State Law requires all juveniles, 16 years of age or younger, TO APPEAR IN OPEN COURT WITH A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN FOR ALL PROCEEDINGS IN THEIR CASES. The court will not accept payment nor process any transactions before an appearance is made before the Judge.

Attorneys representing juveniles are required to be present at the court appearance along with the child and parent(s)/legal guardian(s). 

Court Appearances

All juvenile defendants who were under the age of 17 at the time of receiving the citation are required to appear in open court before the Judge for all proceedings in their cases. The parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of a juvenile charged in Municipal Court is also required to be present in court with his or her child. Payments will not be accepted prior to your initial court appearance.  A court date will set by the court and mailed to the address listed on the citation.

Failure to Appear

Juveniles who fail to appear in court may have an additional charge of "failure to appear" or "violate promise to appear" filed against them. Juveniles who fail to appear or who fail to pay their fine(s) 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 and/or pay their fine. Be aware that driving with a suspended license is a Class B misdemeanor which carries a range of punishments including a fine up to $2,000, incarceration in jail up to 180 days, or both. 

Change of Residence

A juvenile and parent required to appear before the court have an obligation to provide the court in writing, if their address changes, with the current address and residence of the child, on or before the 7th day after the date the child changes residence. This obligation does not end when the child reaches age 17, but continues until your case is fully resolved and all fines and court costs are paid or discharged.