What is a Capias Warrant?

The word “capias” means “that you take” in Latin, therefore a capias warrant is usually issued to compel someone to do take a specific action. Capias warrants are issued by civil courts, therefore they are apart from a criminal arrest warrant, however make no mistake—you can wind up in jail as a result of a Texas capias warrant. In some cases people who owe the court money based on a prior court judgment but neglected to pay could have a capias warrant issued for them, or someone who fails to appear for a civil hearing could end up with their name on a capias warrant. The ultimate goal of a capias warrant is to force someone to comply with a court order. Certain jurisdictions also use capias warrants in the case of persons who failed to pay their traffic citation or appear in court as promised, however this is generally after a plea has been entered while an alias warrant is used prior to a plea being entered.

How to Avoid a Capias Warrant
In order to avoid a capias warrant you must always comply with court orders, pay your fines promptly or appear in court as promised. There is a problem with simply paying your traffic fines, however. Once you pay your traffic fines, you receive a conviction on your driving record. Each conviction brings points along with it—generally two points for any moving violation such as speeding, driving with an expired registration or inspection sticker or running a stop light or stop sign. You will be given three points for any moving violation which resulted in an accident.

Should you accrue six points on your driving record within a three-year period, you will be subject to surcharges assessed by the State of Texas which can climb into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars and require you to pay the yearly fee for three years or more. The points on your driving record can result in escalating insurance rates or even a cancellation of your auto insurance altogether. You could also see employment repercussions as a result of the convictions and points on your record, so even though you want to avoid a warrant, pleading guilty or paying your tickets is not always the best way to accomplish that.

Avoiding an Arrest in Texas by Posting a Bond

Suppose you are unpleasantly surprised to find there is a City of Houston warrant for your arrest as a result of an unpaid traffic ticket or a failure to appear in court as promised. Of course your primary goal is to avoid an embarrassing arrest which could take place wherever the police happen to find you. Whether you are at work in front of your co-workers and boss, at home having dinner with your family or even on your way to pick up your children from school, the police could arrest you—handcuffs, a ride in the police car, the whole humiliating experience. While you can be arrested for an outstanding warrant at any time, most Houston traffic warrant arrests occur during a traffic stop. While this may be marginally less embarrassing, it can cause you all sorts of inconveniences and expense.

When to Post a Bond?
If you’ve forgotten to pay a ticket or appear in court and you have determined there is a warrant for your arrest, your first line of defense should be to post a bond to immediately remove the threat of arrest. Our legal system provides a pretty great way to get out from under warrants and the risk of arrest without first paying the fines and suffering through the consequences which result. This is easily accomplished in the form posting a bond. You can post your bond in person, have a bondsman post the bond for you or have your chosen attorney post the bond on your behalf. Having your Houston attorney post your bond can be the least risky method since you could theoretically be arrested as you wait in line at the courthouse to post your own bond. While not likely, it is possible, and it’s a good idea to avoid that possibility by letting your attorney post the bond for you.

What Posting a Bond Accomplishes?
Once you post a bond you are no longer subject to the City of Houston warrant and potential arrest, as the bond immediately suspends the warrant. Even better, posting a bond does not convict you of the underlying traffic tickets as paying the ticket does. When you pay a traffic ticket in Texas you have effectively pled guilty to whatever offense you were charged with. This means a conviction will go onto your driving record, and since each conviction adds points to your record, you could find yourself dealing with the aftermath of paying those tickets for years to come.

How Can a Conviction on Your Driving Record or a Criminal Record Of Arrest Affect You?

While many of us tend to be fairly laid-back regarding traffic violation offenses, the truth is these relatively minor infractions of the law can cause you significant levels of grief down the road. This is the way your traffic ticket generally evolves over time: You see the flashing lights in your rearview mirror and are filled with dismay to realize you are being pulled over by a city of Houston police officer. Perhaps you were exceeding the posted speed limit, slid through a stop sign, forgot to renew your inspection or registration sticker, or you committed any number of other relatively minor traffic infractions. You signed the ticket and returned home, fully intending to either pay the fine or appear before a City of Houston judge to plead your case. Then—as so often happens in our busy lives—you forgot to pay your fine or appear in court and next thing you know there is a city of Houston warrant for your arrest. Suddenly that relatively harmless traffic ticket has turned into a very serious issue.

