

Texas Driving Record Check

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) administers driving records in Texas through its Driver Records Division. These records, known as driver history records, provide an account of a license holder's traffic convictions, accidents, suspensions, revocations, and current status. Texas offers several record types, ranging from a basic status check to a complete certified history, depending on the purpose of the request. Certified records, such as court proceedings, insurance underwriting, and employment verification, are required for official use.

The cost of a Texas driving record varies by type. A certified three-year history costs $6.00, while a complete certified history costs $10.00. Requests may be made online through the DPS Driver Record Service portal, in person at a driver's license office, or by mail. Online requests allow for immediate retrieval of certified records in PDF format, while mailed requests require additional processing time.

Mail applications should be directed to:

Texas Department of Public Safety
Driver Records Bureau
P.O. Box 149246
Austin, TX 78714-9246

Obtaining Another Person's Driving Record

Texas law restricts access to another individual's driving record under the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act and state statutes. Records are released only to requesters who demonstrate a permissible statutory purpose or provide signed authorization from the individual whose record is sought. Allowable uses include insurance investigations, government functions, attorney requests in active litigation, and employment checks for positions requiring driving responsibilities.

The official request is made using Form DR-1 (Application for Copy of Driver Record). The form requires the requester to indicate the type of record sought, the legal basis for access, and, when applicable, the driver's signed authorization. The completed form and applicable fee must be mailed to the DPS Driver Records Bureau in Austin or submitted online through the DPS portal. Payments for mailed requests are accepted by check or money order made payable to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Free DMV Driving Records in Texas

Texas does not provide certified driving records free of charge. All requests, whether for limited abstracts or complete histories, are subject to the statutory fee of $6.00 or $10.00, depending on the record type. No statutory waiver or free service exists for official driving records in Texas.

What to Expect in a Texas Traffic Court?

Motorists who choose to fight their tickets will have their day in court. In a traffic case, the State of Texas will have a prosecutor represent itself against the offender. The offender may represent themselves or retain the services of an attorney. As most traffic offenses are Class C misdemeanors, the state does not have to provide attorneys to defenders who cannot afford them.

Defendants who choose jury trials for their traffic cases may question jurors and determine their ability to serve on the jury. An attorney may perform this duty if hired by a defendant in a traffic case. The trial will start with an open statement from the prosecutor and the defendant or their attorney. The prosecutor will present the state's case during the trial and call their witnesses. This is because the state is burdened to prove the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Among the witnesses, the prosecutor must also present the officer who wrote the ticket.

The defendant will be expected to cross-examine the prosecutor's witnesses. After the prosecutor rests, the defendant can present their testimony and witnesses. The prosecutor will also cross-examine these witnesses. At the end of the trial, the prosecutor and defendant must provide closing arguments, with the prosecutor having the last word.

The jury or judge will then decide based on the evidence and testimonies presented. If the court finds the defendant not guilty, it will cancel their ticket. If the court finds the defendant guilty, it will determine the appropriate punishment. This can be a full or reduced payment of the fine and court costs. Alternatively, the judge may exercise discretion and defer the punishment through Deferred Adjudication/Disposition.

How to Prepare for Traffic Court in Texas

When preparing to fight a traffic ticket in court, start by learning about the violations listed on the ticket. For more details, study the Texas Driver Handbook, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and read the appropriate sections of Texas traffic laws. Use the information obtained to prepare your defense. Consider the location of the violation and how to use it to discredit the ticket. For example, note if the speed sign near the site was obstructed.

It also helps to look for errors on the ticket. There are occasional errors on traffic tickets and citations. These errors may note the wrong vehicle information or record the wrong location. Such errors can be used in court to invalidate traffic tickets. While doing this research, keep a note of questions to ask the ticketing officer and witnesses called by the prosecutor. This is especially important for defendants choosing to represent themselves.

It is crucial to prepare your witnesses while readying the questions to ask the state's witness. Make sure these individuals directly observe the violations described or can provide helpful information to counter events, times, and locations described by the ticketing officer and the state's witness.

When appearing in court, wear formal clothes. Visit the court's website to learn about specific court rules regarding appearance and addressing the judge and jury. You may attend the proceedings of another traffic court case to understand better how Texas traffic courts work. On the day of the hearing, arrive in court early and have all witnesses and evidence ready before the trial commences.