(a) A justice or municipal court may defer proceedings against a defendant who is under the age of 18 or enrolled full time in an accredited secondary school in a program leading toward a high school diploma for not more than 180 days if the defendant:
(1) is charged with an offense that the court has jurisdiction of under Article 4.11 or 4.14;
(2) pleads nolo contendere or guilty to the offense in open court with the defendant’s parent, guardian, or managing conservator present;
(3) presents to the court an oral or written request to attend a teen court program or is recommended to attend the program by a school employee under § 37.146, Education Code; and
(4) has not successfully completed a teen court program in the year preceding the date that the alleged offense occurred.
(b) The teen court program must be approved by the court.

(c) A defendant for whom proceedings are deferred under Subsection (a) shall complete the teen court program not later than the 90th day after the date the teen court hearing to determine punishment is held or the last day of the deferral period, whichever date is earlier. The justice or municipal court shall dismiss the charge at the time the defendant presents satisfactory evidence that the defendant has successfully completed the teen court program.
(d) A charge dismissed under this article may not be part of the defendant’s criminal record or driving record or used for any purpose. However, if the charge was for a traffic offense, the court shall report to the Department of Public Safety that the defendant successfully completed the teen court program and the date of completion for inclusion in the defendant’s driving record.
(e) The justice or municipal court may require a person who requests a teen court program to pay a reimbursement fee not to exceed $10 that is set by the court to cover the costs of administering this article. Reimbursement fees collected by a municipal court shall be deposited in the municipal treasury. Reimbursement fees collected by a justice court shall be deposited in the county treasury of the county in which the court is located. A person who requests a teen court program and fails to complete the program is not entitled to a refund of the fee.
(f) A court may transfer a case in which proceedings have been deferred under this section to a court in another county if the court to which the case is transferred consents. A case may not be transferred unless it is within the jurisdiction of the court to which it is transferred.
(g) In addition to the reimbursement fee authorized by Subsection (e), the court may require a child who requests a teen court program to pay a $10 reimbursement fee to cover the cost to the teen court for performing its duties under this article. The court shall pay the fee to the teen court program, and the teen court program must account to the court for the receipt and disbursal of the fee. A child who pays a fee under this subsection is not entitled to a refund of the fee, regardless of whether the child successfully completes the teen court program.
(h) A justice or municipal court may exempt a defendant for whom proceedings are deferred under this article from the requirement to pay a court cost or fee that is imposed by another statute.
(i) Notwithstanding Subsection (e) or (g), a justice or municipal court that is located in the Texas-Louisiana border region, as defined by § 2056.002, Government Code, may charge a reimbursement fee of $20 under those subsections.

Text of article effective until January 01, 2025