Should You Pay Your Tickets and Fines?
Of course your first instinct is to simply rush down to the court and pay your fines or mail in a check and hope for the best. While either of these solutions will probably take care of the City of Houston arrest warrant with your name on it, they will also leave you with repercussions which could follow you for years and years to come. First of all, once you pay your Houston traffic ticket you have effectively pled guilty to the original offense, and you now have a conviction on your permanent driving record. The problem with those convictions on your driving record lies primarily in the points which go along with each conviction.

In the state of Texas, a moving violation such as running a stop light, neglecting to have a current sticker, speeding or any number of other traffic offenses will garner you two points on your Texas driving record. A moving violation which caused injuries to another will place three points on your driving record. Once these points add up to more than six, you could have some significant problems to deal with. First of all, you could end up having your driver’s license suspended due to the number of points on your driving record which can be a real problem when you depend on your vehicle to get you to work, school or any number of other places you regularly go.

How to Beat a Traffic Ticket in Court

In most cases it is more advantageous for you to go to court and challenge your traffic ticket than to simply write out a check and pay your fines. While paying the fines for your traffic tickets may seem like the path of least resistance, that one action can have many unexpected repercussions down the line. There are a few tips that you can remember should you ever need to beat a traffic ticket in Houston and they begin with your attitude toward the police officer when you are stopped.

Don’t Admit Guilt—and Remain Polite
While it may make you feel better to express your indignation or anger, it will rarely help you out. Be polite and cooperative and you just might get a ticket for a less costly offense, or even just a warning. If you insist on being nasty, the officer may make note of it, and the prosecutor will be less likely to consider a deal when you appear in court. Avoid any admission of guilt and stifle the impulse to make excuses or create unbelievable stories about why you were speeding or committing any other traffic offense.

Dealing With the Police Officer
One thing you may want to do is politely ask the police officer how you can pay your ticket through the mail—even if you have no intention of doing so. This gives the officer the idea that you are unlikely to go to court to plead your innocence and he or she may take fewer notes. Then when you challenge the ticket the officer is at a disadvantage due to the sparse nature of his notes and recollection.

You could also go the alternate route and ask the police officer an entire litany of questions—politely, of course. You could ask where the officer was positioned and what type of radar detection device he or she used. Ask for as many details as possible, down to the serial number of the device, and make a note of the officer’s license plate and badge number. While this won’t make you particularly popular with the officer, it may give you an edge when you get to court, and in some instances the officer may not even show up, meaning your ticket will be dismissed.

How to Find Out if You Have an Arrest Warrant

Suppose you received a traffic ticket some time back and fully intended to pay it or go to court and plead your innocence. Then you got busy, time passed, and suddenly you wake up one morning with a sick feeling as you realize there could be a City of Houston warrant with your name on it. At this point you may be anxious and stressed, unable to stop thinking about the Houston police showing up at your place of work snapping handcuffs on you and leading you out past your co-workers and even your boss. At a bare minimum, an arrest warrant in Houston can be a very unpleasant surprise with far-reaching repercussions. This is one instance where it’s much better to find out where you stand and deal with it before it becomes a bigger problem. So—how do you discreetly find out whether there is a City of Houston warrant for your arrest, then deal with it in the most expeditious manner possible?

Determining Whether a Warrant Exists
You can, of course, simply go down to the courthouse, stand in line then ask straight out if there is a warrant with your name on it. While this might seem to be the most straightforward way of approaching the issue, this solution is not recommended. Theoretically, you could be arrested as you are taking out your checkbook to pay your fines. While not likely, it is a possibility. You could be allowed to pay your fines, effectively removing the threat of arrest. Unfortunately, by paying your fines you will now have a conviction on your driving record which brings further consequences.

