Texas›Just got a ticket
Just got a Texas ticket? Don't pay it yet.
Paying is a guilty plea, and the conviction sits on your driving record for your insurer to price for about three years. Most Texas tickets can instead be dismissed and kept off your record, and the law gives you at least 10 days to choose.
Which route is open depends on one thing: what kind of ticket it is. Here's what to do in the first 48 hours, then pick yours.
By Road Ready Safety, TDLR provider CP1234. We run one of the approved courses and track how roughly 1,700 Texas courts handle tickets. · Checked against Tex. Transp. Code §543.006 and Tex. Code Crim. Proc. ch. 45A · Published October 6, 2026
What should you do in the first 48 hours?
Three things, and only the third one takes any effort. Nothing on this list involves paying.
- 1Read the ticketFind the court’s name and the appearance date. That date is your only hard deadline, and the law gives you at least 10 days.Today
- 2Don’t pay itPaying online is a plea and a conviction. Once it’s entered there is nothing left to dismiss.Until you’ve chosen a route
- 3Pick a route and tell the courtDriving safety course, deferred disposition, or not guilty. In person, by certified mail, or by the court’s email or portal.By the appearance date
What kind of ticket is it?
The violation on the citation decides which route is open. Pick yours.
Most common, and usually dismissible
Under 25 over and under 95 mph? You can likely dismiss it with a course.
Ask your court for a driving safety course by the appearance date, finish the 6-hour course, send the certificate. At 25+ over or 95+, the course is out but deferred disposition usually isn’t.
Moving violations qualify too
Almost every rules-of-the-road ticket can be dismissed with the same course.
Stop signs, red lights (officer-issued), texting, following too closely, failure to yield, unsafe lane change. The exceptions are a work zone with workers present, passing a school bus and leaving a crash.
A different fix
These are dismissed by fixing the problem and showing proof, not by a course.
Renew the registration or license, or show you were insured that day, within the court’s window, and most courts dismiss for a small fee. A moving violation from the same stop may still qualify for the course.
The date matters, not the paper
Everything on it is recoverable with your name and date of birth.
Search the court’s website for the city or county where you were stopped, or call the clerk. Ask for the citation number, the charge and your appearance date, and request the course while you’re on the phone.
On a CDL, even in your own car? The course can't dismiss it. What works for CDL drivers
What are your options?
Three real ones. Paying isn't on the list because it's the one that puts the conviction on your record.
Not sure which you qualify for? The dismissal guide asks four questions and tells you. Does my ticket qualify? →
What will it cost either way?
About the same up front. The difference is what's on your record afterwards.
$150–$300
Fine plus court costs for a typical moving violation. Then a conviction on your record, and insurers typically react for about three years. Fines by violation
About $184
The court's fee (commonly $144), a $12 Type 3A record if your court asks, and the course ($28 with us, certificate included). Nothing on your record. Work out your exact total
What happens if you do nothing?
The case moves on without you, and every step is more expensive than the one before.
Appearance date passes
Failure to appear can be added as a separate charge.
A warrant can issue
Many courts run warrant round-ups; a traffic stop can turn into an arrest.
A hold on your license
An OmniBase hold blocks renewing your driver license until the case is cleared.
Still fixable
Call the court. A judge can still allow the course before the case is finally resolved.
What does Road Ready Safety charge?
$28, and that's the only number you'll see at checkout.
- The 6-hour TDLR-approved course (CP1234)
- Certificate the moment you finish, court and insurance copies
- Unlimited quiz retakes
- No delivery, rush or record fees
- Full refund if you request it before you complete the course or get your certificate
- Two costs we can't include: the court's fee and the DPS record, because the court and DPS collect those. Our full pricing policy
Quick answers
What should I do first after getting a ticket in Texas?
Read it. Find the court’s name and the appearance (answer) date. Then decide how to respond by that date: ask for a driving safety course, ask about deferred disposition, plead not guilty, or pay. Don’t pay by reflex, because paying is a conviction.
How long do I have to respond to a Texas ticket?
Until the appearance date printed on it. The law requires at least 10 days from the stop (Transp. Code §543.006); most courts give 10 to 21. Respond in any way by then and nothing escalates.
Is it bad to just pay the ticket?
Paying is a plea of guilty or no contest and a conviction on your driving record, which insurers typically price for about three years. If your ticket qualifies for a driving safety course, that route costs about the same and leaves no conviction.
Do I have to go to court?
Usually not. Most Texas tickets are handled by mail, email, a portal or a quick visit to the clerk. Some courts want you in person to request the course; your court’s page or the clerk will say. When you do have to appear
What if I ignore it?
The case moves on without you: a failure-to-appear charge, often a warrant, and a hold on renewing your driver license. All of it is avoidable by responding by the appearance date. Already missed it?
Find your situation
General information, not legal advice. Fees, forms and deadlines are set by each court; confirm with the court on your citation. Road Ready Safety is a TDLR-licensed course provider (CP1234), not a court. Sources: Tex. Transp. Code §543.006; Tex. Code Crim. Proc. ch. 45A (arts. 45A.301–.307, 45A.351–.359); our verified court dataset. Published October 6, 2026.