Travis County Suspended License Attorney

DPS Surcharges in Texas

DPS Surcharges

Should I be worried about DPS Surcharges on my tickets and citations? How much does it really cost?

Answer:

Surcharges not only amount to a hefty fine on their own -- independent of any court costs and fines -- they also are recurring, meaning that DPS Surcharges are due for three years after some offenses or after accumulation of a certain number of points. Every effort should be made to avoid points and surcharges, which a Lawyer can help with.

Attorneys Fees can be cheaper than the Surcharges

Generally, the cheaper surcharge DPS will issue is the $750 DWLI Surcharge, and that's upon conviction. That means you'll be paying the court fine and court costs on top of the surcharge, often over $500 more.

Our Firm handles DWLI and DWLS Suspended License cases for far less than that total price -- and we include an Occupational License for no added cost to us (excluding DPS Resinstatement Fees and Clerk Filing Fee).

***You may be able to drive legally on an occupational license, even if you owe thousands of dollars in surcharges. ***

Statutes relating to Points and Surcharges

Chapter 708, Subchapter B. SEC. 708.052 involves the Assignment of Points for Certain Convictions. Specifically, Section 708.052 indicates:

• (a) The driver's license of a person accumulates a point under this subchapter as of the date the department records a conviction of the person under Section 521.042 or other applicable law.
• (b) For each conviction arising out of a separate transaction, the department shall assign points to a person's license as follows:
• (1) Two points for a moving violation of the traffic law of this state or another state that is not described by Subdivision (2); and
• (2) Three points for a moving violation of the traffic law of this state, another state, or a political subdivision of this or another state that resulted, in an accident.

For more information, please see our other FAQs on Suspended Licenses in Travis County:

• DPS Surcharges
• Drive Legally on a Provisional Occupational License
• DWI License Suspensions
• Will I lose my Driver's License from a Public Intoxication Charge?
• DWI & Suspended Licenses (ALR Hearings)