You could ask any police officer to perform a warrant search but you will be subject to the same potential factors as you are when you go to the courthouse. You could go online and check one of the several online public records databases, which is much easier and eliminates the threat of arrest. Of course you could also choose to simply do nothing and hope for the best, but this choice leaves you constantly stressed about the possibility of an arrest. Remember—the police don’t care where they arrest you or how much embarrassment it causes you. It is much better to actually know where you stand rather than constantly worrying about it.

How Failing to Appear Can Turn You into a Fugitive

Most of us would never imagine the word fugitive could apply to us simply because we forgot about a traffic ticket. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A missed court date, even if it is for a minor traffic infraction, can land you in plenty of trouble. Should you neglect to appear for your court date, a Houston arrest warrant will be issued for you, meaning the police have the right to arrest you at any time or any place. While it’s true that the police generally don’t have the time or resources to run around a huge city banging on doors in an attempt to arrest every person who has neglected a traffic ticket, they do have that option.

In fact, for a failure to appear on a relatively minor matter, the police may not even bother to go to your home—but don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Suppose you are driving to work, or taking your child to school, and a police officer pulls you over because of a cracked taillight or some other minor infraction. Once he runs your license the Harris County arrest warrant will become evident and he will likely take you into custody. If there is no one with you your vehicle may be towed and impounded, or if you have children with you the situation can get even uglier. If you are unable to find someone to come and pick up your children they could possibly be taken by Children’s Protective Services until the matter is resolved.

Facing the Additional Charges
A Failure to Appear charge is considered a separate criminal offense from the original traffic offense which required your presence in court. If a City of Houston arrest warrant was issued for your failure to appear and you are aware of the warrant, hire an attorney immediately before you have made further mistakes. The attorney can post a Harris County traffic bond on your behalf, although you can also do this directly or go through a bail bondsman. If you take care of the warrant immediately, then you avoid being arrested while you are having dinner with your family or sitting at your desk at work. Once your Harris County bond has been posted, a new court date will be set—a court date that you absolutely must not miss. Some judges will be lenient on a first Failure to Appear, but they will not look so kindly on you when it happens a second time.

I’ve Been Arrested on a Traffic Warrant—What Should I Do?

Although many of us are under the impression that neglecting to show up for a simple traffic ticket hearing is really no big deal, should you find yourself being taken into custody under a City of Houston arrest warrant you may be shocked to realize how serious it really is. Perhaps you were busy and simply forgot about your court appearance, or maybe you really thought it was not crucial that you appear. If you suddenly find yourself being arrested—in a critical situation with no prior warning—you are likely stunned and scared, wondering what to do next. Many times these Houston arrest warrants are carried out at your home or place of work, causing embarrassment and humiliation. In some cases you may be stopped for something simple like a broken tail light and find yourself being loaded into a police car once the officer runs your license and sees the outstanding warrant. However it occurred, it would be very wise to contact an experienced attorney who can assist you with your legal crisis.

After the Arrest
As if it weren’t bad enough being arrested, possibly in front of family members or co-workers, you still have hurdles to get past. You will be obligated to post a Harris county bond or bail bond in order to ensure you don’t linger in a jail cell. As soon as the bond is posted it will be necessary for you to appear in front of a judge and offer a reasonable explanation as to why you missed your first court date. Although you have every reason to be upset, it is never wise to put forth an angry attitude toward the judge, rather you should be respectful and polite. Don’t forget that it is within the judge’s power to let you go with a dent in your checkbook and a slap on the wrist or to send you to jail. Since jail is not where you want to be, it can be extremely important to speak with a Houston attorney who can explain your current options to you and help you decide what you need to do.

