Municipal Court

No. Just NO!
I’ve been here plenty. Most of the time because I was speeding. But a couple of times because I don’t have a «front license plate» on the car.
Unless you’re going to try to fight your case and plea «not guilty» when you get pulled over for speeding or any moving violation, then I would highly recommend for you to come in PRIOR to your court date. In the middle of the day when it’s not busy. You can apply for defensive driving or deferred disposition and have the whole thing taken care of in less than 30 minutes. If you hire a lawyer or if you decide to go to court as noted on your ticket, then I wish you good luck. Last time I did that, I had to come in at 7 or 8 in the morning and my name didn’t get called until after lunch time. And just like Daniel L. had mentioned, there’s not really anything to eat around here.
The last time I was here, I came to apply for a deferred disposition (for speeding at 38 MPH!!! No. It wasn’t a school zone) because apparently if you had applied for it through email, they will conveniently forget to call you back and force you to go to court anyway. So I went, walked through the metal detector, waited in line at the cashiers to have my name added to the docket, went to court (took less than five minutes), went back to the cashier, paid, and went on my not so merry way. THIS is the only reason why this place receives more than a one star. Everything else about this place? Bad. Just bad.
I hope I don’t have to be back too soon.

Cant expect too much coming to the courthouse but no complaints with my experience. Stopped by to get a warrant check around 9pm and I got a little lost going downstairs since the form said the office was located in the basement but a gentleman assisted me right away and steered me in the right direction. The wait was minimal but then again it’s 9pm. The lady who assisted me was quick and not rude. Parking was a flat fee of $ 5 across the street but thank goodness they also accept credit cards.

The only saving grace of muni court is you can email the presiding judge directly if you can find her email address on their website. The presiding judge actually seems like an empathetic human being which is far from the norm here.
The bureaucrats who work here sent me a very threatening letter saying I was being criminally arraigned because I sent a check with the wrong amount for my deferred adjudication for a speeding ticket (which I got in a speed trap in an area with no speed signs, ugh). Thankfully the judge cleared it up. Email her direct and skip the bureaucrats.
Reading the ticket was already like deciphering the Rosetta Stone. Just tell people what they owe and don’t be so difficult. If I had been out of town when they mailed me, I would have missed my court date. Not very cool at all.
Update: What the heck, it’s already publicly available. Here is the email —

Come on! It’s traffic court. Just a money grab. With all the crime in Houston cops are busy sniping folks on the way to and from work, but arresting real criminals doesn’t make the city money, tickets do. On the positive side the judge was pleasant enough.

What a con! You get a parking ticket, just waiting to pay your parking ticket. What a disgrace.

I would give it one more star if the parking was better. Well it wasn’t too bad but when you’re in a hurry you just wish things could be a little bit simpler.
The security check can be fast or really slow, so be prepared, don’t be late.

Originally, I refused to handle traffic cases but I have recently started picking some up. The waiting game is unfortunate. For a first timer who’s expecting to get out of here in an hour or two, please let go of that expectation. As compared to the criminal court house, the elevators are much better & getting through security is a little easier (Thank God I have a badge that allows me to go straight past all of that). Anyway, some days it can be an in-​and-​out process, while other days it can be hell waiting for officers and judges. By the way, they perform weddings now for anybody who wanted to know.

Jury duty experience here was actually not bad. The employees are all polite and some of them are actually pretty funny. I was there from 9a until about 3:45p. The latest they will ever make you stay is 5p which is nice and the cases never last more than 1 day.
They offer jurors free parking, though the lot is actually 3 or so blocks away with no shuttle service. It’s not a big deal really, just be careful crossing streets since Houston isn’t the most pedestrian-​friendly city.
We got two 20 minute breaks (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) along with a 1.5 hour lunch. I chose to drive to the new Chick-​Fil-​A on Taylor and I got back in plenty of time.
Be aware that you have to go through a metal detector just like at the airport when you enter the building. They have you remove your keys from your pocket/​bag along with any other large metal objects like a watch or belt. Everyone entering the building has to do this, including jurors, so allow yourself a little extra time.
So, if you happen to get a summons from here worry too much about it. The experience was as good as it could’ve been and the cases are usually just running a stop sign or something so there’s not a lot of pressure.

