Skip to content
  • Office Hours Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CLOSED DAILY FROM 12:00 - 1:00 p.m FOR LUNCH

Juvenile / Minor Information

  • Juveniles are defined by law as persons sixteen (16) years of age or younger.
  • Minors are persons 20 years of age or younger on alcohol-related offenses and 17 years of age on tobacco-related offenses,

IF YOU FALL UNDER ONE OF THE DEFINITIONS ABOVE, THE STATE LAW REQUIRES AN APPEARANCE BEFORE THE JUDGE WITH A PARENT OR SOMEONE OF PARENTAL RELATION TO ANSWER TO ANY CHARGES FILED AGAINST YOU. DO NOT MAIL FINE PAYMENT OR ATTEMPT TO DISCHARGE OF YOUR CITATION WITH THE CLERK.

COURT APPEARANCE REQUIRED

All juveniles or minors charged with an alcohol or tobacco violation must appear in open court accompanied by a parent or person of parental relation. The court will automatically mail notice of the date and time when you must appear before the Judge. The notice will be mailed to the address on the citation that was issued to the juvenile or minor.

Please note that all cases in open court are restricted due to seating and court capacity. Therefore, only the juvenile and parent or person of parental relation will be allowed in the courtroom unless additional seating is available. Although younger siblings will be permitted, the court reserves the right to remove any child who is disruptive to Court proceedings.

Dress Code/Court Rules

As with any court hearing, all persons entering the court are to be dressed appropriately. Haltermidriff tops, t-shirts with vulgar or offensive illustrations, excessively baggy pants, and/or soiled or torn clothing are not appropriate.

Every person shall also obey all court rules and shall conduct himself or herself in a respectful and courteous manner. The bailiff shall remove any person in violation of the dress code or court rules.

For security purposes, all electronic devices, including cell phones, pagers, ipods, pda’s, cameras, and laptops are not allowed in the courtroom. Please leave these devices at home or secure them in your vehicle.

Failure to Appear

Parent or Person of Parental Relation

Failure of the parent or person of parental relation to appear with the juvenile or minor is a separate misdemeanor offense against the parent or person of parental relation. A warrant for the parent or person of parental relation may be issued if the Failure to appear citation is not resolved in a timely manner. Although not required by law, the court clerk may notify the parent and/or person of parental relation when a warrant is issued for their arrest.

Juvenile or Minor

If the juvenile or minor fails to appear at his or her scheduled court hearing, a Failure to Appear charge may be added to each of the violations that have been set for court. A warrant for the arrest of a minor may also be immediately issued. Additional fees along with an additional violation for Failure to Appear may be added to each violation. A warrant for the juvenile’s arrest will not be issued until after that person reaches 17 years of age. Failure to appear and failure to comply with a teen court order is reported to the Department of Public Safety. DPS then denies issuance of a Texas Driver’s License, and/or denies renewal of a Texas Driver’s License until the person has appeared/complied with the court order.

Address Notification

Pursuant to Texas law, Article 45.057(j), Code of Criminal Prodedure, you are being provided writen notice of the following:

  1. A child and parent are required to appear before the Court and have an obligation to provide the Court in writing with the current address and residence of the child;
  2. The obligation does not end when the child reaches the age of 17;
  3. On or before the seventh (7th) day after the date the child or parent changes residence (any place where the child lives or resides for a period of at least 30 days), the child or parent shall notify the Court of the current address in the manner directed by the Court;
  4. Failure to provide notice is a Class C misdemeanor and may result in arrest;
  5. The obligation to provide notice terminated on discharge and satisfaction of the judgment or final disposition not requiring a finding of guilt.

Notice of address or residence changes may be sent to the Beverly Hills Municipal Court, 3418 Memorial Drive, Beverly Hills, TX 76711.

Juvenile cases may also be referred directly to the Juvenile Court, at the Judge’s discretion

Translate »