Rules of Conduct
_______
Jurisdiction of Municipal Court
The Corpus Christi Municipal Court is a Court of Record.
The Court derives its jurisdiction from Article 4.14 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure and Chapter 30 of the Texas Government Code.
The Court presides over Corpus Christi City Ordinances including ordinances that govern fire safety, zoning, public health, sanitation, dumping of refuse and cruelly treated animals.
The Corpus Christi Municipal Court also has jurisdiction over statutory offenses occurring within the city limits which are violations of the Texas Penal Code.
State statutes that Corpus Christi Municipal Court preside over include:
-
Class C offenses in the Texas Penal Code.
-
Class C offenses in the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code.
-
Class C offenses in the Texas Health Code and Safety Code.
-
Class C offenses in the Texas Transportation Code
The Court issues emergency protective orders, and search and arrest warrants. The Judges of the Court inform individuals of their constitutional and statutory rights and set bail bonds.
_______
New Trial and Appellate Process:
Appeal
If you are found guilty by either the judge or a jury, the penalty will be announced at that time.
If you are not satisfied with your judgment or verdict you have the right to appeal your case. If you choose to appeal your case the appeal will be heard in a Nueces County Court at Law. You must follow the appellate procedure in accordance with the Texas Government Code.
For more information on the procedure you may download Appellant’s Appeal:
New Trial
A written motion for new trial must be made within ten days after the rendition of judgment and sentence. The judge may grant the motion for new trial. If a motion for new trial is not granted before the 31st day after the date the judgment is entered, operation of law overrules the motion.
_______
Juveniles
UNDER 17 YEARS OLD
View information about juvenile case procedures »
_______
Court Options
View information on Pleas, Payment choices, & other case resolutions »
_______
The Trial Process
View information on Procedures for requesting trial, and the trial process »
_______
Court Appearances
RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR APPEARING IN COURT
Citations:
The law requires that you appear in court to enter a plea on your case. Individuals who have received a citation are required to appear on or before 14 days from the date of the citation. You may make an appearance in person, by mail or by e-mail.
The purpose of your initial appearance is to enter a plea (guilty, not guilty, or nolo contendere) and to advise the court as to the type of trial (jury or non-jury) that you want if you are pleading not guilty. There are separate rules for offenders sixteen years of age or less (see link in left column). If you have been released on bond, your appearance date is set on the bond. If you waive a jury trial and plead guilty or nolo contendere (no contest), you may talk to the judge Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays during our Walk-In Docket.
For your convenience, select the link below to review Court Options, before pleading guilty or no contest you (Court Options). If you plead not guilty, the court will schedule a pre-trial. At the pre-trial, you will be given the option to request a jury trial or a bench trial. If you waive your right to a jury trial, the trial will be before a Judge.
When you make your appearance by mail, your envelope must be postmarked on or before the 14th day after you received your citation.
Summons or Court Ordered Appearances:
If you received a summons to appear or received a court order to appear in court you must appear in court on that date and time. If you cannot appear, you may file a motion for continuance. If the motion for continuance is granted, you will be given another court date to appear. All motions for continuance should be filed 3-5 working days prior to the court date to allow time to ascertain if the motion was granted. If the motion for continuance is not granted, and the individual does not show up for court, an arrest warrant will be issued
FAILURE TO APPEAR
If you fail to appear in-person, by mail, or fax by the 14th day after the date you received your citation or summons, or if you subsequently fail to appear for a pre-trail or trial setting, you can be charged with an additional offense of "Violation Of Promise To Appear" or "Failure to Appear" and a warrant for your arrest will be issued. The offenses of "Violation of Promise to Appear" and "Failure to Appear" carry additional court costs, fees, and fines. Your failure to resolve your offenses will result in reports being made to the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Transportation and Nueces County. You may be denied your right to renew your driver's license and/or to register a vehicle.
Warrants
If you have a warrant for your arrest you should appear at Corpus Christi Municipal Court to resolve your case without the fear of being arrested.
If an individual has received a warrant for their arrest, additional fees and costs are assessed due to the warrant. If the warrant remains outstanding the failure to resolve your offense will be reported to the Department of Public Safety and Nueces County. You may be denied your right to renew your driver's license and/or to register your vehicle.
- an individual has an outstanding warrant and they do not wish to contest the charge, the person must enter a plea of no contest or guilty. Payments can be made online, in person, placed in the drop box or mailed. A payment made online will be a conviction and will be reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
All payments made on line will be assessed a 3% fee.
All correspondence should be mailed to:
Municipal Court
120 N Chaparral Street
Corpus Christi, Texas 78401
All e-mail should be addressed to: mcmail@cctexas.com
There is also a drop box located at the entrance of Municipal Court.
