By5 Steps to Dispute Harris County Traffic Tickets — and Win
Harris County, TX, is one of the largest counties in the state. The county encompasses the cities and townships of Houston, Baytown, Bellaire, Deer Park, El Lago, Galena Park, Humble, Jacinto City, Jersey Village, Katy, Kingwood, La Porte, Morgan's Point, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Piney Point Village, Seabrook, Shoreacres, Taylor Lake Village, Tomball, and Webster.
If you get pulled over and receive a , it will be by either a sheriff, a police officer, or the Texas Highway Patrol. Your traffic case will be assigned to the Harris County Court in the area where you were pulled over. This will be marked on the traffic ticket itself along with your court date. It is important that you respond to your traffic ticket on or before the court date, and that you don't ignore the charges.
Traffic tickets can be annoying, and sometimes the wait for your court date can seem interminable. You do have options for responding to your traffic ticket. You can either pay the fines for the ticket as it is or you can plead not guilty, and potentially get your charges dismissed.
Ultimately, this choice is up to you. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about traffic tickets in Harris County, Texas so that you can make an informed choice.
If your choice is to contest your traffic ticket, the process can be long and arduous. To contest your traffic ticket , you can rely on DoNotPay.
Types of Traffic Tickets in Harris County, TX
There are a lot of reasons why you would get pulled over and issued . The most common ones are:
- Exceeding the speed limit
- Running a red light
- Failure to stop at a stop sign
- Illegal lane changes
- Following too closely
- Failure to stop for a pedestrian
- Failure to yield
- Failure to stop for a stopped school bus
- Driving without a seatbelt
- Driving with a suspended license
- Driving an uninsured vehicle
- Reckless driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
How to Pay Your Traffic Ticket in Harris County, TX
You have several options for paying your traffic ticket in Harris County, Texas. If you choose not to appear in court and just want to pay the acceptable fine, you can do so online, in person, or by mail. All payments must be received by the court before 11:00 pm on the court date assigned to your traffic ticket.
| Online Payments | To make your traffic ticket payment online, you will first need to access your case at the Harris County website. Once there, you will need to find your traffic ticket case. Follow the prompts to your specific case. Once there, you will have the option to provide payment using your credit or debit card. |
| In-Person or By Mail | To make a payment either in person or by mail, you will first need to print out the Harris County citation reply form.
If paying by mail, place the completed ticket reply form with a check or money order in the envelope and address it to the court location listed on your traffic ticket. If paying in person, take your completed ticket reply form to the courthouse listed on your traffic ticket. Once at the cashier, you can pay your fines with cash, check, money order, or credit/debit card. |
Before you go ahead in paying the fine, remember that you can challenge your Harris County traffic ticket even . DoNotPay can help!
What Happens if I Contest a Traffic Ticket in Harris County, Texas?
If you contest a traffic ticket in Harris County, TX, you will need to go to court. You can contest a traffic ticket in Harris County by appearing in court in person, or you can start the process by entering a not guilty plea through the mail.
To enter your plea by mail, fill out the Harris County citation reply form. At the bottom of that form, you have the option of pleading not guilty. Check either of the two not guilty boxes - one requests a jury trial and the other waives the right to a jury trial. If you choose to plead not guilty by mail, you will receive your new court date by mail.
To plead not guilty in person, appear at the court noted on your traffic ticket at the date and time specified there. You will speak to the district attorney before your case is called. Let them know your side of the story. The district attorney may offer you reduced charges at that time or you can proceed on to plead not guilty before a judge. The judge will ask you if you want a jury trial or just a trial in front of the judge. You will then be given a date and time for your trial.
Is It Worth the Hassle to Contest a Traffic Ticket in Harris County, TX?
In a word, yes. It is worth the hassle to contest your Harris County traffic ticket in most situations. In the eyes of the law, even though you received a traffic ticket, you are considered not guilty until you are proven guilty until they can prove that you were guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The state of Texas carries the burden of proof and they will need to investigate to do so.
By maintaining your innocence throughout the process, you have a very good chance of having the charges against you dismissed. You may also be given the option to attend a driving safety course and have your case dismissed once you have completed the course.
You might also want to consider the effects of opting to pay the fine and not contesting your Harris County traffic ticket. Here are some possible consequences:
- Increased premium for your insurance policy.
- Accumulated points on your record could lead to the suspension of your driving license
- Some jobs require a clean driving record and admission of an unjust citation could result in loss of some job opportunities.
- Paying unnecessary fines. If you did not actually commit any violation, paying the fine is an expense that could have been avoided.
DoNotPay can help you appeal your traffic ticket easily. You might not need to hire a lawyer and avoid further expenses.
What Happens if I Ignore My Harris County, Texas, Traffic Ticket?
If you ignore your traffic ticket you may get in even more trouble. If you choose to ignore your traffic ticket, the court may issue a warrant for your arrest and you can be arrested if you visit the courthouse in person. This can result in added charges and fines for failure to appear. In addition, the government might deny you the ability to renew your driver's license or register your car until the fines are paid and the issue is resolved.
The state of Texas takes these warrants very seriously, and will not hesitate to arrest you at your home, school, or place of business. Other penalties you might see could include an increase in your fines, more points against your driver's license, a conviction of record, and an increase in your insurance rates.
How to Contest Your Traffic Ticket in Less Than 120 Seconds
DoNotPay has been successfully fighting traffic tickets for years. In 2016, Newsweek published how DoNotPay was able to overturn $4 million worth of unjust tickets. Yours could be the next.
Here's how to get started:
- Log-in to DoNotPay and go to the Ticket Disputes category. Select the correct product based on your traffic ticket.
- Upload a photo of your citation.
- Provide us with some details on why you believe the citation issued is a mistake.
- Select whether or not you want the letter mailed to the traffic ticket issuer on your behalf!
- That’s it! You’ll receive an appeal letter that contains state vehicle codes to boost your case.
Harris County traffic court will respond by mail as to whether you have won your case after reviewing your appeal letter.
Aside from helping with , we can also assist you with the following inquiries:
- NYC Traffic Ticket
- LA Traffic Ticket
- Las Vegas Traffic Ticket
- California Traffic Ticket
What Else Can DoNotPay Do for You?
The world’s first-ever AI Consumer Champion is well-versed not only in contesting traffic tickets but in other relevant issues as well. Here are some of the things that DoNotPay can do for you:
- File a complaint against any company
- Appeal parking tickets
- File a case in small claims court
- Renew your car registration
- Negotiate car lease
- Dispute a seatbelt ticket
- File an insurance claim
- Trace unclaimed money
- Report much-needed city repairs
Learn how you can start solving problems with just a few clicks. today to find out what else they can do for you.