Payment of Ticket: Payment of traffic citations or other Class C misdemeanor charges are made to the individual Justice of the Peace Office. Follow the instructions provided by the Justice of the Peace or on the citation.

Requesting deferred disposition by defensive driving course: In most cases, a person is eligible to clear a "moving violation" traffic ticket with a defensive driving course under the following conditions:

    A plea of guilty or no contest is entered in person or in writing before the answer date and a request is made to take the course. A $10 administrative fee is usually required.

    The person must have a valid Texas driver's license.

    For speeding offenses, the person must not have exceeded 25 miles over the limit--     The person must not have taken the course to clear a ticket within the past twelve months.

Note that other criteria also applies. Please check with your Justice of the Peace Precinct 1  Precinct 2  Precinct 3  Precinct 4  for full conditions.

Contested cases: When a person enters a plea of "not guilty", the Justice of the Peace will refer the case to the County Attorney for trial. The County Attorney will review the merits of the case, talk with law enforcement, notify the defendant of the State's final plea bargain offer, and prepare for trial.

Trial: If the case is not resolved, the case will be set for trial. In most cases, the trial is held in front of the Justice of the Peace. The defendant may also request a trial by a jury of six persons. The law enforcement officer alleging the violation will testify at the trial. The defendant may appear alone or by attorney and should be prepared to present his defense to the court.

Truancy: When a child fails to attend school, the Justice of the Peace summons both child and parent to court and may issue sanctions against each party. For habitual cases, the County Attorney will seek enforcement of school attendance requirements through prosecution of both child and parents in the Juvenile and Justice Courts.