Its just so slowwwww! But in all honesty, the clerks and employees are always usually helpful and get the job done.
Now if I could just stop getting speeding tickets…

Well, at least I got out of the ticket!!!

First off, I have a variety of conflicting emotions about giving this place 4 stars, like some of the other Unilocalers who left the same. A heads up, my review has no particular order, just a few points I wanted to mention.
Parking. Some of the reviews mentioned parking for $ 3 to $ 5. I alway park at the same location every time, which has been more then I care to count. Across the street on Lubbock are old school parking meters. I usually have change in my car, so its not a problem, but they don’t take credit cards. There is usually a homeless guy or two wondering around, but they are actually helpful, even if they do want something in exchange. The last time I parked there one of the guys told me parking was free after 6pm. You can’t beat free parking in that area, so I gave him a dollar; everybody wins.
Food. For some reason I am always starving before court and there are never any good places close by. The last couple of times instead of trying to ignore my hunger pain until afterwards, I stooped by Taco Caliente. It’s a food truck parked in a lot on Lubbock by the parking meters. I was more then delighted by the fresh taste of the tacos. It demolishes Taco Bell and damn near as good as El Rey. The selection is limited, just chicken and beef. Skip the chicken thou, always go with beef and at $ 1.50, its a great buy.
If you ever have to visit this place, hope for Judge Edwards, Court 9. She was extremely friendly and explained to people their options when she was talking to them.
Metal Detectors. There are two with two employees operating them. Try to go in there with as little stuff as you need. I would leave the dress shoes at home, unless you want to talk them off.
Once you enter there are giant screens to your left that have names listed in alphabetically order with court numbers, so you can easily find where you need to be without asking anybody. My goal is always to get in and out as quickly as possible, so thats the first place I look.
Peace,
CDB

The women that work here are so rude! One them started picking on me when I went to go pick up my brother. She talked back to me as if I did something wrong. I don’t see how she still has a job!

Yay! I am a fan… said NO ONE EVER.
You don’t ever come to the courthouse of your own free will.
In my case, I was a victim of Houston PD infamous speed trap. How do you pull someone over as they exit the highway onto a feeder road?!? Wicked! Anyway, I don’t take it personally because people don’t do things against you, they do things for themselves (deep I know). #quota
The irony, we were in route to pay my fiancé speeding ticket and I totally bitched him out about it. Lol!
The courthouse has a judge available all day/​all night. The entire process was less than 30 minutes. Keep in mind, you have to pay $ 5 for parking. It’s an easy process, so you can’t really complain. Staff is friendly and helpful.
But the house ALWAYS wins!

My first parking ticket. Painful and embarrassing. Especially since my EX is an Austin Police Officer.
Wide variety of people watching there. Very curious indeed.
The staff were friendly, professional, fair and dare I say fun ;)
Bonus was leaving the building and having the cops drive out to go on shift.

How can you rate a place that you have to attend Jury Duty a 4 star? Well one of my favorite quotes is «it’s all relative». Yes I would hate to have to attend Jury Duty, but if I do, I would prefer it be here. The cases are not as life or death. The longest you would have to serve is until 5 pm of that day, no cases last more than the day. The judges here are very nice and fair. You get a 20 minute break and an 1 hr and a half lunch.

Update: I got my traffic ticket dismissed because the cop didn’t show up, no cops showed up so everyone who elected for a trail by judge had their cases dismissed, no defensive driving, no nothin’.

