That long-ignored ticket sitting on your record might finally get a clean exit. Austin Municipal Court and the Downtown Austin Community Court are bringing back their annual Warrant Amnesty program, running March 23 through April 17, 2026. The initiative lets people take care of unpaid citations and outstanding warrants without worrying about getting arrested, and court staff says warrant fees will be waived for people who show up to resolve their cases. For many residents, it is a low-drama way to clear lingering Class C cases that can mess with jobs or licenses.
Joseph Mateo, a court official, told KVUE the 2026 program “has more resources to handle more cases” and gives people a better shot at having fees waived. “Warrants for Class C offenses can affect a person’s job and record,” Mateo said, urging people to come to court so an arrest does not have to be made and so fines and fees do not snowball.
The pitch is backed up by last year’s numbers. Austin Municipal Court’s 2025 annual report shows the 2025 amnesty effort cleared 1,854 warrants, waived $87,751 in warrant fees and terminated 17,905 civil parking cases, while still collecting roughly $181,236 in outstanding fines and fees. Court leaders say those results help remove barriers to employment and cut down on longer-term enforcement costs tied to low-level cases.
How the amnesty works
Why it matters
The relaunch comes as Austin continues to wrestle with unpaid parking debt and the administrative drag of old cases. Reporting by the KVUE Defenders found the city missed out on more than $7 million in unpaid parking tickets over five years, while the municipal report shows roughly $906,656 was pulled in after thousands of parking cases were cleared. Advocates and court staff say amnesty programs lower the odds of surprise arrests and the ripple effects that follow, including lost work, license trouble and complications for housing or employment…