Compliance Dismissals

You may be eligible to have your case dismissed due to compliance with the law in certain instances. These include, but are not limited to: 

Fail to Maintain Financial Responsibility (No Insurance)

If you have received a violation for fail to maintain financial responsibility, the citation can be dismissed only under these conditions:

  1. Proof of financial responsibility (vehicle liability insurance) must be submitted to the court. 
  2. The document provided must contain the name of the defendant or the year, make, and model of the vehicle the defendant was driving. 
  3. The document must also show the policy was valid at the date and time of the alleged offense.

All documents presented to the court as proof of financial responsibility shall be verified by a clerk through the insurance company or agent prior to dismissal, unless otherwise directed by the court.

If you obtained insurance after the violation occurred, you may present this information at your Court date and speak with the Judge. If you choose not to appear, the fine amount needs to be paid prior to the Court date.

Multiple violations of this law can result in suspension of your driver's license.

Expired Vehicle Registration

If you have received a violation for expired registration, the citation can be dismissed only under these conditions:

  1. You must renew the registration within 20 business days from the date of the violation.
  2. You MUST pay the late penalty fee to the State when you are registering your vehicle. (TC 502.407 and TRC 502.176) Should you send someone else to purchase your vehicle registration and they do not pay the late penalty fee the Court cannot dismiss the charge.
  3. Pay the administrative fee of $20 to the Court with a copy of the registration renewal form. (The administrative fee is in lieu of the full fine amount and will save you - on average $130.00)

Under no circumstances will any court personnel come out to your car and view the registration sticker as proof or renewal. A picture of your sticker on the window is not sufficient to obtain a dismissal of this type of violation.

Expired Driver’s License

If you have received a violation for expired driver's license, the citation will be considered for dismissal under the following conditions:

  1. You must show proof of a valid driver’s license (indicating renewal of the license and the dated renewed) within 20 business days from the date of the violation.  
  2. Pay the administrative fee of $20 to the Court with a copy of your valid license. 

Fail to Display Driver's License

If you have received a violation for failing to display your driver's license, the citation can be dismissed under the following conditions:

  1. You must show proof of a valid driver's license at the time of the offense.
  2. Pay the administrative fee of $10 to the Court with a copy of your valid license.

Fail to Report Change of Address (TC 521.054)

If you have received a violation for failing to update your driver's license upon moving to a new address, the citation will be considered for dismissal under the following conditions:

  1. You must update your address with the Department of Public Safety within 20 business days from the date of the violation.
  2. If you update the information via the internet, you MUST print the confirmation page, which lists the date of the correction with the current/previous address, and submit this to the Court.
  3. If you update the information in person, the Department of Public Safety will provide you with a temporary license, which reflects the address change. A copy of the temporary permit MUST be submitted to the Court office.
  4. The updated driver's license document and a $20.00 administrative fee is required prior to the information being submitted to the Judge for dismissal consideration.