Little Understood Fact—Traffic Tickets are Criminal Cases

The United States is truly a nation that loves to drive, and Houston and the surrounding areas are certainly no exception. In fact, by most estimations as many as 89 percent of the adults in America own a car, using it to commute to work, run errands, go on vacation and taxi their children from place to place. Unfortunately, with all this driving comes the inevitable traffic ticket. If you misplace that ticket or simply forget to pay it on time you could find yourself hit with a Harris County arrest warrant wondering what on earth to do next. In determining whether you should post a bond in Houston or not, it is probably wise to consult an experienced attorney at this point.

Traffic Tickets a Billion Dollar Industry
Let’s face it—anybody with a driver’s license has made the occasional driving mistake resulting in literally millions of traffic tickets being issued each year in the United States.  Many people commit traffic violations without even realizing it—unfortunately the law does not accept ignorance of a traffic law as a valid excuse. Traffic tickets are intended to be a deterrent to driver mistakes due to the cost-if you’ve received a traffic ticket lately you were likely stunned by the amount owed since traffic tickets have evolved into a billion dollar industry.

Infractions vs. Violations
Whether you inadvertently or willfully committed the traffic violation remember that traffic tickets are considered criminal cases although there are varying levels of seriousness. Non-moving violations or moving violations which are considered non-dangerous fall in the category of infraction meaning the person committing such a violation cannot be jailed, receive an unreasonably large fine, have a jury trial or be entitled to a court-appointed attorney. Speeding tickets can garner a relatively large fine, depending on how many miles per hour beyond the posted speed limit you were driving.

In some cases speeding can be considered a form of reckless driving meaning it turns into a more serious moving violation. Other serious moving violations include running a stop light or stop sign which could potentially result in the injury of another person. Misdemeanor and felony traffic violations also include DUI, reckless driving, driving without insurance and failing to stop at an accident scene. If you’ve been charged with a more serious traffic infraction, you are entitled to all the normal rights afforded to criminal defendants.

Posting a Bond in Order to Lift an Outstanding Warrant

Law enforcement and judicial officials issue daily warrants all across the nation for those who have failed to appear as required, and the city of Houston issues these warrants as well. The vast majority of Houston arrest warrants stem from failure to appear on a ticket issued for a traffic offense or possibly another minor Class C misdemeanors as many people believe these types of tickets to be relatively non-serious, putting them away and forgetting to pay the fine. Bear in mind that a Failure to Appear criminal charge is not the same as a Houston arrest warrant. A warrant is a mandate for your arrest—no matter where the police find you— while receiving a Failure to Appear adds an additional criminal charge to your problems.

A Solution to an Arrest Warrant
If you have been hit with a Harris County arrest warrant, don’t panic. Our legal system provides a method of avoiding an arrest without paying the fines and dealing with the hidden penalties not to mention the potential embarrassment of being arrested at your home or at work. This remedy is known as a bond; by posting a Houston traffic bond the warrant for your arrest is effectively suspended. This allows you to receive a new court date and the opportunity to fight your old traffic tickets.

Consequences of Simply Paying an Outstanding Houston Traffic Ticket
Remember that any time you write a check for a ticket you are effectively pleading guilty to the offense and are then considered convicted. Posting a bond in Houston allows you time to consult a knowledgeable attorney to discuss your options as well as the consequences you may suffer should you simply pay the ticket. By paying your ticket you become subject to a litany of repercussions including skyrocketing insurance rates and a strike on your driving record. In other words when you pay your moving violation ticket you for each moving violation you pay you will accept two points on your driving record; paying your accident violation ticket will add three points.

The True Cost of Failing to Appear

If you believe that failing to appear on a traffic ticket may be a relatively harmless matter, you could be very unpleasantly surprised to find yourself under the cloud of a Houston arrest warrant. Of course it is much better for you if you actually know about the arrest warrant than if you are totally unaware of it. Although Houston police officers generally have much more serious issues to contend with than tracking down those who have neglected to pay a traffic ticket, they do have the option to find you wherever you may be (home, school, work) and arrest you immediately. Further, during Houston’s annual warrant roundup the police are actively looking for those who have neglected to pay their fines or show up in court as promised. To have police officers come into a person’s place of work and take them away in handcuffs would be a devastating experience for most all people.

