Last Updated on June 19, 2025 by Beltz Law Group
Lawyer For Warrants
Attorneys That Lift Warrants For Tickets in North Texas: Paying Off Old Tickets Without Harming Your Record
During Texas’s annual Warrant Roundup, one of the biggest mistakes we consistently see is individuals rushing to the courthouse with their income tax refunds to pay off all their outstanding warrants. This action, while seemingly a quick solution, has historically been a leading cause of driver’s license suspensions and other severe penalties in Texas. The problem stems from how Texas law treats these payments.
This article aims to help those with outstanding traffic tickets, especially during income tax season, understand the proper way to remove a warrant and protect their driving record. If you would like to talk with an experienced lawyer about lifting warrants in the Dallas, Texas area, feel free to contact our office at 214-321-4105.
Understanding Texas Law: Article 27.14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
The core of the issue lies in Article 27.14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. This crucial section grants courts the authority to treat payments for outstanding traffic tickets as a conviction.
The relevant sections of Article 27.14 state:
- (a) A plea of “guilty” or “nolo contendere” (no contest) in a misdemeanor case can be made in open court by the defendant or their counsel.
- (b) For misdemeanors punishable by fine only, a defendant can mail or deliver a plea of “guilty” or “nolo contendere” and a waiver of jury trial. If received before the court date, the case can be disposed of without a court appearance.
- (c) Crucially, in a misdemeanor case for which the maximum possible punishment is by fine only, payment of a fine or an amount accepted by the court constitutes a finding of guilty in open court as though a plea of nolo contendere had been entered by the defendant and constitutes a waiver of a jury trial in writing.
What this means: When you pay a traffic ticket, especially one that has gone into warrant, the court logs that payment as if you pled “guilty” or “no contest.” This then becomes a formal conviction for reporting purposes to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Help With Warrants In North Texas
The Long-Term Damage Caused by Convictions (Even Without Surcharges)
Once a conviction is reported to the DPS, it is exceptionally difficult, if not impossible, to remove. In fact, after a fine has been paid, your only legal remedy to challenge the conviction is often to file a “Motion for New Trial” within a very narrow 10-day window, and there’s no guarantee such a motion will be granted.
While the Texas Driver Responsibility Program (which included the surcharges and points system) was repealed effective September 1, 2019, the absence of these direct state-imposed penalties does NOT mean convictions are harmless. The damage from these convictions can still be substantial:
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Permanent Record Impact: Convictions become a permanent part of your driving record, accessible to insurance companies and potentially even employers.
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Increased Insurance Premiums: Insurance companies regularly check your driving history. Every conviction for a moving violation signals a higher risk, almost certainly leading to a substantial increase in your auto insurance rates for several years. This increased cost can easily far exceed the original ticket fine.
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Potential DPS License Suspensions: While the old “points system” is gone, the DPS still has the authority to suspend your driver’s license if you accumulate too many moving violation convictions within specific periods. For example, accumulating 4 or more moving violations in 12 months or 7 or more moving violations in 24 months can trigger a separate, state-initiated driver’s license suspension.
This is a common trap: a person receives a large sum of money (often their income tax refund) and pays off a group of old tickets all at once. Because these convictions are all reported to the DPS around the same time, it can appear as though that person is a “habitual violator,” triggering an automatic suspension action. If you receive a driver’s license suspension notice because you paid off your tickets this way, contact our traffic ticket lawyers in Dallas, Texas, today.
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Hire An Attorney To Lift Warrants In Dallas: The Safer Way
The smarter, more strategic way to “pay off” old traffic tickets that have gone into warrant is to retain an experienced attorney. Attorneys can remove the warrant without harming your permanent record by utilizing a legal document called an appearance bond.
Here’s how it works:
- Warrant Removal via Appearance Bond: Your attorney files an appearance bond with the court on your behalf. This document serves as a promise to the court that your attorney will appear in court to represent you. In exchange for this promise, the court removes the arrest warrant for your traffic ticket(s). This is a critical first step that eliminates the immediate threat of arrest without a conviction being recorded.
- OMNI Hold Clearance: If your outstanding tickets have also resulted in an OMNIBASE hold (preventing license renewal), your attorney will also ensure the necessary administrative OMNI fee is paid. This fee is $10 per offense for violations reported to OMNIBASE on or after January 1, 2020, and was $30 per offense for those reported prior to that date. This ensures the hold is removed and you can renew your license.
- Record Protection in Court: After the warrant is lifted and the case is back on the court’s docket, your attorney can then go to court on your behalf to try and negotiate a deal that protects your permanent record. This may involve seeking options like:
- Deferred Disposition: Where the case is dismissed after a probationary period, keeping it off your record.
- Defensive Driving: If eligible, completing a state-approved defensive driving course can lead to the ticket’s dismissal.
This “extra step” is necessary if you care about maintaining a valid driver’s license, keeping your insurance rates affordable, and avoiding the long-term consequences of convictions. Now that every court has electronic reporting capabilities directly to DPS, maintaining a clean record is paramount. Once you are in the DPS system with convictions, it can be very expensive and difficult to mitigate the effects.
We encourage you to hire a lawyer to lift warrants in the Dallas area to protect yourself from further financial harm that could be caused by traffic ticket convictions. If you would like to talk to a ticket attorney in Dallas, Texas, call 214-321-4105.
