FALSE ALARM OR REPORTTexas Penal Code (PC) § 42.06(b)

False Alarm or Report is a Class A misdemeanor under Texas PC § 42.06(b).

Texas Penal Code § 42.06 defines false alarm or report. The State must prove the accused knowingly initiated, communicated, or circulated a report of a present, past, or future bombing, fire, offense, or other emergency that the accused knew was false or baseless, and that would ordinarily cause action by an official or volunteer agency organized to deal with emergencies, place a person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury, or prevent or interrupt the occupation of a building, room, place of assembly, place to which the public has access, or a mode of conveyance such as an aircraft or automobile. This filing is the base Class A misdemeanor form under § 42.06(b); the same subsection grades false reports involving primary or secondary schools, institutions of higher education, or public communications, transportation, utilities, and other public services as a felony.

50% ended without a conviction, 16% in deferred adjudication and 32% in a conviction.

How 286 resolved FALSE ALARM OR REPORT charges filed 2019–2023 ended, across 13 counties (Bastrop, Bell, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Denton, FortBend, Galveston, Hays, Montgomery, Travis, Williamson):

Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (4) covers waived counts, bond forfeitures, transfers and unrecorded outcomes. Bexar County records disposition dates but not outcomes, so it counts toward time-to-disposition only. Tarrant County criminal records are not in this dataset.

Typically about 8 months: half of resolved cases closed within 234 days of filing.

Across 286 resolved FALSE ALARM OR REPORT charges filed 2019–2023, the median time from filing to disposition was 234 days. The middle half took between 121 and 461 days.

Time depends on the county's docket, whether the case is set for trial, and plea negotiations.

Up to 1 year in county jail and a fine up to $4,000.

Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.

The median bail is $2,500, and 14% of defendants were released on a personal bond.

Across 1,713 Texas bail settings for this charge (17 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $2,500 (middle half: $1,500 – $5,000). 14% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 31 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (741 records), the median was $2,000 and 20% got a personal bond.

Showing the 5 counties with the most records; use the selector for any county with at least 30. Per-charge bond settings on original magistrations, from Texas OCA bail reporting under SB 6. Bail is set case by case — these are statistics, not a prediction.