When You’ve Been Charged with Failure to Appear
Suppose you received a ticket for a minor traffic infraction, put it into a drawer intending to pay the ticket or appear in court and contest it, then simply forgot about it. In our ever-increasingly busy lives, this is actually a fairly common scenario. Next thing you know there has been a Failure to Appear charge levied against you and a City of Houston arrest warrant issued. Although it is certainly reasonable that you would panic at this point and send in the money immediately, living in fear until the check cleared, you should be aware of the consequences of doing so. Remember that a Failure to Appear charge is a totally separate and new charge against you in addition to the original traffic charges.

Should you send in your money for the past due ticket, you must be aware that you have effectively pled “guilty” to the offense, and now have a conviction on your record—even though traffic issues seem minor, they are generally considered criminal cases. That conviction adds points to your driving record, increases your insurance rates, and can even be responsible for jeopardizing your current job or preventing you from obtaining a future job. Should you receive too many points on your driving record you could even face having your driver’s license suspended—a serious occurrence for most Americans.

What it Really Costs to Miss a Court Date

So, you received a traffic ticket, possibly for exceeding the speed limit or not stopping completely at a stop sign. It seems a relatively minor issue, so you stick the ticket in a drawer or your purse intending to take care of it as soon as you get a moment. Your court date comes and goes, and soon you have entirely forgotten about the traffic violation. What you are probably unaware of is you have now committed a separate criminal offense in Texas known as Failure to Appear which resulted in a warrant for your arrest.

Because the original incident did not seem all that serious, you are shocked and scared to find yourself being arrested on a Houston arrest warrant. Most people are unaware that a simple traffic ticket can lead to an arrest, possibly in front of their family or even worse, at work in front of their boss and co-workers. The first cost of missing your court date has just been realized and it is an emotional one. You are likely embarrassed and humiliated that others saw you arrested, and you are anxious, not knowing what you must do to get extract yourself from your present situation in the best manner possible.

Posting a Harris County Traffic Bond
Once you have been arrested, you are now liable for the original fines for your traffic offense as well as the fines for your Failure to Appear charge which can go as high as $500 plus any associated court costs. Should you be lucky enough to have escaped arrest at this point but are aware there is a Harris County arrest warrant out for you, it is imperative to retain an attorney immediately in order to avoid being arrested and having further charges levied against you.  In either case, you will be required to post a Houston traffic bond which you can do yourself, or you could choose to go through a local bonding company or your attorney.  At this point you are probably well aware that the fees and fines are stacking up at an alarming rate. Once you’ve posted your City of Houston bond you will be required to go before a judge at which time a new court date will be set. It would be extremely unwise to miss this court date as that would add trouble upon trouble.

What to Do When Your Bond Has Been Revoked

Suppose you neglected to either mail in the fine or appear in court after receiving a traffic citation. Soon you’ve forgotten about the entire thing as your busy life takes over only to find yourself rudely jolted back to earth when you learn there is a Houston County arrest warrant issued for you. At this point you can decide to head down to the Courthouse, hoping you get a kind judge who will believe your story as to why you missed your court date. If you are very lucky, the judge will simply re-set your court date. Notice I said if you are very lucky, so please do not assume this is the norm. More likely the judge will require you to post a bond to ensure you show up for your next court date. A Harris County traffic bond is also applicable if you did not realize there was an arrest warrant and were actually arrested or if you knew about the warrant and had either a bail bondsman or your attorney post a bond on your behalf.

When Your Bond is Revoked
Posting a Harris County traffic bond allows you to continue with your normal life, work and family until it is time for your next court appearance. The bond is presumed to be incentive for you to remember to show up for court since you lose your bond money if you don’t appear. Should you miss that second court date, not only will you likely be in serious legal trouble, you may also have your Harris County traffic bond revoked. If you didn’t hire an attorney the first time you missed your court date, it is absolutely time to do so now. The judge in your case is not going to take a second skipped court date lightly, and handling the situation on your own is not advisable.

