Understanding The Appearance Date On Tickets Issued In Texas

Criminal Lawyer, Traffic Ticket Lawyer, Car Accident Lawyer

An appearance date on a ticket issued in Texas is simply a directive to contact the court on or before a certain period of time to let them know how you wish to proceed.  It is not a formal court date.  The appearance can be made by mail or in person in most courts.  Phone calls to the court will normally not count as an appearance.

The least amount of time by law a court can give a person to contact them by is 10 days.  Most courts give more time than 10 days however.  You will need to read your ticket carefully to understand the amount of time you have to contact the court after being issued a citation.

What Needs To Be Done To Satisfy The Appearance Requirement?

In most cases, the court is going to want to know what your plea is and how you intend to resolve your case.  There are 3 pleas that can be entered in Texas for a ticket.  Those pleas are as follows:

1. Guilty
2. Not Guilty
3. No Contest

If you plead guilty or no contest, then the case could potentially impact your permanent record unless you are eligible for some type of deal to protect your record.  In most cases you want to avoid these pleas during the appearance date phase of your case.  It is better to enter a plea of “not guilty” during this phase.

If a plea of not guilty is entered, then the court is forced to give you a formal pre-trial hearing where you can go to court and discuss your case with a prosecutor for the State of Texas.  This allows you to discuss your case and potential options to protect your record with the prosecutor.

Missing Your Appearance Date

If an appearance date is missed and enough time passes, then a warrant can be issued for your arrest.  However, do not panic and simply pay the ticket off if your appearance date is missed.  This will most definitely cause a conviction on your permanent record for the offense you were charged with.  If your case has gone past due, it is best to consult a ticket lawyer in your area to remove the warrant first.