Will your online court-ordered class count? Five checks before you pay
By Texas Court Counseling · Published
Search for an online DWI or drug class and you'll find plenty of national websites selling click-through courses. Many say in their own fine print that they aren't approved by Texas. Here are five checks that take a few minutes and can save you from paying twice.
1. Is the provider licensed by TDLR?
Texas court-ordered classes are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). A licensed provider shows its license number. Look the provider up on TDLR's license search before you pay. Watch for vague wording like "court accepted" or "nationally approved" without a Texas license number.
2. Is it taught live by an instructor?
Texas allows these classes online only when they're live and interactive: a real instructor on camera the whole time, and you on camera too. A course of videos or slides you click through on your own doesn't meet the state's rules.
3. Is it the right class and the right number of hours?
The 12-hour DWI Education class is for a first DWI with probation. The 32-hour DWI Intervention Program is for repeat offenses. The DOEP is 15 hours. Match the class and the hours to your court order. See which DWI class you need.
4. Do you get a paper state certificate?
Texas certificates are numbered paper forms that providers must mail or hand to you, never email. If a site promises an instant downloadable certificate, it isn't issuing the Texas form. More in how your certificate arrives.
5. For DWI classes: does the provider notify DPS and probation?
Licensed providers must send a copy of your DWI Education certificate to the Department of Public Safety and notify your probation department, within 10 working days. A provider that tells you to do this yourself isn't following the Texas process.
Still unsure? Ask before you pay
Your probation officer or attorney can confirm whether a provider will be accepted in your case. It's a two-minute question that can save you from taking the class twice. Read more about taking a court-ordered class online.
Sources
- 16 Tex. Admin. Code §90.48, online program requirements
- 16 Tex. Admin. Code §90.49, certificate of program completion
- TDLR license search
- Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 42A.403, DWI education program
- Texas Transportation Code §521.374, educational program to end the suspension
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your court order and your probation officer decide which class you need and by when. We are not a court and are not affiliated with any court.