If you choose not to seek legal help then in addition to bearing the cost of having your bond revoked, yet another Houston County arrest warrant will be issued, and this time the police may actively seek you out in order to execute the warrant. Bear in mind that the police officers who are sent out to find you and arrest you could care less where that arrest takes place. You could be arrested while out with your family, while at work, while taking your children to school or even at a school function. The officers will arrest you where they can find you regardless of the embarrassment it may cause you. In the end you could be facing your original traffic charges, two Failure to Appear charges and a revoked bond meaning you will be stuck in jail.

Why You Should Never Ignore a Traffic Citation

Don’t let your busy life get in the way of taking care of a traffic citation or you could find yourself facing steep fines, additional charges and could even be arrested if you missed your original court date. Even if you feel the traffic ticket you received was not justified, ignoring the problem will not make it go away. There is a set court date which requires your presence, and missing that court date is seen as a serious offense by most judges.

If you become aware that you have missed your court date, contacting an experienced attorney immediately is your best course of action to prevent further negative consequences. Those consequences could include a Houston county arrest warrant being issued as well as significantly increased fines and a blot on your driving record. It is rarely a good idea to go into court without a criminal attorney by your side once a warrant has been issued. Although you may get lucky and land in front of a kind judge who will kindly help you solve your ticket problems, it is just as likely that you could be told to go home and come back with an attorney or, in rarer cases, be taken to jail.

Seek Legal Advice Before the Situation Worsens
If you have been charged with failure to appear and a Harris County arrest warrant issued for you, a Houston attorney may be able to have that warrant vacated, meaning you will be back to square one. You will be responsible for appearing in court and paying your original ticket fines but the good part is you will not be arrested and the warrant will be dismissed. Resolving the issue is always a better option than being arrested, possibly at your home or even at work in front of your co-workers and boss. If the attorney is unable to have your warrant vacated, then you must post a bond in Houston which is meant to ensure your appearance at your next court date.

Why You Shouldn’t Pay Old Tickets Simply to Avoid a Warrant—and What You Should Do Instead

If you’ve neglected to pay one or more Houston traffic citations, you may find yourself in the position of having a Harris county arrest warrant in your name. Whether you simply forgot about the ticket or deliberately neglected to take care of it because you didn’t feel you deserved the citation, the reality is that old tickets don’t simply go away because you forget about them. Eventually you will get caught, whether it is through a routine traffic stop, or during Houston’s annual warrant roundup.

While your first instinct may be to pay the tickets immediately to avoid the possibility of being arrested in your home or at work—or anywhere for that matter—there may be a better way to handle the situation.  If you are aware that a Houston arrest warrant has been issued for you, the smart thing to do is get it fixed while you still have at least a bit of leverage as well as more than one option to make the problem go away.

Options Other Than Paying Your Old Tickets
No matter which direction you choose to go regarding your past due traffic tickets and warrant for failure to appear, it is highly advised that you consult an experienced attorney in the area before you make your final decision. There may be many factors you are unaware of or had not considered that your attorney will be cognizant of, giving you a much better chance of a positive outcome.

1.  If you are aware there is a Houston arrest warrant with your name on it, hire an attorney immediately and discuss whether there is a possibility of the attorney having the warrant quashed, which means it is effectively cancelled and you no longer have to worry about being arrested. If this option is a possibility it can save you not only the humiliation of an arrest but the expense of additional fines as well as the possibility of a blot on your record. If your attorney is able to have the warrant quashed, then the court will set a new court date which you absolutely must show up for.

Could Houston’s Annual Warrant Roundup Affect You?

