Where I Practice
DWI Defense Across the Austin Area
I take DWI cases in Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, and DWI is the only kind of case I take. More than 6,000 of them since 1998.
Which county you were stopped in decides which courthouse hears your case, and the three do not work alike. An Austin mailing address does not settle it. The county line does.
Free Consultation
Call 512-469-6056
Austin DWI Defense Attorney
Ken Gibson
Handles every DWI case in this office personally, from the license hearing through trial.
6,000+
DWI Cases Handled
Since 1998
Practicing DWI Defense
DWI Only
Defense Focus
The three counties, and what routes where
Interstate 35 runs the length of the region and connects all three courthouses. The stars mark where cases are actually heard. City labels are schematic because several cities cross county lines; the county location of the alleged offense controls court routing.
The location of the stop generally controls the county filing, not the driver's mailing address or the city name used for the neighborhood. A stop in Travis County normally routes to Austin, one in Williamson County to Georgetown, and one in Hays County to San Marcos. The agency named on the paperwork and the precise stop location are more useful routing clues than the address printed on a driver's license.
Which courthouse hears your case
Three counties, three structures. The differences are real and they change how a case moves.
Travis County
Heard at the Blackwell Thurman Criminal Justice Center, 509 West 11th Street in Austin. Seven criminal county courts at law and nine district courts on a random docket draw. Booking runs through Central Booking on West 10th Street.
Pflugerville DWI attorney · Manor DWI attorney · Lakeway DWI attorney · Bee Cave DWI attorney
Williamson County
Heard at the Williamson County Justice Center, 405 Martin Luther King Street in Georgetown. County Courts at Law 2, 3, and 5, plus a dedicated felony DWI court program.
Round Rock DWI attorney · Georgetown DWI attorney · Cedar Park DWI attorney · Leander DWI attorney · Hutto DWI attorney · Taylor DWI attorney
Hays County
Heard at the Hays County Government Center, 712 South Stagecoach Trail in San Marcos, with the jail in the same city. Three county courts at law handle Class A and B misdemeanor criminal cases; district courts have original felony jurisdiction, and assignment varies.
San Marcos DWI attorney · Kyle DWI attorney · Buda DWI attorney · Dripping Springs DWI attorney
Where the county lines catch people out
Three boundaries in this region regularly send people to the wrong courthouse, and each one is worth knowing before you assume anything.
North Austin. Addresses inside Williamson County answer in Georgetown, not downtown Austin. Two houses on the same road can end up in courthouses thirty miles apart.
Northern suburbs. Pflugerville, Round Rock, Cedar Park and Leander cross the Travis-Williamson line. The county location of the alleged offense determines whether the DWI proceeds in Austin or Georgetown, so a city name alone does not settle the courthouse.
South of Austin. Far south Austin addresses inside Hays County answer in San Marcos. On I-35 between Buda and the county line, the precise location of a stop genuinely decides which county hears the case.
Not sure which county?
The citation and the offense report show the location, and the agency that made the stop is a strong indicator.
If you are not certain, call and I will work it out with you. It takes a minute and it changes everything that follows.
DWI topics in depth
The law is the same in all three counties. These pages cover it.
The 15 day ALR deadline
The civil case against your license, the deadline that runs from arrest, and why a timely request stays the suspension.
First offense DWI
What a Class B actually carries, the state fine, and whether it can be kept off your record.
Second DWI
Class A, a 30 day minimum, no deferred, and why there is no ten year washout in Texas.
Third and felony DWI
Two to ten years, and which priors count, including out of state and non vehicle offenses.
Breath test defense
What the Intoxilyzer 9000 measures, the records behind a result, and your right to an independent test.
Occupational license
Driving after a suspension. The 2023 overhaul removed the waiting periods, and the filing venue rule catches people out.
Clearing a DWI
Expunction destroys a record and nondisclosure only seals it. Which dismissals actually qualify.
DWI nondisclosure
Sealable since 2017, but the clean record rule disqualifies more people than the DWI itself.
Underage DUI
In Texas DUI is the under 21 offense. Any detectable amount, and no nondisclosure path at all.
Related pages
Service area questions
Which counties do you take cases in?
Travis, Williamson and Hays. That covers Austin and the surrounding cities including Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Hutto, Taylor, Pflugerville, Manor, Lakeway, Bee Cave, San Marcos, Kyle, Buda and Dripping Springs.
I live in one county and was stopped in another. Which applies?
Where the alleged offense occurred controls, not where you live. A stop in the Williamson County portion of Round Rock generally creates a Williamson County case; a stop in the Travis County portion generally creates a Travis County case.
My address says Austin. Is that automatically Travis County?
No. North Austin addresses inside Williamson County route to Georgetown, and far south Austin addresses inside Hays County route to San Marcos. The county line decides it.
Do you handle cases outside these three counties?
These three are where I practice regularly and know how the courts actually work. If your case is elsewhere, call and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right person for it.