Who handles a criminal case in Collin County?
Felony cases are heard in one of the 15 district courts composed of Collin County, and Class A and B misdemeanors go to one of the seven county courts at law created by Government Code §25.0451. Both sit at the courthouse in McKinney. After an arrest you must be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay and within 48 hours under Code of Criminal Procedure art. 15.17. Peter M. Barrett has defended Texas criminal cases since 1994 and takes cases in Collin County. The case review is free and confidential.
- Everything runs through McKinney. Collin County is large and spread out, but the criminal courts sit at the county seat.
- Collin has no dedicated county criminal courts. Unlike Denton and Tarrant, misdemeanors here share the seven county courts at law with civil and probate work.
- Fifteen district courts are composed solely of Collin County, which is a large felony bench for a county of its size.
- The 48 hour rule is the one that matters first. Art. 15.17 governs magistration, and bail is set under art. 17.15.
- A delay can itself free you. Art. 17.151 requires release on personal bond or a reduced bond where the State is not ready within the statutory window.
- Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen and Wylie arrests are Collin County cases, whichever city police department made the arrest.
An arrest in Plano or Frisco is a Collin County case. The city police department made the arrest, but the prosecution belongs to the county, and the case will be set in a court at the McKinney courthouse. People often lose days assuming otherwise, calling the municipal court or waiting for a letter that is going to the wrong address. The sooner someone is looking at the paperwork, the more of the early decisions are still open.
Where your case will be heard
Texas splits criminal jurisdiction by the grade of the offense, and Collin County is organised differently from its neighbours.
Felonies go to the district courts. Fifteen judicial districts are composed solely of Collin County: the 199th, 219th, 296th, 366th, 380th, 401st, 416th, 417th, 429th, 468th, 469th, 470th, 471st, 493rd and 494th. A felony indictment returned by a Collin County grand jury is assigned to one of them.
Class A and Class B misdemeanors go to the county courts at law. Government Code §25.0451 creates seven of them for Collin County, numbered 1 through 7. This is the structural point that separates Collin from Denton and Tarrant: those counties have benches created specifically for criminal work, while in Collin the same seven courts carry civil and probate dockets alongside the misdemeanors.
Class C misdemeanors, the fine-only offenses, stay in a justice of the peace court or the municipal court of the city that filed them. They matter more than people expect, because a conviction is still a conviction on a record.
What happens in the first 48 hours
Code of Criminal Procedure art. 15.17 requires that a person who is arrested be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay and within 48 hours. At that hearing the magistrate gives the statutory warnings, informs the person of the accusation, and sets bail.
Bail is not set at a figure picked from a chart. Art. 17.15 lists what the magistrate is to consider: that bail is to be high enough to give reasonable assurance the person appears, that it is not to be used as an instrument of oppression, the nature of the offense and the circumstances under which it was committed, the ability to make bail, the safety of the victim and of the community, and the person's criminal history. Those are arguments, and they are arguments that are better made by someone who is there.
Art. 17.151 is the provision people most often do not know about. Where the State is not ready for trial within the period the article sets, which depends on the grade of the offense, the person is to be released either on personal bond or by reducing the amount of bail. It is a deadline that runs against the State, and it only helps someone who is counting.
How a Collin County case usually unfolds
After magistration, a misdemeanor is filed by information in one of the county courts at law and a felony is presented to a grand jury. An indictment is the grand jury's decision that there is enough to proceed; it is not a finding of guilt and it is not the end of the argument. Between those stages there is a window in which the evidence can be examined, and in which the case can sometimes be redirected before it hardens.
Charging deadlines apply throughout. Those are set by statute and vary a great deal by offense, and the Texas criminal statute of limitations sets out the full table.
Why people hire Peter Barrett for Collin County cases
Peter M. Barrett has practised Texas criminal defense since 1994 and has tried more than 150 cases to a jury. He is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell, holds a 10.0 rating on Avvo, and has been named to Super Lawyers each year from 2022 to 2026. The firm takes cases in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant and Rockwall counties, which means a case that crosses county lines, as drug and fraud cases often do, does not have to be handed to a second firm.
No outcome can be assured in any case. What can be done is the work: reading the file early, testing how the evidence was gathered, and making the bail and charging arguments while they are still available.
Nearby counties
A case does not always stay in the county where it started. The firm also appears in Denton County and Tarrant County, and Dallas County is the home court. Where an allegation spans more than one county, it can be handled as one case rather than divided between firms.
Common questions
Which court will my Collin County case be in?
A felony goes to one of the 15 district courts composed of Collin County, and a Class A or B misdemeanor goes to one of the seven county courts at law created by Government Code §25.0451. Both sit at the courthouse in McKinney. A fine-only Class C misdemeanor stays in the municipal or justice court that filed it.
I was arrested by Plano police. Is that a Plano case or a Collin County case?
It is a Collin County case. The arresting agency is the city police department, but a Class A or B misdemeanor or a felony is prosecuted by the county and set in a court at the McKinney courthouse. Only a fine-only Class C offense would remain in the City of Plano municipal court.
How quickly do I see a judge after an arrest in Collin County?
Code of Criminal Procedure art. 15.17 requires that an arrested person be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay and within 48 hours. The magistrate gives the statutory warnings, states the accusation, and sets bail under the factors in art. 17.15.
Can bail be lowered in Collin County?
Yes, bail can be revisited. Art. 17.15 directs the magistrate to weigh the nature of the offense, the ability to make bail, the safety of the victim and the community, and criminal history, and it says bail is not to be used as an instrument of oppression. Separately, art. 17.151 requires release on personal bond or a reduced bond where the State is not ready within the statutory period.
Does Peter Barrett take cases outside Dallas County?
Yes. The firm takes criminal cases in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant and Rockwall counties. Cases that begin in one county and extend into another, which happens often with drug, fraud and internet allegations, can be handled together rather than split between firms.
What does it cost to hire a criminal defense lawyer in Collin County?
Fees depend on the grade of the offense and how far the case is likely to run, and a felony set for trial is not priced like a misdemeanor resolved at an early setting. The guide on what criminal defense costs in Texas sets out how fees are usually structured. The initial case review is free.
This page is general legal information about Texas law, not legal advice about your case. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change, so confirm the current rule with a licensed Texas criminal defense attorney about your specific facts. Request a free, confidential case review.