Last Updated on June 18, 2025 by Beltz Law Group
Beltz Law Group
Resolving Warrants in Garland Municipal Court: The Smart Way to Protect Your Future
Facing an outstanding arrest warrant in Garland Municipal Court can be a daunting experience. The threat of immediate arrest, coupled with mounting fines, often leads people to believe that simply “paying off” the warrant is the quickest solution. However, this common approach can lead to severe and lasting negative consequences for your driving record and financial well-being.
This article will outline why it’s crucial to consider hiring an experienced attorney for warrants in Garland Municipal Court and how The Beltz Law Group protects you and your record from harm. If you’d like to discuss warrants in Garland, Texas, with an experienced traffic ticket attorney, feel free to contact us today at 214-321-4105.
Who Really Benefits From “Paying Off” Warrants in Garland Municipal Court?
When you simply pay a fine for an old ticket that has gone to warrant, there are only two primary entities that truly benefit: Garland Municipal Court and, historically, the Department of Public Safety (DPS).
This is largely due to Article 27.14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows courts to treat payments on old tickets as convictions on your permanent record. This law was structured to streamline the processing of cases for courts. If a court can record a conviction based on a payment, they don’t need to monitor the case further. They simply process the payment, mark the ticket as a conviction, and the warrant is cleared.
The “Pain” Begins After Payment:
While the immediate relief of having the warrant lifted might feel good, the long-term pain often just begins for the person who made the payment. For years, the State of Texas, under the now-repealed Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) laws, was authorized to assess significant surcharge penalties and require high-rate SR-22 insurance based on these convictions.
Important Update: Surcharges No Longer Apply in Texas
It’s crucial to note that effective September 1, 2019, the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) and its associated state surcharges and “points” system were repealed in Texas. This means that you will no longer incur additional annual state surcharges (like the $750/year for three years for a “no insurance” conviction) or accumulate “points” that lead to these surcharges.
However, the abolition of the surcharge program DOES NOT mean that traffic ticket convictions are consequence-free. The impact on your driving record and insurance rates remains a significant concern.
Garland Ticket Defense Attorney
The True “Hidden Costs” of Convictions (Even Without Surcharges)
Even without the surcharge program, paying off an old warrant in Garland without an attorney can still be far more expensive than the actual fine paid to the court. The “pain” now primarily comes from:
- Skyrocketing Insurance Premiums: Every conviction reported to the DPS can be seen by your insurance company. They will almost certainly raise your rates, costing you hundreds or even thousands of dollars over several years. This is a direct, ongoing financial penalty that far outweighs the initial court fine.
- Driver’s License Suspension Risk: Accumulating multiple convictions, even without the old points system, can still lead to the Texas DPS suspending your driver’s license. Certain offenses, like multiple driving without insurance convictions or specific serious traffic offenses, can independently trigger suspensions.
- Permanent Record Impact: The conviction remains on your permanent driving record, accessible to future employers and potentially impacting job opportunities, especially for positions requiring driving or a clean background.
- Future Legal Implications: A conviction can be used by prosecutors against you in any future legal matters, potentially impacting bond decisions or sentencing in new cases.
Garland Warrants Lifted
Hiring an Attorney to Lift Warrants in Garland: A Long-Term Investment
When you hire an attorney in Garland to lift your warrants, the primary goal is to avoid the significant negative consequences that would otherwise follow a conviction. The amount of money an experienced attorney charges to lift a warrant and properly resolve the underlying case is almost always substantially less than the future costs incurred from insurance increases or potential license suspensions caused by a conviction.
Lawyers who lift warrants in Garland look at the big picture for their clients. They understand the “angles” and the potential long-term impacts that an unrepresented individual might not foresee. It is an experienced lawyer’s job to make sure that all these consequences – both immediate court fines and subsequent civil penalties (like insurance increases) – are considered and balanced, so clients have a full understanding of the gravity of a warrant and conviction in Garland.
If a lawyer cannot clearly explain both the fine amount from Garland Municipal Court and the significant indirect costs that could follow, you should consider seeking counsel elsewhere.
Protect your record, your license, and your finances. If you would like to discuss getting warrants lifted and your cases properly resolved in Garland with our experienced lawyers, give us a call today at 214-321-4105.
