STALKING
Stalking in Texas: what bail is set at, how often a personal bond is granted, and what usually happens to the charge.
What “STALKING” means
Texas Penal Code § 42.072 defines stalking. The State must prove that, on more than one occasion and pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct directed specifically at another person, the defendant knowingly engaged in conduct that constituted harassment under Texas Penal Code § 42.07 or that the defendant knew or reasonably should have known the other person would regard as threatening bodily injury or death to that person, bodily injury or death to a member of the person's family or household or someone with whom the person has a dating relationship, or an offense against the person's property. The conduct must actually cause the targeted person or a covered family, household, or dating-relationship member to fear those harms or to feel harassed, terrified, intimidated, annoyed, alarmed, abused, tormented, embarrassed, or offended, and would cause a reasonable person in similar circumstances the same reaction. Repeated conduct under one scheme distinguishes stalking from single-incident harassment.
| Charged as | Possible confinement | Fine | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third-degree felony | 2 to 10 years in prison (TDCJ) | Fine up to $10,000 | Penal Code § 12.34 |
Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.
Bail for STALKING in Texas
Across 5,976 Texas bail settings for this charge (35 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $15,000 (middle half: $5,000 – $30,000). 2% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 310 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (1,989 records), the median was $20,000 and 2% got a personal bond.
| County | Records | Median cash bail | Middle half | Personal bond | Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarrant | 857 | $10,000 | $4,000 – $16,125 | 0% | 5% |
| Bexar | 297 | $20,000 | $10,000 – $30,000 | 0% | 7% |
| Hays | 297 | $7,500 | $4,500 – $25,000 | 5% | 0% |
| Travis | 293 | $15,000 | $7,500 – $25,000 | 14% | 6% |
| Dallas | 284 | $25,000 | $10,000 – $50,000 | 0% | 5% |
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 STALKING 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 STALKING?
Find Texas criminal defense attorneys with verified case histories in your county.
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.