Williamson County Pre-Trial Intervention Program (PTIP): How DWI and Misdemeanor Charges Get Dismissed

Some Williamson County misdemeanor charges — including many first-time DWI charges — can end in an outright dismissal without a trial, through the County Attorney’s Pre-Trial Intervention Program (PTIP). Complete the program successfully, and the Williamson County Attorney’s Office dismisses the pending charge. But the eligibility rules are stricter than most people expect, the application contains a trap for the unprepared, and admission is entirely at the County Attorney’s discretion. Here is how the program actually works.

What PTIP Is

PTIP is a voluntary diversion program for adult misdemeanor charges, operated by the Williamson County Attorney’s Office together with Texas Community Supervision Alternatives (TCSA). Instead of prosecuting the case to a plea or trial, the County Attorney’s Office enters a contract with the defendant: complete a supervised program of six, nine, or twelve months — classes, community service, drug testing, and alcohol monitoring — and the State dismisses the charge. Violate the contract, and the case goes back to court, where the defendant pleads guilty and accepts a sentence that was pre-negotiated before the program began. That last part matters: the terms you agree to on the way in decide what happens if things go wrong, which is one of several reasons to have counsel involved before anything is signed.

Who Qualifies — and the Rule That Surprises People

The minimum criteria are firm, and the County Attorney’s Office does not waive them. The applicant must admit guilt to the charged offense and take full responsibility. No prior felony convictions or felony deferred adjudications, ever. No misdemeanor convictions or deferred adjudications within the past ten years. And here is the rule that catches people off guard: any prior arrest or charge for the same or a similar offense disqualifies the applicant — regardless of how it was resolved. A DWI arrest from years ago that was dismissed still closes the PTIP door on a new DWI charge. Certain offenses are excluded entirely, including sexual offenses, drug delivery, and any DWI involving injury to another person. A high breath or blood test does not exclude you: a DWI at 0.15 or above remains eligible, though it starts on a longer program track. Even when every criterion is met, the prosecutor may deny an application for any reason based on the facts of the offense or the applicant’s history.

How Long the Program Runs

The county uses a published formula. The charged offense sets the starting point: a DWI with a test of 0.15 or above starts at nine months, as do assault–family violence and resisting arrest; most other offenses start at six. From there, months get added — three for any criminal history that doesn’t already disqualify the applicant, three if the county’s evidence-based assessments flag a concern, and three for a positive drug test at screening. Six months is Track 1, nine is Track 2, twelve is Track 3 — and if the formula totals more than twelve, the applicant is ineligible. Supervision itself includes roughly twenty hours of community service, drug testing, required classes, alcohol monitoring for alcohol and substance offenses, and a zero-tolerance rule for drug and alcohol use during the program.

What It Costs

The county’s fees are fixed: $150 for the screening assessments and drug test, then a program fee of $360 for Track 1 or $500 for Tracks 2 and 3, due at signing and non-refundable — it is not credited toward fines or court costs if the program isn’t completed. Defendants represented by a court-appointed attorney pay an additional $300 fee. Classes and alcohol monitoring (an ignition interlock with a camera, or a SCRAM device) carry their own costs, and any restitution — including DPS lab fees — must be paid in full before the contract is signed.

The Application — and the Part You Cannot Take Back

The application must be submitted to the County Attorney’s Office within thirty days of receiving the first plea offer on the case. It requires a written statement, in the defendant’s own words, confessing to the offense and accepting full responsibility — the county’s own materials warn that a bare “I accept full responsibility” is insufficient, and that minimizing or blame-shifting hurts the application. Once submitted, no rewrites are allowed. And if the applicant is admitted to the program, everything in that application can be used against them in any later prosecution of the offense. The application even includes an attorney-of-record certification section. This is the single strongest reason to involve a defense lawyer before applying rather than after: a botched statement is permanent, and the decision of whether to hand the State a written confession is a serious one that depends on the strength of the case against you.

