Travis County DWI Court Process

A Travis County DWI case can sit for weeks with no case number at all. Prosecutors here often don't formally file the charge until 30 to 90 days after the arrest, and during that stretch the case is "unfiled." You're out on bond, but there's no docket, no court assignment, nothing to look up. You may still be ordered to show up for an Unfiled Docket Call so the court can confirm you're following your bond conditions.

Once the County Attorney files, the first real setting, the Announcement Docket, comes 20 to 30 days later. Its only job is to sort out who represents you. If you've hired an attorney, they usually handle it without you. If you haven't, you appear to ask for a court-appointed lawyer or for time to hire one.

Where and which court

Everything criminal runs through the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center at 509 West 11th Street. Booking and the magistrate are in the basement; the courts are upstairs. A first or second DWI is a misdemeanor in one of the seven County Courts at Law, with records at the County Clerk. A third DWI, one with a child passenger, intoxication assault, or intoxication manslaughter is a felony in the District Courts, with records at the District Clerk.

At magistration, within 24 hours of arrest, a Travis County program called Counsel at First Appearance puts a defense lawyer in the room to argue for your release, which often means a personal recognizance bond. Standard conditions are no alcohol and no new offenses, and for a BAC over 0.15 or a repeat, the magistrate must order an ignition interlock.

The long middle

Pre-trial runs 6 to 12 months, and the reason is blood. Travis County leans on warrant-based blood draws and "No Refusal" weekends, and the crime lab takes 3 to 10 months to return toxicology, longer if drug testing is added. The case gets reset every 4 to 6 weeks while everyone waits. A first-time DWI here commonly takes about a year to resolve, often through a plea or a reduction to obstruction of a highway.

Two specialty programs

Pre-Trial Diversion is the one that ends in a dismissal and lets you expunge the arrest. It's for a first Class B DWI with a BAC under 0.20, no prior record, and no crash involving another occupied vehicle or a first responder, and you have to apply within six months of the arrest. The 12-month program includes an interlock or SCRAM monitor for at least six months, counseling classes, a MADD victim impact panel, and 25 hours of community service. It's run by the County Attorney's office and reports through County Court 3.

The DWI Court, founded by Judge Elisabeth Earle in County Court 7, is the opposite end: repeat offenders arrested for a second DWI within two years of the first. You plead guilty and enter as a condition of probation. It runs at least 12 months across three phases, with weekly court appearances early on, a full treatment team meeting weekly, immediate sanctions like weekend jail for slips, and mandatory outpatient treatment.

First hearing logistics

There's no free parking; use the lot at 510 West 11th or metered street spots that fill by 8:00 AM. Security is airport-style and confiscated items are not given back. Arrive by 8:30 for a 9:00 docket, and check the online docket search the day before, because settings shift between the morning and 1:30 dockets. Check in with the court coordinator. Business casual; a bailiff can turn you away for shorts, and that counts as a failure to appear.

The 15-day license deadline

You have 15 days from the arrest, not from any court date, to request the hearing that saves your license. See the license-suspension guide.