duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- Texas charges DWI. For an adult driver a Fort Worth “DUI” is a DWI case.
- Ten County Criminal Courts and eleven felony courts sit at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap.
- The county lists what a magistrate weighs for bond, including ability to pay and the arrestee’s history of appearing in court.
- The Felony Alcohol Intervention Program is a post-adjudication program for high-risk repeat DWI offenders.
- Released on a personal bond? The county says the court, date and time are on the release paperwork.
- 15 days to request the license hearing from DPS.
from the date you were served with the notice to demand a hearing from Texas Department of Public Safety. The request goes to DPS, not to the court, and no judge in Tarrant County will make it for you. Tex. Transp. Code §§ 524.031, 724.041.
Texas charges driving while intoxicated under Penal Code section 49.04, and for an adult driver that is the offense people mean when they search for a Fort Worth DUI lawyer. The lesser charge Texas calls DUI applies only to drivers under 21. The penalty levels are on the Texas DWI laws page.
Tarrant County publishes three things that shape a Fort Worth case: where every criminal court sits, what its magistrates weigh when they set bond, and a felony program built for repeat DWI. Those are what this page covers.
The same diagram as a table
| Step | Criminal case — decided by a court | License case — decided by a state agency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrest and booking, hour 0 | Notice of suspension served, day 0 |
| 2 | Charge filed by the prosecutor | Deadline to demand a hearing: 7 to 30 days in the eight states on this site that use an agency hearing |
| 3 | First court setting, on a date the court picks | Hearing held if the request was filed — whether the suspension waits for the ruling is set by each state's statute |
| 4 | One or more pretrial settings | Suspension takes effect automatically with no hearing |
| 5 | Trial, plea or dismissal | — |
| Clock | Weeks to months. No filing deadline runs against the driver. | Counted in days from the notice, and fixed by statute. |
Where a Fort Worth DWI is heard
A first DWI is a Class B misdemeanor (Class A at 0.15 or more) and a second is Class A; both go to one of Tarrant County’s ten County Criminal Courts. A third offense is a felony, and so are DWI with a passenger younger than 15 (a state jail felony under Penal Code section 49.045), intoxication assault (third degree, section 49.07) and intoxication manslaughter (second degree, section 49.08). Those go to one of the county’s eleven felony courts. The county lists every one of those courts at the same address.
Tarrant County Criminal Courts No. 1–10
- Hears
- Misdemeanors, which is where a first or second DWI sits
- Building
- Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center
- Address
- 401 W. Belknap, Fort Worth, TX 76196
- Detail
- Ten county criminal courts, on the 5th to 8th floors
- Why it matters
- The court number on your paperwork decides the floor.
Tarrant County felony courts
- Hears
- Felony DWI, meaning a third offense, a passenger under 15, intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter
- Building
- Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center
- Address
- 401 W. Belknap, Fort Worth, TX 76196
- Detail
- Criminal District Courts No. 1–4 and the 213th, 297th, 371st, 372nd, 396th, 432nd and 485th District Courts
- Why it matters
- Eleven felony courts, in the same building as the misdemeanor courts.
The county lists County Criminal Courts No. 1 to 10 and the felony courts on the 5th to 8th floors of the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center at 401 W. Belknap. The District Attorney’s Office is in the same building. The court number on your paperwork decides the floor; the building is the same either way.
The District Attorney’s Office is in the same building. It lists its hours as Monday to Friday, 7:45am to 4:45pm, its central number as 817-884-1400, and a separate misdemeanor line, 817-884-2488. Its directory also lists the police departments in the county, from Arlington and Euless to Grapevine and Hurst.
Not sure which court your case is in?
Enter the ZIP code where the arrest happened and the full form opens with it filled in.
Magistration, bond and the first fifteen days
Tarrant County describes Central Magistration in terms of bond. Its judges, it says, make individualized assessments based on five factors, including the person’s ability to pay, the nature of the charge and community safety, and the information the magistrate considers before setting bond includes:
- the alleged facts of the offense;
- the risk of the arrestee committing an offense before trial;
- financial assessments — the arrestee’s ability to pay for the bond;
- the arrestee’s history of appearing in court.
At magistration the judge may also grant or deny requests for emergency protective orders. For someone released on a personal bond, the county states that the court location, date and time are on the paperwork given at release, and gives 817-884-2674 for anyone who cannot find it.
For a second or subsequent DWI, and for a first charge under Penal Code section 49.045, 49.07 or 49.08, Code of Criminal Procedure article 17.441 requires the magistrate to order an ignition interlock as a bond condition unless the magistrate finds that it would not be in the interest of justice; see ignition interlock requirements.
