Minors & Juveniles

Minor

A minor is classified as a person who is over 16 but under the age of 21. Any person under the age of 21 charged with alcohol, curfew, or tobacco violation must appear in court.

Juvenile

A juvenile is classified as a person, under the age of 17, under Texas State law and charged with a traffic or criminal violation, as a juvenile you are REQUIRED to appear in court with a parent or a legal guardian. You may also bring a lawyer, but the presence of your parent/guardian is still required.

Address Notification

Pursuant to Article 45.057(j) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, you are being provided written notice of the following: 

1. A child and a parent are required to appear before the court and have an obligation to provide the court in writing with the current address and residence of the child 
2. The obligation does not end when the child reaches the age of 17 
3. On or before the seventh day after the date the child or parent changes residence (any place where the child lives or resides for a period of at least 30 days), the child or parent shall notify the court of the current address in the manner directed by the court
4. Failure to provide notice is a Class C offense. The obligation to provide notice terminates on discharge and satisfaction of the judgment or final disposition not requiring a finding of guilt.

Failure to Appear

A warrant for the parent/guardian’s arrest may be issued if the failure to appear citation is not resolved in a timely manner. 

In the event, that the juvenile or minor fails to appear at his or her scheduled hearing, a failure to appear charge may be added to each of the underlying violations set for court. A warrant for the arrest of a minor may also be immediately issued. A warrant for the juvenile’s arrest will not be issued until that person reaches 17 years of age. Warrant fees and the additional fines for failure to appear will be added to each violation as well.