Every year the state of Texas holds a two-month long great warrant roundup and if you happen to be “asked” to participate in the roundup it is not nearly as much fun as it might sound. Those individuals who have neglected to pay a traffic ticket or other Class C misdemeanor ticket may find themselves actively pursued under a City of Houston arrest warrant. Just last March Houston began their annual warrant roundup clearing nearly 30,000 warrants, netting two and a half million dollars in outstanding fines and making over four thousand arrests.  These roundups are a significant source of revenue for Texas counties, however if your name is on the warrant list should you simply pay up? While the threat of being arrested at your home or place of work is frightening enough to cause you to immediately write out a check, in many cases it is much more advantageous to consult an experienced traffic attorney who can offer you some options.

Posting a Bond vs. Paying Your Tickets
If you know that you have an outstanding Houston arrest warrant you are probably in a better position than those who are unaware of the fact. Knowledge of the arrest warrant gives you time to avoid a potentially embarrassing situation such as being arrested in front of your boss and co-workers. Before the roundup officially kicks into gear, you have the option of posting a Harris county traffic bond which can give you some time to decide how you want to handle the situation. A Sugarland bond or Jersey Village bond can also be posted should you reside in those areas. Posting a bond is not difficult and can allow you and your attorney to decide whether you will ultimately pay your tickets and suffer the consequences or fight for a better end result such as deferred adjudication or a mandated defensive driving course. Simply paying your ticket can result in a variety of repercussions, none of them particularly good. You will accrue points on your driver’s license, be subject to higher insurance rates and in some cases your employment may even be affected.

City of Houston Municipal court Fine and Bond schedule

As of January 2010
 
Note: Fine amounts and costs are subject to change.
For fine amounts not listed, call 311 or (713) 837-0311
Telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) call 311 or (713) 247-8591
Also visit the city of Houston municipal court website at
WWW.HOUSTONCOURTS.ORG

SPEEDING VIOLATIONS

MPH Over Limit	Speeding in POSTED ZONE		Speeding in SCHOOL ZONE		Speeding in CONSTRUCTION ZONE (workers present)
1-5MPH		$170	$220		$235
6-9 MPH		$180	$235		$260
10-14 MPH		$200	$250		$295
15-19 MPH		$245	$270		$380
20-29 MPH		$265	$295		$430
30 MPH & Over		$300	$325		$500

MOVING VIOLATIONS (NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED)

VIOLATION	TOTAL WINDOW FINE
Running a Red Light or a Stop Sign	$230
Failure to Obey Must Turn Signal	$180
Change Lanes Not In Safety	$180
Driving at Night without Lights	$180
HOV Lane Violations	$170
No Registration/Receipt for Commercial Truck/Trailer	$155
Failure to Change Address on Driver’s License	$105
Defective Equipment Violations (non-commercial vehicle) (non-functioning/missing lights, brakes, mufflers, mirrors, etc.)	$130

Driver Responsibility Law

Points system The Driver Responsibility law (TRC § 708; Article 10, House Bill 3588, 78th Legislative Session) establishes a system which assigns points to moving violations classified as Class C misdemeanors and applies surcharges to offenders, based upon the type of offense and the time period in which the citation was received. For each conviction, DPS will assign points to a person’s driver record as follows:

1. Two points for a moving violation conviction in Texas or that of another state. Moving violations are defined by 37 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §15.89, which includes a list of those violations that will be assigned points.

2. Points will not be assigned for speeding less than 10% over the posted limit or for seat belt convictions

3. Child Safety Seat Violations will accrue two points.

4. Three points for a moving violation conviction in Texas that resulted in a vehicle crash.

Points accrued remain on the driver record for a period of three years from conviction date. An offense committed prior to September 1, 2003 will not apply to the assessment of points under the program.

Points Surcharge
DPS will assess a surcharge when the driver accumulates a total of six points or more on their record during a three-year period. The surcharge assessment will be reviewed annually. If driver record continues to reflect six or more points during the prior three-year period, the surcharge will be assessed. Therefore, drivers may be required to pay for one or more years if six or more points continue to accumulate on the driver record. The driver is required to pay a $100 surcharge for the first six points and $25 for each additional point. Point surcharges are cumulative and may vary with each annual assessment if convictions are added or removed from the driver record.