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Municipal Court Hours, Location & Phone Numbers The Court telephone numbers, during normal business hours, are as follows:
The Municipal Court mailing address is:
PAYMENT INFORMATION Payments are accepted through the mail or may be made in person at 203 East Wheatland Road. Payments may be made over the telephone using the keypad. Dial 972-780-5055 and using option #2. A payment must be for the full amount due on that citation. Follow the prompts. Regular citations may be paid 7 days a week, 24 hours a day using this option. PAYMENTS ONLINE You may now pay your tickets online by clicking here. Payments must be for the full amount due on the citation. PAYMENTS BY MAIL Payments mailed must be post marked on or before your court appearance or due date or a warrant will be issued for your arrest. Allowing a court case to go into warrant status substantially increases the amount of the fines and fees due. Payment in the form of check or money order is to be payable to the City of Duncanville. Make certain the amount sent is sufficient to pay the fine. All incorrect checks will be returned and the case will remain open. Please put your ticket number on your check or money order. Credit card payments will not be accepted through the mail. We will not accept a check if you are paying on a warrant. PAYMENTS MADE IN PERSON Payments may be made in person at the court office at 203 East Wheatland Road between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays. When paying in person you may use your Visa or MasterCard. You will be charged a 2.6% service fee when using your credit card. You may also pay by check, money order, or cashier’s check. We will not accept a check if you are paying on a warrant. 24- HOUR NIGHT DEPOSITORY (DROP BOX) You may pay your fine 24-hours a day by dropping the payment in the Water Utility night depository located in the parking lot in front of City Hall at 203 East Wheatland Road. Payments must be in full by check, money order, or cashier’s check. Please write Municipal Court on you envelope. We will not accept a check if you are paying on a warrant. JURISDICTION In general, Municipal Court has jurisdiction over offenses occurring within the city limits which are violations of a municipal ordinance or violations of a state statute. State statutes enforced in Municipal Court include the Texas Penal Code, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, the Texas Health Code and Safety Code. Municipal Court deals with offenses which are punishable by fine only. COURT APPEARANCES The law requires that you appear in court on your case. A phone call is not an appearance If you were issued a citation, you must appear on or before your appearance date. The amount of time you have to appear or pay the fine is printed on your citation. If you have been released on bond, your appearance date is set on the bond. If a complainant filed your case, you will be notified by mail of your court appearance. For a guide to appropriate behavior and attire in the Duncanville Municipal Court, please click HERE. PLEAS On a plea of not guilty, a formal trial is held. As in all criminal trails, the State is required to prove the guilt of the defendant "beyond a reasonable doubt". Your decision concerning which plea to enter is very important. You should read the following explanation of the three types of pleas and think carefully before making your decision. If you plead guilty or nolo contendere in open court, you should be prepared to pay the fine.
DRIVING SAFETY COURSES If you are charged with a moving traffic violation under the Subtitle C, Transportation Code, you may request to take a driving safety course. Your request must be received or if mailed (must be mailed certified, return receipt) be postmarked by the due date on your citation. At the time of the request, you must do the following:
You are eligible to request this course if you: Have not taken a driving safety course for a traffic offense within twelve months prior to the offense date;
If you are eligible and meet all requirements, you will be granted permission to complete a driving safety course that has been approved by the Texas Education Agency . You will have 90 days to present to the court your certificate of completion , a CERTIFIED COPY of your driving record from the Department of Public Safety , and an affidavit that will be provided to you by the court . If the court receives all of your paperwork by the due date, your citation will be dismissed. If you do not provide the required documentation, you will be required to appear before the court and show cause as to why you have failed to comply. If you fail to appear at the show cause hearing a warrant may be issued for your arrest and a conviction of the offense charged entered on your driving record.
