File a citizen complaint

You need to know who you are accusing and provide:

• Their name
• Their contact details (as much as is available to you)
• Your contact details
• Details about the violation

An affidavit is a legal form signed under oath. This will be used for further investigation.

• Animal violation: Download an affidavit for an animal violation (PDF, 471 KB).
• Traffic code or insurance violation: Download an affidavit for a traffic code or insurance violation (PDF, 290 KB).
• Non-traffic violation: Download an affidavit for a non-traffic violation (PDF, 216 KB).

You must sign the form with a notary:

• If you want to submit the form in person, don’t sign the form until you see a notary at a Municipal Court location. 
• If you submit by mail or email, you must bring the filled-out form to a notary before signing.

In person

Go to one of our two locations:

Main Courthouse: 6800 Burleson Road, Building 310, Suite 175, Austin, TX 78744

Jaime Padron Substation: 12425 Lamplight Village Ave., Austin, TX 78758

By mail

Mail your notarized complaint form to:

Austin Municipal Court
P.O. Box 2135
Austin, TX 78768

Be sure to make a copy of the notarized form for your records.

By email

Send a scan of your form to court@austintexas.gov.

A prosecutor will contact you about your complaint within 21-30 days. If this does not happen, call 512-974-4800 or email court@austintexas.gov.

• Complainant: The person filing the complaint.
• Defendant: The person being accused.
• Subpoena: An order to go to court.

• The complainant must provide a fair and complete account of the facts.
• Required fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be filled out, or the complaint may not be accepted.

• If the accused contests the charges, the complainant must appear in court. 
• If found guilty, the defendant may be fined up to $500 or $2000 for some charges, plus court costs. There is no jail time. The defendant can appeal the case to a higher court. 
• Once a case is filed, only a Municipal Court judge can dismiss the case, based on the prosecutor's recommendation.
• The prosecutor can subpoena the person who filed the complaint to testify in court.

• The defendant can file a counter-complaint if the complainant has also done something illegal. 
• Any statements made by the counter-complainant can be used against them. 
• The prosecutor represents the state and does not have an attorney-client relationship with the complainant.