The license case runs separately. A failed or refused test produces a notice of suspension, and from that date you have 15 days to ask DPS in writing for an Administrative License Revocation hearing. If nothing is filed, the suspension begins on the fortieth day after notice.
| What happened | First time | With a prior | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the test | 90 days | 1 year | Tex. Transp. Code § 524.022(a) |
| Refused the test | 180 days | 2 years | Tex. Transp. Code § 724.035(a)–(b) |
The Felony Alcohol Intervention Program
Tarrant County lists a set of specialty programs in its criminal courts, and one is aimed squarely at DWI. The county describes the Felony Alcohol Intervention Program as a post-adjudication program for the high-risk repeat DWI offender, designed to coordinate alcohol abuse intervention with judicial oversight, enhanced supervision and individual accountability. It describes the program’s purpose as expediting the time between a DWI arrest and entry into treatment, and diverting offenders out of the traditional process into rehabilitative alternatives.
Post-adjudication means the program is entered after the case is decided; the diversion the county describes is from the traditional process into treatment from that point on. For a first or second DWI the question is the ordinary Texas one, and the Texas DWI laws page sets out the ranges.
The same specialty-programs list includes a Veterans Treatment Court, a Mental Health Diversion Court and a Public Safety Employee Treatment Court, among others.
DWI cases across Tarrant County
Every criminal court Tarrant County lists for a DWI sits at 401 W. Belknap. The question is whether the stop was in Tarrant County at all.
| Situation | County | Where the case goes |
|---|---|---|
| A misdemeanor DWI anywhere in Tarrant County | Tarrant | A County Criminal Court, Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center |
| A felony DWI anywhere in Tarrant County | Tarrant | A felony court, the same building |
| An arrest by Arlington, Euless, Grapevine, Hurst or another department the DA lists | Tarrant | Tarrant County, for a stop inside the county |
| Grand Prairie | Dallas, Tarrant and Ellis | Depends on the block — see the Dallas page |
The District Attorney’s directory lists police departments under the heading “Tarrant County Police Departments”. A department’s name does not settle the county: Grand Prairie spans three counties, and the county on the citation governs.
Grand Prairie is the example worth remembering. The city states that it lies in Dallas, Tarrant and Ellis counties, so a Grand Prairie arrest may belong to any of the three; the Dallas page covers that side. The other Texas cities on this site are Houston, Austin and San Antonio.
Common questions about Fort Worth DWI cases
Where is a Fort Worth DWI heard?
At the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap, Fort Worth. A misdemeanor DWI goes to one of ten Tarrant County Criminal Courts and a felony DWI to one of eleven felony courts, all listed by the county at that address.
How does a Tarrant County magistrate set bond?
The county states that judges make individualized assessments based on factors including ability to pay, the nature of the charge and community safety, and consider the alleged facts, the risk of a pretrial offense, a financial assessment and the arrestee's history of appearing in court.
I was released on a personal bond. When is my court date?
The county states that the court location, date and time are on the paperwork given at release. If you cannot find it, it gives 817-884-2674.
What is the Tarrant County Felony Alcohol Intervention Program?
A post-adjudication program for high-risk repeat DWI offenders, which the county says coordinates alcohol abuse intervention with judicial oversight, enhanced supervision and individual accountability.
How do I reach the Tarrant County District Attorney about a DWI?
The office lists 817-884-1400 as its central number and 817-884-2488 as its misdemeanor line, Monday to Friday, 7:45am to 4:45pm, at 401 West Belknap.
How long do I have to save my license after a Fort Worth arrest?
Fifteen days from the notice of suspension. The written request goes to the Texas Department of Public Safety, not to the Tarrant County courts. If it is not filed, the suspension begins on the fortieth day after notice.
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More for Texas
- Texas DWI law — the full penalty matrix, the statutes, and the rules on priors and interlock
- Houston and Harris County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Dallas — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Austin and Travis County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- San Antonio and Bexar County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- El Paso — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Denton — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Refusing a breathalyzer — what implied consent costs here against what it buys
- How long it stays on your record — three records, three clocks
- SR-22 insurance after a Texas suspension — what the filing certifies and how long it runs
- Ignition interlock providers and costs in Texas — what the device costs and who installs it
Sources
- Tarrant County, misdemeanor courts — read September 25, 2026
- Tarrant County, felony courts — read September 25, 2026
- Tarrant County, Central Magistration — read September 25, 2026
- Tarrant County, criminal courts specialty programs — read September 25, 2026
- Tarrant County, Felony Alcohol Intervention Program (FAIP) overview — read September 25, 2026
- Tarrant County District Attorney, contact and directory — read September 25, 2026
- City of Grand Prairie, find my county — read September 25, 2026
- Texas Penal Code chapter 49 (sections 49.045, 49.07, 49.08), Texas Legislature — read September 25, 2026
- Tex. Penal Code § 49.01(2)(B) and the rest of the Texas statutes cited on this page — read in force 2026
Court addresses, hours and phone numbers were read from each court’s or office’s own published page on September 25, 2026. Those change without notice; confirm before you rely on them. No judge is named anywhere on this page, because a roster is exactly the kind of detail that goes stale silently.