This is nothing like tv. I was called to be a witness. First they treat you like you’re at an airport. I had to empty my pockets, take off my shoes the works! I got here early it was total confusion and I mean some of this people were dressed like idk what. Did you not know you were going to court?
Tv totally dramatizes the legal process it’s completely boring and most people end up having things dropped or get deals because no one wants to clog up the dockets with bull crap. Apparently someone hitting and running is one of those offenses. I mean why subpoena me and then ask me if I really want to testify?! Then the defendant arrives late and leaves early. Somehow I’m still here waiting to testify.
The prosecutor is somewhat amusing. He was talking to a juvenile and decided to quote Ice Cube’s «check yourself» to teach them a lesson. Btw he’s a huge (big&tall) middle aged white dude. Even though he was mildly entertaining he’s no Jack McCoy.
Other than that the smell of stale piss, the utter monotony, drab colors, & ridiculousness of the system will drain your your soul! On top of it all having to take off work I wasn’t even called! Also driving around here as well as parking is a motha! All in all a pretty sucky experience.

its court and is there anything every good about going to court … no there isn’t … and they keep this place super warm …

Even though the judge seemed somewhat fair, there’s no way I am giving more than one star for this traffic court. I don’t know much about law but I think that for a person to commit an infraction they have to at least –know– that they did it.
My friend Nicki brought me to this court with her as she was issued a ticket for running a red light in downtown. She was very upset because she never even saw the light. I don’t know how someone could do that, but apparently she had a lot on her mind at the time or something. As she speaks Lao natively, as well as Thai and has only been in the US a few years she wanted me to talk to the judge for her. So, she goes up in front of the judge, I stayed seated and the next thing I see is the judge with this somewhat annoyed and confused look on her face saying, «Thai, Lao? Thai, Lao?» Apparently Nicki asked for a Thai or Lao translator and sure enough the court in cowtown Texas doesn’t or didn’t have one…
After about 30 minutes the judge finally asked the uhm, «audience?» if anyone could translate for her. So I slowly raised my hand. I don’t speak Thai or Lao but I understand her and she understands me well, so I knew I could help. When I stood up and walked up there, every single head and eyes were on me and I know what people were thinking. They were thinking «Oh you have to be kidding me, let’s see this tall white guy bust out with some Thai or Laotian!» Hahah! :) So the judge asked me to ask her if she ran the red light. I looked at Nicki and said really slowly in English «Nicki, did you run the red light?» She looked at me and said «Yes, I did not see it». I looked at the judge and said «She did not see it.» Boy that lady looked pissed. Nicki got a fine of $ 30.

Ho hum. So everyone will get some sort of traffic ticket at some point in their life. No matter how «perfect» of a driver you are, you WILL get a ticket. It sucks. The young officer with braces who writes all of your tickets sucks. The finite amount of time to take care of expired inspections sucks. Having to get this taken care of during the holidays sucks. It’s all a big bother.
I wasn’t certain what to expect as I’d never been to this Municipal court. To put this in perspective, it wasn’t as bad as going to the DPS office.
Every employee is nice, yes even the police officers. After seeing my laundry list of tickets, the officers at the information desk asked why he hadn’t also given me a ticket for not having brand new tires or a properly detailed car. Ha, ha… right?!
After the information clerk gave me a court room number and instructions on how to get to the court room, I ventured downstairs. I’m not certain if it was the holiday or just how they operate, but the line moved really quickly. Well, I think my tickets held the room up a bit, but still. I think from parking lot to information desk to court room to cashier back to parking lot, I was only there for an hour. (Bring a book.)
Oh, parking is in the fenced lot across the street from the Court. The entrances are off of Houston Ave or the feeder to Memorial. The cost is $ 3 for two hours or $ 6 for all day. Also, the Court’s hours are from 7am to 10pm.
Oh, and even though you may deserve a burger from Stanton’s (two blocks away) after finishing up with the whole ordeal, it isn’t open on holidays (or the eves of holidays).