NEW LICENSE PLATE LAW
Beginning September 1, 2007, Texas motorists may not have anything on or around
their license plates that:
-
Covers one-half or more of the
name of the state
-
Covers the letters or numbers
-
Obscures, distorts, affects the
readability or affects the detectability of the letters or numbers
-
Changes the color of the plate
The Court of Criminal Appeals
recently upheld a DWI stop based on the defendant having an obscured license
plate.
There are some exceptions for cars
with regular trailer hitches, cars with wheelchair lifts, cars towing trailers,
and cars with bicycle racks. For the complete text of the law with the
recent changes,
click here.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Department of Public Safety sends all notices to the address listed on your
driver's license. You have 30 days to change your driver's license if
you move. If you do not change your address with DPS, you risk missing
important notices about surcharges and license suspensions.
DWI surcharges
Drivers convicted of Driving While Intoxicated face mandatory state
surcharges for three years from the date of conviction.
- First time offense = $1,000 per year for three years
- Second or subsequent offense = $1,500 per year for three years
- Blood Alcohol Level 0.16 or greater = $2,000 per year for three
years
For more information on these and other surcharges, visit the
Texas Department of Public Safety web site.
Other Surcharges
The Texas Department of Public Safety will also assess
surcharges for the following violations. Each surcharge is per year, for
three years from the date of conviction.
-
No Insurance (Failure to Maintain Financial
Responsibility) = $250 per year for three years
-
Driving While License Invalid = $250 per year for
three years
-
Driving without a Valid License (i.e.; No Driver
License, No Commercial Driver License, No Endorsement Violation, No
Motorcycle License, Operate with License for other Class Vehicle). = $100
per year for three years
For more information on these and other surcharges, visit the
Texas Department of Public Safety web site.
criminal
EXPUNCTIONS
Several local counties are now following the recent
court opinion in State v. Baht.
Clients who live in these counties must wait the entire
statutory period before they can have their records of arrest expunged.
The Statute of Limitations varies depending on the type of offense.
Call
our office for details.
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