With a plea of guilty or no contest, you may be eligible for probation or a deferred disposition of your case. The terms "probation", "deferred adjudication," or "deferred disposition" are generally used interchangeably in municipal courts.

All defendants under the age of 25 years of age must complete a defensive driving course, as required by law, as a term of probation. Defensive driving certificate must be presented to the court before the end of the probation period.

You may appear at Municipal Court, located at 2002 North Cleveland, in Dayton, complete a Motion for Deferred Disposition, and post a special expense fee to cover fees and court costs. Those fees and court costs are usually in the amount of the counter fine for the offense with which you are charged plus an additional $50.00.

Provided the municipal court judge grants your motion for deferral, you will be placed on probation for a period of time, usually 90 days. As a condition of your probation, you must not receive another citation in the City of Dayton during the 90-day probation period. Other conditions may be imposed for your probation, but you will be made aware of those terms with your motion for deferred disposition.

The Court requires the Motion for Deferred Form and payment by cash, credit card or money order.

At the conclusion of the probation period and provided the conditions of your probation have been met, the municipal court judge will dismiss the citation without a final disposition. For traffic offenses, dismissals will not be reported to the Department of Public Safety in Austin, and the dismissal should not affect your driving record.

Insurance

If your citation was for Fail to Maintain Financial Responsibility and you obtained insurance after the ticket date, you may request a deferral. Provided the municipal court judge grants your motion for deferral, you will be placed on probation for a period of time of 180 days. There will be a fee of $150.00 with proof of insurance for the full 6 months. As a condition of your probation, you must not receive another citation in the City of Dayton during the 180-day probation period. Other conditions may be imposed for your probation, but you will be made aware of those terms with your motion for deferred disposition.