Civil Citations Contesting

Contest - (Not Liable):

If the person charged is a corporation or a business entity, the corporation or business entity must be represented by an attorney.


Plead not liable and request a hearing.


To set a hearing you must be within the first 31 days of issuance of the citation.  You are only able to request a hearing by mail and in-person at the Court. Live chat, phone, and, email are not valid options.


Any request for the Inspector to be present at a full hearing subsequent to the pre-hearing must be in writing and received by the Municipal Court at least 5 calendar days before the scheduled hearing. Failure to timely request the inspector's presence will waive the right to have the inspector present at the hearing.


Contest by Mail or In-Person at:

Dallas Municipal Court   

2014 Main St.  Dallas, TX 75201

For hours of operation


What you need to request a hearing: 

The City of Dallas Municipal Court does not have free or dedicated parking for the public. Paid parking options include street-metered parking, daily lots, and private garages.


***When you request a hearing by mail, please note this is a REQUEST ONLY.  The Court will provide a response by mail within 5-7 business days and will utilize the address listed on the request. ***

 

The Court uses the postmark date on the letter (stamped by the postal service) as the received date.  Mailing certified is recommended but is not required.


Administrative Hearing Officer Court Walk-In Hours (Civil Citations):

The Administrative Hearing Officer's Court is open and accessible to the public as a first come first served docket. Sign-in begins at 7:30 a.m. and court opens at 8:30 a.m. There is a limited number of people that can be scheduled per docket. Once the morning docket is full, you can wait on the 1:00 p.m. docket or come back another day.  Once the afternoon docket is full, you can return another business day.


Morning Open Court                                            Afternoon Open Court

Monday:       8:30 am – 10:30 am            1:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Friday:          8:30 am – 10:30 am             1:00 pm – 3:30 pm


Found Liable at a Hearing:

  • The defendant has a right to appeal a finding of liability to the municipal court before the 31st day after the date this order is filed with the clerk. 
  • If the defendant does not perfect a timely appeal, this order shall become final. Unless this order is suspended through a properly filed appeal including posting a bond with the municipal court for twice the amount of the administrative penalties, fees, and court costs, the administrative penalty must be paid within 31 calendar days after the date entered below. 
  • If the administrative penalty is not timely paid, the City may refer the administrative penalty to a collection agency and the cost to the City for collection services will be assessed as costs and added to the administrative penalty assessed in this order. 
  • The City may enforce this order by filing a civil suit for collection of the administrative penalty and court costs and/or obtaining an injunction to prohibit specific conduct that violates this order or to require specific conduct necessary for compliance with this order.