If you get a citation for a traffic or criminal violation filed with the City of Austin Municipal Court, you can look up the case details, pay fines, fees and costs, request a deferral, a hearing or a dismissal.

1. Get your case information

If you have your citation and know what you owe, you have what you need for step 2 below. To look up your case, you'll need your last name and date of birth or your driver's license number.

2. Choose an option to resolve your case

Pay fines, fees, and costs

If paying fines, fees, and costs, the defendant must first enter a plea of guilty or nolo contendre (no contest). A no contest plea means the defendant is not admitting guilt; however, is also not contesting the violation.

You can pay for your citation in one of four ways:

  1. Pay online through the case portal
  2. Call our payment line at 512-974-4640 Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm, excluding holidays.
  3. Mail a check or money order to Austin Municipal Court, P.O. Box 2135 Austin, TX 78768-2135 with the following information:
    • License plate number
    • Date of violation
    • Citation number
    • Your contact information (Name, Address, Phone number)
    • Make checks payable to Austin Municipal Court
  4. Go to one of the two courthouse locations: 

If you are unable to pay, you can request alternative payment options.

Request a deferral

You can ask for a deferral in judgment depending on the kind of violation. A request for deferral includes a no contest or guilty plea. A deferral is a postponement of judgment. It gives you a window of time to remedy or offset a violation, for example by obtaining and maintaining insurance, or by taking a driver safety course. You must also pay associated court fees and avoid committing the same kind of violation during the deferral period. If you can successfully complete the terms of your deferral, the case will be dismissed. The exact cost of your deferral varies and will be reflected in the online case portal after your request is processed.

You can also use this fine schedule to estimate costs.

Request a dismissal

For some violations, you may be able to show the court that you fixed the issue online or in person and request that the case be dismissed. This is called a compliance dismissal and it sometimes carries an associated fee of up to $20. You can fill out an online form to request a compliance dismissal for common issues such as:

  • No driver's license
  • Failure to display driver's license
  • Expired driver's license
  • No motorcycle license
  • No child safety seat
  • No insurance
  • Expired registration
  • Unregistered vehicle
  • Unregistered out-of-state vehicle

Other charges, such as defective equipment, may also be eligible for compliance dismissals. If you don't see your charge listed, please contact the court to ask if your charge is eligible and to learn the documentation necessary to request a dismissal.

For disabled parking violations, you can submit an online form to show that you were not responsible for the vehicle at the time of the offense or that you did have a disabled parking placard.

Request a court date

If you would like to discuss your case with a prosecutor at an appearance docket before proceeding to trial, you can e-mail the court to request that.

If you would like to waive your right to a hearing—also called appearance docket—and go straight to trial, you can use an online form to request a trial by judge or e-mail the court to request a trial by jury.