Court: Juveniles & Minors

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Juveniles

A juvenile is any person 16 years old or younger at the time of the offense.

Initial Appearance

  • No payment is allowed on juvenile citations before appearing before the Judge. 
  • The Court will send a notice to appear with the hearing date, time, and location to your parent or guardian at the address on the citation.
  • The juvenile must appear in Court with at least one parent or legal guardian. Relatives, older siblings, or friends are not allowed to appear in the place of the parent or legal guardian.

Compliance Dismissals

If you were issued a citation for a dismissible violation, you may present the required proof of compliance with the applicable dismissal fee at the court clerk's counter. If your case qualifies for compliance dismissal you do not have to see the judge. A list of dismissable violations, compliance deadlines, proof requirements, and applicable fees is available on the Dismissals page.

Failure to Appear

If you fail to appear at the court date, a notification will be sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to suspend your driver's license or to prohibit you from obtaining one.

Hiring an Attorney

You are not required to hire an attorney to represent you. If you choose to hire an attorney, you are still required to appear in court with a parent or legal guardian to resolve your case. 

You may email the juvenile case manager for additional information regarding juvenile case requirements.

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Minors

A minor is any person under the age of 21 at the time of the offense, charged with certain alcohol or tobacco / e-cigarette offenses. 

Initial Appearance

  • No payment is allowed on minor alcohol or tobacco / e-cigarette citations before appearing before the Judge. 
  • The Court will send you a notice to appear that contains the date, time, and location of the hearing to the address on the citation. 

Alcohol-Related Citations

Offenses with which persons under the age of 21 may be charged and must appear before the Judge include:

  • Purchase of alcohol by a minor
  • Attempt to purchase alcohol by a minor
  • Consumption of alcohol by a minor
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol by minor (DUI)
  • Possession of alcohol by a minor
  • Misrepresentation of age by a minor
  • Public intoxication

Tobacco / E-Cigarette-Related Citations

Offenses with which persons under the age of 21 may be charged and must appear before the Judge include:

  • Possession of a cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product
  • Purchasing a cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product
  • Consumption of  a cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product
  • Accepting a cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product
  • Falsely representing himself or herself as being 21 years of age or older to obtain possession of, purchase of, or receipt of a cigarette, e-cigarette, or tobacco product

Hiring an Attorney

If you have hired an attorney to represent your case(s), the Court will communicate all matters through the attorney. 

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