How Much Are Citations in Texas: Fines, Court Costs, and Add-Ons

Most traffic citations in Texas cost between roughly $200 and $350 once you add the mandatory court costs to the base fine, though the total climbs higher for serious speeding, school zones, and construction zones. The base fine is capped at $500 for the Class C misdemeanors that cover most traffic offenses, but each court sets its own fine schedule within that ceiling, and $129 in state and local fees rides on top of nearly every moving violation.

The Fixed Piece: Court Costs on Every Ticket

Court costs are the same in every municipal and justice court in the state. For a standard moving violation outside a school zone, they total $129:

$62 state consolidated fee, applied to virtually every non-parking, non-pedestrian offense¹
$14 local consolidated fee, assessed on all nonjailable misdemeanor offenses²
$50 state traffic fine
$3 local technology fund fee

Offenses in a school crossing zone add a $25 courthouse security fund fee, bringing court costs to $154.¹ Parking and pedestrian violations skip the $62 state consolidated fee, so they run $67 outside a school zone and $92 inside one.

The Variable Piece: Base Fines by Violation

Most traffic offenses are Class C misdemeanors with a maximum base fine of $500.³ Each court writes its own fine schedule within that ceiling, so two drivers cited for the same offense in different cities can owe noticeably different amounts.

Speeding shows the variation clearly. In Travis County, the base fine is $10 per mile over the posted limit, so 15 mph over produces a $150 base fine and a $279 total after court costs. Bexar County uses flat brackets: 1 to 10 mph over totals $190, and 31 mph or more over runs $336.⁴ For most routine speeding tickets around the state, expect somewhere between $175 and $350 all in.

Other common violations like running a red light, failing to signal, or following too closely generally carry base fines in the $100 to $200 range before court costs, though the exact number depends on the court.

School and Construction Zone Add-Ons

School zone violations bring both higher base fines and the extra $25 security fee. In Bexar County, speeding in a school zone at any speed carries a flat $359 total, other school zone violations cost $294, and passing a stopped school bus runs $661.⁴

Construction zones hit harder. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 542.404, fine amounts double when the offense occurs in a construction or maintenance work zone with workers present.⁴ Construction zone violations also cannot be dismissed through deferred disposition, so options for reducing the cost are more limited.⁵

What Ignoring the Ticket Adds

This is where costs multiply. Miss your court date or the response deadline on the citation, and a warrant can be issued for your arrest. You can also be charged with failure to appear, which carries its own fine of up to $500.⁶ For offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025, courts may add a $75 warrant reimbursement fee.¹

Your license takes a hit too. The Texas Department of Public Safety can deny renewal of your driver’s license if you have outstanding citations or unpaid fines through the Failure to Appear/Failure to Pay program.⁷ It is not a suspension, but you cannot renew until the citations clear and the court reports the resolution to DPS. Lifting the hold costs a $10 administrative reimbursement fee unless you qualify for an indigency waiver.⁸

Late fees pile on. Texas law authorizes a $15 time payment fee if you do not pay within 31 days of the judgment. If the court sends your debt to a collection agency, a collection fee of up to 30% of the outstanding amount can be added. A $250 ticket that seemed manageable on day one can grow past $400 once late fees, collection charges, the OmniBase fee, and possible warrant costs stack up.

A conviction also lands on your driving record, and insurers routinely check records at renewal. A single speeding ticket can raise premiums, with the percentage varying by insurer and violation. One piece of good news on the state side: Texas no longer operates the Driver Responsibility Program, which used to impose annual surcharges of hundreds or thousands of dollars for certain offenses. The legislature repealed it effective September 1, 2019, and all past surcharges were waived.⁹ No replacement surcharge program exists.

Ways to Cut the Cost

Driving Safety Course

A judge can dismiss your citation if you complete a state-approved driving safety course. You must hold a valid non-commercial Texas driver’s license, and you cannot have used a course to dismiss a ticket in the past 12 months.¹⁰ You also need to plead no contest or guilty by the answer date on your citation and request the course option from the court.

Speed limits apply: you cannot use a driving safety course if you were clocked at 95 mph or above, or at 25 mph or more over the posted limit.¹⁰ You still pay court costs, and the court may charge an administrative fee of up to $10. The course itself usually runs $25 to $50 from an online provider.

Deferred Disposition

Deferred disposition delays a guilty finding and places you on a probation period of up to 180 days. Meet the judge’s conditions and the case is dismissed without a final conviction.⁵ The judge can still impose a fine up to the maximum for the offense, plus court costs, so the out-of-pocket amount may not drop much. The benefit is keeping the conviction off your record.

Conditions vary. Judges often require completion of a driving safety course for moving violations, and if you are under 25 the course is mandatory.⁵ For driving without insurance, you may be able to get the charge dismissed by obtaining coverage and maintaining it for a set period. Fail to comply and the judge enters a conviction and imposes the fine.

Community Service If You Cannot Pay

If you genuinely cannot afford the fine and court costs, a judge can let you work off the balance through community service. You get credit of at least $100 for every eight hours performed.¹¹ A $300 total would require about 24 hours.

The judge sets the number of hours and a deadline. Service can be performed for a government agency, a nonprofit, or an educational institution, and courts can also accept job training programs, substance abuse counseling, or GED preparation classes as qualifying service.¹¹ Weekly hours are capped at 16 unless the court determines more will not cause hardship. You can switch to paying the remaining balance at any point. To request community service, you typically file an affidavit of inability to pay covering your income and expenses. Some courts will waive fines and costs outright for defendants who demonstrate indigency.

If You Hold a Commercial License

CDL holders have fewer options and higher stakes. You cannot use a driving safety course to dismiss a ticket, and deferred disposition is not available for any moving violation.¹⁰⁵ Every moving violation conviction goes straight to your record.

Certain violations classified as serious traffic offenses, including excessive speeding, reckless driving, improper lane changes, and following too closely, can trigger CDL disqualification. Two serious offenses within three years result in a 60-day disqualification; three within that window extend it to 120 days.¹²

Finding Your Exact Total

The citation lists the issuing court, the violation code, and usually the court’s contact information. Call or visit the clerk’s office at the municipal or justice court on the ticket, and they can give you the exact total including all fees. Many Texas courts also offer online portals where you can look up your case by citation number or driver’s license number.

To estimate before you get the total, add the base fine for your specific violation (which varies by court) to the mandatory court costs: $129 for a moving violation outside a school zone, $154 in a school zone, or $67 for a parking violation outside a school zone.¹ Double the base fine if the offense was in a construction zone with workers present. The longer you wait, the more fees accumulate on top of what you already owe.

1
Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Court Costs Chart – Effective September 1, 2025
2
State of Texas. Texas Local Government Code 134.103
3
State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 12.23
4
Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Ticket Fine Schedule
5
State of Texas. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 45.051
6
Harris County Justice Courts. Failure to Appear or Pay Fine
7
Department of Public Safety. Failure to Appear/Failure to Pay Program
8
OmniBase Services. For Individuals
9
Texas Department of Public Safety. Driver Responsibility Program
10
State of Texas. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 45.0511
11
State of Texas. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 45.049 – Community Service in Satisfaction of Fine or Costs
12
Texas Department of Public Safety. Commercial Driver License (CDL) Disqualifications