Fines & Court Costs

Court CostsCourt Costs will be charged if you are found guilty and assessed a fine, regardless of the amount. Court costs in the municipal court are set by the State, not by the court. Court costs must also be charged even if the fine is suspended and final disposition of your case is dismissed under the Deferred Disposition procedure. If an arrest warrant is issued, a warrant fee of $50 will be added to the fine and court costs.
FinesThe amount of fine assessed by the court is affected only by the facts and circumstances of the case. Mitigating circumstances may lower the fine, even if you are guilty. On the other hand, aggravating circumstances may increase the fine. In no case may the fine exceed $200 for most traffic violations; $500 for certain penal code violations, and $200 to $2,000 for certain city ordinance violations. Please see Payment Options for an explanation on how to pay your citation, or Fine Amounts for a list of common violations that include the fine and the court costs.
Maximum FinesThe amount of the fine assessed by the court is determined by the facts and circumstances of the case. Mitigating circumstances may lower the fine and aggravating circumstances may increase the fine.  Failure to Appear for your scheduled court appearance may result in your fine being maxed out to the full amount allowed by law.
Additional FeesCourts are required by the laws of the State of Texas to collect court costs and fees. Because costs vary for different offenses, check with the court for the amount of costs that will be assessed for the violation, with which you are charged. If you go to trial, you may have to pay the costs of overtime paid to a peace officer spent testifying at trial. If you request a jury trial and are convicted, a $3 jury fee is assessed. If a warrant was served or processed, a $50 warrant fee is also assessed. If you do not pay the whole fine and additional costs within 30 days of the court’s judgment, you must pay an additional $15 late payment fee.

Court costs are only assessed if you are found guilty at a trial, if you plead guilty or nolo contendere, or if you are granted deferred disposition or a driving safety course. If you are found not guilty or the case is dismissed, court costs are not assessed.
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