Last Updated on June 19, 2025 by Beltz Law Group
Help With Warrants In North Texas
Hire A Lawyer For Warrants in Dallas: Navigating the Texas Warrant Roundup
The “Great Texas Warrant Roundup” is an annual, coordinated enforcement effort by law enforcement agencies across the state. While widely publicized periods typically occur from late February through early April, it’s crucial to understand that active warrants for outstanding traffic tickets can lead to arrest at any time of the year. The primary goal of these roundups is to motivate individuals to resolve their old tickets. This article will help you understand how to avoid arrest during these periods and why hiring an experienced lawyer is your best defense.
If you have outstanding traffic ticket warrants and would like an experienced lawyer to help you lift them, feel free to contact our office at 214-321-4105.
The Reality of Warrant Enforcement in Texas
While there isn’t one single “start date” for the Great Texas Warrant Roundup across the entire state, many cities and counties begin their concentrated enforcement efforts in late February and continue through April.
Here’s a general timeline and what to expect:
- January: Courts begin compiling and updating their lists of outstanding warrants. Judges actively sign off on these warrants, making them legally enforceable.
- February (Mid-to-Late): Many cities start advertising their participation in the Warrant Roundup. This often includes an “amnesty period” where individuals are encouraged to resolve their warrants without fear of immediate arrest. This is a crucial window of opportunity to take proactive steps.
- March – April: Law enforcement agencies intensify their efforts to locate and arrest individuals with active warrants. This means officers may be making visits to homes, workplaces, or conducting increased traffic stops targeting those on the warrant list.
Why the Spring Months? Historically, the timing of the large-scale Warrant Roundups often coincides with when many Texans receive their income tax refunds. Cities aim to encourage people to use these funds to resolve their outstanding obligations before the money is spent elsewhere.
North Texas Ticket Defense Lawyer
The Perils of Self-Resolution: Why Paying Off Old Tickets Directly is Risky
It’s tempting to simply pay off an old ticket, especially when you have funds like a tax refund. However, doing so without legal guidance can have severe, long-term consequences, even though the state’s Driver Responsibility Program (including surcharges and the points system) was repealed in 2019.
When you simply pay a fine for a traffic ticket that has gone into warrant, the court treats this as a conviction. This conviction is then reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and becomes part of your permanent driving record. Once on your record, it is exceptionally difficult, if not impossible, to reverse.
The key negative impacts of a conviction include:
- Increased Insurance Premiums: Insurance companies access your driving record. Each conviction, even for minor moving violations, signals higher risk and will almost certainly lead to significantly higher auto insurance rates for years. The money you save by not hiring a lawyer can be quickly overshadowed by hundreds or thousands of dollars in increased insurance costs.
- Potential DPS License Suspensions: While the old “points” system is gone, the DPS still has the authority to suspend your license if you accumulate too many moving violation convictions within specific timeframes (e.g., 4 or more moving violations in 12 months, or 7 or more in 24 months). This means you could resolve your warrant by paying the fine, only to face a new, separate suspension from the state weeks or months later.
- Loss of Rights: By simply paying, you waive your right to contest the ticket, present a defense, or negotiate for an outcome that would protect your record (like deferred disposition or defensive driving).
The Smart Solution: Hire a Lawyer to Lift Your Warrants
Beltz Law Group
There is a safe and effective way to remove warrants for traffic tickets that protects your permanent driving record and financial well-being: hire an experienced traffic ticket lawyer.
Here’s how a lawyer can help:
- Avoid Arrest: Your attorney will typically file an Appearance Bond with the court(s) where your warrants are active. This bond immediately lifts the warrant, removing the threat of arrest and getting your case back on the court’s active docket. This allows you to address the issue without the stress of being pulled over and taken to jail.
- Clear OMNI Holds: If your outstanding tickets have resulted in an OMNIBASE hold on your driver’s license renewal, your attorney will ensure the required administrative OMNI fee (currently $10 per reported offense for violations reported on or after January 1, 2020; $30 for earlier violations) is paid. This allows the court to notify DPS to release the hold, enabling you to renew your license.
- Protect Your Driving Record: Once the warrant is lifted and any OMNI holds are cleared, your attorney will represent you in court. Their primary goal is to resolve the underlying traffic tickets without resulting in a conviction on your permanent record. This often involves negotiating for:
- Dismissal: Based on legal grounds or through agreements like deferred disposition (where the case is dismissed after a probationary period).
- Defensive Driving: If eligible, completing a defensive driving course can lead to the ticket’s dismissal.
This strategy is virtually the only way to effectively remove warrants while simultaneously safeguarding your driving record from harmful convictions. Trying to handle it yourself by simply paying can cause far more significant financial and legal harm in the long run.
Don’t wait until law enforcement is knocking on your door. If you have outstanding traffic ticket warrants, be proactive. Contact our Dallas traffic ticket lawyers today at 214-321-4105 to discuss your options and ensure your warrants are resolved the right way.
