City of Houston Municipal Courts Department

Municipal Courts Department

Ticket Information: Consequences of Neglecting a Ticket

Failure to pay your fine, show proof of compliance or apply for a Driving Safety Course or Deferred Disposition on or before your Court date or failure to appear by your scheduled Court date and time will result in:

A warrant issued for your arrest. Effective January 1, 2026, the warrant fee assessed will increase to $75 plus additional fees on warrants issued on offenses occurring on or after September 1, 2025. For warrants issued on offenses occurring on or after September 1, 2025, the fee will remain $50 plus additional fees if assessed prior to January 1, 2026. The warrant fee will remain $50 plus additional fees for offenses occurring before September 1, 2025, regardless of when it is assessed.
A separate charge of Failure to Appear (FTA) fine ($244);
Denial of Driver’s License issuance or renewal and denial of vehicle registration. To Clear your Driver’s License or registration, you must pay a $10 DPS (Department of Public Safety) notification fee for each case;
Referral to a collections vendor will result in an additional collection fee of 30% of total fine.

If you miss your scheduled Court date, you may appear at the Public Service Counter, City of Houston Municipal Courts, 1400 Lubbock, Monday - Fri, 7 AM to 10 PM and Saturday, 7 AM to 5 PM to pay the fine or post bond to reschedule a new Court date.

Inability to pay the fine is not an excuse for failing to appear. Fine payment arrangements can be made at the time of appearance.