HARASSMENT
Harassment in Texas: what bail is set at, how often a personal bond is granted, and what usually happens to the charge.
What “HARASSMENT” means
Texas Penal Code § 42.07 defines harassment. A person commits the offense if, with intent to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, or embarrass another, the person engages in conduct the statute specifies, including: initiating a communication and making an obscene comment, request, suggestion, or proposal; threatening to inflict bodily injury on the person or to commit a felony against the person, the person's family or household, or property; conveying a false report, known to be false, that another has suffered death or serious bodily injury; causing another's telephone to ring repeatedly, or making repeated telephone communications anonymously or in a manner reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, embarrass, or offend; or sending repeated harassing electronic communications. Subsection (c) grades the baseline offense as a Class B misdemeanor, with prior convictions and certain conduct aimed at minors raising the level.
| Charged as | Possible confinement | Fine | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class B misdemeanor | Up to 180 days in county jail | Fine up to $2,000 | Penal Code § 12.22 |
Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.
Bail for HARASSMENT in Texas
Across 9,590 Texas bail settings for this charge (55 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $3,000 (middle half: $1,500 – $5,000). 10% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 199 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (4,004 records), the median was $2,500 and 16% got a personal bond.
| County | Records | Median cash bail | Middle half | Personal bond | Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bexar | 714 | $3,000 | $2,000 – $5,000 | 2% | 4% |
| Tarrant | 637 | $2,000 | $1,000 – $3,500 | 3% | 3% |
| Travis | 561 | $5,000 | $3,500 – $7,500 | 23% | 2% |
| Harris | 551 | $2,500 | $1,000 – $5,000 | 62% | 0% |
| El Paso | 507 | $5,000 | $2,000 – $10,000 | 10% | 1% |
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.
How real HARASSMENT cases ended
Individual cases from the public court record, with the disposition and sentence text exactly as the clerk entered it. Every case is decided on its own facts.
Ended without a conviction
Deferred adjudication
Ended in a conviction
Charged with HARASSMENT?
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Find a Defense AttorneyBail data: Texas Office of Court Administration magistration reports (SB 6), Apr 2022 – Jun 2025. Court outcomes: county district and county clerk records. Statistics describe past cases and are not legal advice; every case is decided on its own facts.