The Timeline, Start to Finish

After the application goes in, the County Attorney’s Office issues a tentative approval or a denial. Tentative approval leads to the $150 assessment appointment and drug test with TCSA. Then comes final approval or denial. If approved, the contract must be signed within thirty days — attorney, defendant, and prosecutor all present, at the Williamson County Justice Center in Georgetown. The defendant then appears at an onboarding docket in County Court at Law No. 5, signs the agreement, waives the future right to a jury trial on the charge, and pays the program fee. From there, supervision runs its six, nine, or twelve months. Complete everything, and the charge is dismissed. There is a pattern worth noticing in the deadlines: thirty days from the first plea offer to apply, thirty days from approval to sign — and on the bond side of a Williamson County DWI, thirty days from release to install the ignition interlock. The county runs on a rule of thirties, and missing any of them has consequences.

If You Live Outside Williamson County

Defendants who live in Williamson County or the six surrounding counties — Travis, Bell, Milam, Lee, Bastrop, and Burnet — complete their classes and community service in Williamson County. Live farther away, and the county writes alternative conditions into the agreement. Out-of-state defendants can complete the screening assessment remotely and be supervised remotely, though they must return to Texas once to sign the contract. Spanish-language equivalents exist for the required courses.

If the Application Is Denied

There is a review process, but it is narrow: a written Request for Review within ten business days, decided on the papers by the County Attorney’s Office with no hearing, and the decision is final. One protection worth knowing: if the application is denied, the written information in it is not used as direct evidence in the prosecution — that protection applies to denials, not to applicants who are admitted and later violate.

What PTIP Does — and Does Not — Do to Your Record

Successful completion means the charge is dismissed, so there is no conviction. But dismissal is not erasure: the arrest and the case remain on the record until they are expunged, and for PTIP cases, eligibility for expunction is governed by the terms of the individual PTIP contract — another reason the contract language deserves a careful read before signing. For how expunction works and what it removes, see our Texas expunction guide.

How This Firm Handles Williamson County PTIP Cases

David D. White, PLLC defends criminal charges across Williamson County from its Georgetown office, where attorney Taylor Kacir — a former Bell County prosecutor — is based daily. The firm has resolved Williamson County DWI charges through the Pre-Trial Intervention Program, and the judgment calls involved start well before the application: whether the State’s evidence actually supports a conviction, whether a suppression issue makes PTIP unnecessary, and whether the pre-negotiated plea terms in the contract are acceptable if something goes wrong. A program that requires a written confession should never be the first move — it should be the right move, made deliberately. You can see how Williamson County DWI cases have resolved on our case results page, and our Georgetown DWI lawyer and Williamson County DWI pages cover the rest of the process, including the county’s ignition interlock bond conditions. Every case is fact-specific.

Williamson County PTIP: Frequently Asked Questions

Does completing PTIP count as a conviction?

No. Successful completion ends in dismissal of the charge, so there is no conviction. The arrest itself stays on your record until expunged, and expunction eligibility for PTIP cases is set by the terms of your PTIP contract.

Can I get into PTIP for a second DWI?

No. Any prior charge for the same or a similar offense disqualifies an applicant regardless of how the earlier case ended — even a dismissal. This also means completing a diversion program on a first DWI does not create a clean slate; see our post on whether a DWI diversion counts as a prior in Texas.

My test was over 0.15 — am I disqualified?

Not by the number alone. A DWI at 0.15 or above remains eligible but starts on the nine-month track. A DWI involving injury to another person, by contrast, is excluded from the program entirely.

What does PTIP cost in total?

The county’s fixed fees are $150 for assessments and drug testing plus a program fee of $360 (six-month track) or $500 (nine- or twelve-month tracks), non-refundable and due at signing. Classes and alcohol monitoring are billed separately by the providers, restitution must be paid before signing, and defendants with court-appointed counsel pay an additional $300.

What happens if I violate the PTIP agreement?

The case returns to court, and the defendant pleads guilty and accepts the sentence that was pre-negotiated before the program began. Those pre-negotiated terms are set at signing — which is exactly why they should be reviewed by counsel before the contract is executed, not after a violation.

Do I need a lawyer to apply for PTIP?

The application itself includes an attorney-of-record certification, and it requires a written confession that cannot be rewritten once submitted and can be used against you if you are admitted and later prosecuted. Whether to apply at all — as opposed to fighting the case — is a judgment call that depends on the evidence, and it should be made with counsel before anything is put in writing.