Driver License Suspension Lawyer
This article is intended to help those that are trying to remove a hold on their driver license due to outstanding traffic tickets. It is crucial that you understand how to remove the hold properly to avoid further damage to a driving record. We will describe exactly how to remove the hold and the length of time it should take for the hold to be removed. If you have questions about removing a driver license hold for old tickets in Texas after reading this article, feel free to contact our office at 214-321-4105.
How The Hold Is Placed On A Driver License For Tickets
A hold can be placed on the renewal of a person’s driver license in Texas if they receive a traffic ticket and fail to resolve the citation. Once the citation goes “past due” the court can then report to the Texas Failure To Appear program which then places the hold on the renewal of the driver license. In order to determine if your traffic tickets have been reported to the Texas failure to appear program, you can click the link below and put in your driver license number and date of birth. Once the information is input on the web portal, the website will bring up all of your outstanding tickets that have been reported to the Texas failure to appear program.
Avoiding The Big Mistake When Removing Driver License Hold
Driver License Suspension Lawyer
Removing the hold properly is the most important part. If you fail to remove the hold properly, then all the violations can be reported as convictions on your record. This means that you could end up having a driver license suspension as soon as holds are removed due to the reported convictions being sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The biggest mistake we see people make when trying to remove a hold for old traffic tickets is listed below. Do not make this mistake. We highly suggest you contact a traffic ticket attorney in your area prior to trying to remove a driver license hold to make sure you do not damage your record in the process.
- MISTAKE #1 – PAYING OFF THE OLD TICKETS: Many courts will tell you that to remove the hold on your license, all you have to do is “pay off the old tickets.” Once the tickets are paid off, they will tell you that they will remove the hold on your license. However, the problem is that they do not tell you that every ticket you pay off will end up being a permanent conviction on your driving record. These convictions will then be reported to DPS. DPS can then administratively suspend a person’s license due to the convictions that were reported. So imagine that you pay off 4 or 5 old tickets to get your license back only to find out that now your license will be suspended.
You can see how this mistake ends up putting you in a worse position than when you started. Now, there is not simply a hold on your license, but the license is now actually suspended. Do not make this mistake.
How To Remove A Driver License Hold Properly
Driver License Suspension Hearing Lawyer
POSTING A BOND: First, in order to remove a hold properly an attorney will need to post an attorney bond. The bond restarts the case from the beginning as if it never went past due. The bond also allows the attorney to schedule a pretrial hearing date to discuss the case with a prosecutor. More importantly, the bond does not cause a conviction to be reported to DPS. The attorney will have the luxury of negotiating a deal that will protect your record and avoid the conviction altogether in most cases.
PAYING THE OMNI HOLD: Once the bond is posted, the court has to immediately accept the omni payment to remove the hold on your license. This means that you should be able to renew your license immediately as well. In most courts, this process takes less than a week to complete. However, we have seen multiple courts across North Texas violate the law and not allow a person to pay their OMNI fees to remove the hold as required by statute. We have suggested in these courts contacting the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and filing a complaint against the judge that does not allow the immediate removal of the driver license hold.
Keeping A Clean Record While Removing The Hold
Remember what the goal is when removing a driver license hold in Texas. The goal is to minimize the damage caused by the hold. To do this, you are going to have to exhibit some patience. You are also going to need the help of a legal professional. However, by taking these steps, you will no doubt get your driver license renewed and without suffering the consequence of a future driver license suspension or increased insurance rates that would have been a possibility by simply paying the tickets off at the court house. Again, if you have further questions about how to remove a driver license hold in Texas, feel free to call our traffic ticket attorneys at 214-321-4105.
