HB 3012 / effective September 1, 2025
No $3 Fee: the old separate materials/admin fee language was removed.
HB 3012 amended Texas Education Code 1001.352. The bill kept the at-least-$25 driving-safety-course fee and struck the prior separate $3 materials/admin fee language.
Struck language shown in the bill text: a fee of at least $3 for course materials.
Open HB 3012 at the struck $3 fee text
Texas Education Code 1001.352
The required driving-safety-course charge is at least $25.
The current statute says a driving safety provider shall charge each student at least $25 for a driving safety course. TexDDS presents the online ticket-dismissal defensive driving course as a $25 flat course, with no added $3 fee and no electronic delivery fee.
Open the current Education Code fee section
TDLR notice / August 27, 2025
TDLR says providers must charge the course fee before enrollment.
TDLR's 2025 provider notice explains that, effective September 1, 2025, Texas Education Code 1001.352 requires Driving Safety Providers to charge each student at least $25 before enrolling them in a course.
Open the TDLR notice at the fee-before-enrollment language
Ticket dismissal
The court named on the citation controls eligibility and deadlines.
A defensive driving course can be used for ticket dismissal only after the court tells the driver they are eligible. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure 45A.352 covers the court deferral framework, and TDLR's student guidance tells drivers to get court approval before taking a course for dismissal.
Open TDLR student guidance / Open Code of Criminal Procedure 45A.352
Driver record
Many courts require a certified Type 3A driver record.
DPS identifies the Type 3A record as the driver record type used for defensive driving. TexDDS offers Type 3A driver-record ordering support as a standalone option or discounted inside the ticket-dismissal bundle.
Open DPS driver record guidance / View driver record option
Provider status
TDLR license CP411 is the provider identity to verify.
TDLR lists Texas Defensive Driving School as a current Driving Safety Provider, license CP411. TDLR also notes that the provider directory verifies license status and is not an endorsement, recommendation, or advertisement.
TDLR's provider-license page says a driving safety provider license allows a provider to offer the six-hour driving safety course, and that licensed providers may offer online courses when the curriculum and administration meet law and rules.
Open TDLR provider search / Open TDLR provider-license guidance
HB 1786 / program authority
Driver and traffic safety education moved under TDLR authority.
HB 1786 transferred driver and traffic safety education from the Texas Education Agency and Department of Public Safety to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. That is why TexDDS points customers to TDLR licensing and provider-search sources for current provider verification.
Open HB 1786 transfer language
TexDDS pricing practice
No Electronic Delivery Fee: transparent online delivery is part of the course.
In its 40th anniversary year, TexDDS is tightening the customer experience around transparent pricing, visible license information, and easier verification across public profiles. The online course has been part of the business for years; the improvement is making the process cleaner for customers.
That approach keeps the customer path simple: see the license, choose the correct course option, complete the course online or attend a scheduled class, then download and print the completion material needed for the court or insurer.
$25 CourseCourse + 3A Driving Record
Course experience
Video-Based, Mobile-Friendly, No Final Exam.
The online Texas Defensive Driving School course is built around video-based course content and mobile-friendly access, so customers can work through the course on a phone, tablet, or desktop.
There is no final exam. When customers need help, Randy and Gary Hensley are still the owners behind the course and customer service process.
$25 CourseCourse + 3A Driving Record
Statewide safety context
Texas crash data explains why defensive-driving demand remains statewide.
TxDOT's 2024 crash facts recorded 4,150 traffic fatalities, 14,905 serious-injury crashes, 251,977 injured persons, and a reportable crash every 57 seconds on Texas roadways.
Open TxDOT 2024 crash facts