DEFERRED DISPOSITION Eligibility Guidelines:
Some Citations are not eligible for DEFERRED DISPOSITION:
Citations for failure to maintain financial responsibility (no insurance) are not eligible if:
The Judge may consider other unusual circumstances. TERMS OF THE COURT TO GAIN CASE DISMISSAL
Once you successfully complete the program, your case will be dismissed. If you fail to comply with all terms of the deferred order, you will be required to appear before the court and show cause as to why you failed to comply. If you fail to appear at the show cause hearing a warrant may be issued for your arrest and a conviction of the offense charged entered on your driving record.
HOW TO REQUEST You may appear in person at the Court Clerk’s Office, 203 East Wheatland Road, or you may mail in your request. When sending the request through the mail please be sure and check a plea on the back of your citation and check the box indicating that you are requesting Deferred Adjudication (or write a short letter requesting this option) and mail it along with your check or money order to Duncanville Municipal Court, P. O. Box 380280, Duncanville, Texas 75138-0280. COMPLIANCE DISMISSAL If your citation is a Vehicle registration, inspection or equipment violation, or a Driver’s license violation, you may be eligible for a compliance dismissal. The laws have changed as of September 2007, so you will need to contact the court at (972) 780-5055, option #2, to inquire about the requirements and the amount of dismissal fee, if any.
THE TRIAL A trial in municipal court is a fair, impartial and public trial as in any other court. Under Texas law, you can be brought to trial only after a sworn complaint is filed against you. If you choose to have the case tried before a jury, you have the right to question jurors about their qualifications to hear your case. If you think that a juror will not be fair, impartial or unbiased, you may ask the judge to excuse the juror. You are also permitted to strike three members of the jury panel for any reason you choose, except an illegal reason. As in all criminal trials, the State will present its case first by calling witnesses to testify against you. After prosecution witnesses have finished testifying, you have the right to cross-examine. In other words, you may ask the witnesses questions about their testimony or any other facts relevant to the case. Your cross-examination of the witness must be in the form of questions only. After the prosecution has presented its case, you may present your case. You have the right to call any witness who knows anything about the incident. The State has the right to cross-examine any witness that you call. If you so desire, you may testify in your own behalf, but as a defendant, you cannot be compelled to testify. The State has the right to cross-examine you should you choose to testify. Once all testimony is concluded, both sides can make a closing argument. The closing argument can be based only on the testimony presented during the trial. JUDGMENT/VERDICT If the case is tried by the judge, the decision is called a judgment. If the case is tried by a jury, the decision is called a verdict. The judge or jury can consider only the testimony of witnesses and any evidence admitted during the trial. If you are found guilty by either the judge or jury, the penalty will be announced at that time. Unless you plan to appeal your case, you should be prepared to pay the fine at this time. FINES AND COURT COSTS The amount of fine the court assesses is determined by the facts and circumstances of the case. The maximum fine for most municipal court traffic violations is $200; for penal violations; $490; for certain city ordinance violations $2,000; and for other city ordinance violations $490. In addition to the fine, court costs mandated by law will also be charged. These charges vary according to the kind of violation. Court costs are assessed if you plead nolo contendere, or if your case is deferred for defensive driving or probation. APPEAL The Duncanville Municipal Court is a Court of Record and follows the rules of Appeal found in Chapter 30 of the Texas Government Code. JUVENILE Municipal Court has jurisdiction over all juveniles (10 - 16 years of age) charged with Class C misdemeanor offenses except public intoxication or possession of Tobacco. All juveniles and their parent(s) are required to appear in open court for all proceedings in their cases. Juveniles who fail to appear in court may have an additional charge of failure to appear filed against them. Juveniles who fail to appear or pay their fine will be reported to the Department of Public Safety who will suspend their driver’s license. If they do not have a driver’s license, they will not be able to obtain one until they appear in court. JUROR INFORMATION Jurors are to bring the juror summons form with them. A juror verification form will be furnished to any juror who needs one for their employer. The following qualifications and exemptions apply to persons serving as jurors. Statutory Qualifications – A person is qualified to serve as a juror if that person:
Statutory Exemptions - The following persons, AND NO OTHERS, may claim an exemption from jury service if that person wishes to do so:
City of Duncanville, Texas | Quick Links Fire Department
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