Frisco Criminal Defense Lawyers
Direct-to-attorney criminal defense for Frisco arrests and Collin and Denton County criminal-court matters. Co-founders Reggie and Njeri London handle every retained case personally — from arraignment through trial or appeal — from our Frisco office, which is Frisco-based — Reggie and Njeri's home community.
L and L Law Group represents clients arrested in Frisco, Texas and clients facing charges in the Collin County Courthouse on the full Texas Penal Code and Health & Safety Code spectrum. Founding partners Reggie London (Texas Bar No. 24043514, former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney) and Njeri London (Texas Bar No. 24043266, admitted TXND, TXED, 5th Circuit) personally handle every Frisco matter. Our office is in Frisco — our home community. Free 24/7 consultation: (972) 370-5060.
Common Frisco criminal charges we defend
Frisco is the sharpest example in North Texas of a city where an invisible line decides your case. The city sits in both Collin and Denton counties, and says so plainly: it contracts elections through both the Collin County Elections Administrator and the Denton County Elections Administrator. The same police department patrols both halves. The same city ordinances apply on both halves. But the moment a charge becomes jailable, the county line takes over and routes the case into one of two entirely separate systems whose courthouses are about 35 miles apart.
The split is far bigger than people think
You will still read that the Denton County portion of Frisco is two or three percent of the city. That figure describes land area at an earlier point in the city's growth. Census place-part estimates for 2024 put 139,707 Frisco residents in Collin County and 95,501 in Denton County, so roughly 41 percent of the city lives on the Denton side. If you are running odds in your head about which county your case landed in, run them closer to a coin flip than to a rounding error.
What actually changes at the county line
| Item | Collin County side | Denton County side |
|---|---|---|
| Prosecutor | Collin County Criminal District Attorney, 2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 100, McKinney | Denton County Criminal District Attorney, 1450 E McKinney Street, Suite 3100, Denton |
| Felony courts | Fifteen district courts at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney | Twelve district courts at the Denton County Courts Building, 1450 E McKinney Street, Denton |
| Misdemeanor courts | Seven statutory County Courts at Law, handling Class A and B cases and Class C appeals | Five County Criminal Courts, staffed by the DA's Misdemeanor Trial Division |
| Jail | Collin County Detention Center, 4300 Community Ave., McKinney | Denton County Jail, a 1,788-bed system run by the Sheriff's Detention Bureau |
| Diversion | Burden to Blessing pre-trial diversion, 6 to 12 months | Five specialized treatment courts |
Read that as a defense problem rather than a directory. Two people charged with an identical offense inside the same city can face different prosecutors, different bond practices, and different program options, decided by nothing more than where the patrol car happened to be sitting.
The one court that ignores the line
Frisco Municipal Court at 8450 Moore Street is the exception. The city defines its jurisdiction as Class C misdemeanor and city ordinance violations that occur within the corporate city limits and are punishable by fine only. Because that jurisdiction is drawn by city limits rather than by county, it is the only criminal court handling Frisco matters uniformly on both sides. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fine-only is not consequence-free: paying a citation is a plea, and the resulting conviction sits on a record that surfaces later in a license application or a background check.
Where you are held first
The Frisco Police Department at 7200 Stonebrook Parkway runs its own detention facility, and the city notes that while the main police lobby is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the detention lobby is open 24 hours. From there a county-level charge routes to the Collin County Detention Center at 4300 Community Ave. in McKinney or to the Denton County Jail in Denton, roughly 25 miles apart in opposite directions. That is the practical reason families lose track of somebody during the first day. Magistration and the required warnings come from Article 15.17 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and bail is set using the factors in Article 17.15.
The charges we see most in Frisco
DWI under Penal Code Section 49.04, where the grade rises to Class A at a 0.15 alcohol concentration and to a third degree felony after two prior convictions under Section 49.09. Assault causing bodily injury under Section 22.01, a Class A misdemeanor that becomes a third degree felony with a prior family violence conviction or on an allegation of impeding breath. Theft under Section 31.03, which climbs a value ladder from Class C at the bottom to a first degree felony above $300,000. Possession of a controlled substance under Health and Safety Code Section 481.115, a state jail felony even below one gram of a Penalty Group 1 substance. Punishment ranges come from Chapter 12 of the Penal Code. Our criminal defense practice areas page covers each of these in depth.
Two diversion menus, one city
The Collin County District Attorney's Office runs a pre-trial diversion program branded District Attorney Greg Willis' Burden-to-Blessing Pre-Trial Diversion Program. It runs 6 to 12 months, includes life and job skills training, and the office states that upon completion participants are eligible for an immediate expunction. Denton County takes a different approach entirely, operating five specialized treatment courts: the First Offender Drug Program for low risk first-time drug offenders, a Drug Court for high-risk felony offenders struggling with addiction, a Mental Health Treatment Court, a DWI Treatment Court for select recidivist DWI offenders, and a three-phase Veterans Treatment Court Program. Neither menu is available on the other side of the line.
Deferred adjudication and what it leaves behind
Both counties use deferred adjudication community supervision under Chapter 42A of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Completing it produces a dismissal and discharge, which is not an acquittal and is not an expunction. The arrest and the deferred remain visible until a court orders otherwise, usually through an order of nondisclosure under Government Code Section 411.0725, which seals rather than destroys. Set that against the Collin County office's statement that Burden to Blessing participants are eligible for an immediate expunction on completion and the difference is stark. Which side of Frisco you were stopped on can change what your record looks like years later.
County offices inside the city
Denton County maintains a satellite complex inside Frisco, the Frisco Government Center at 5533 FM 423, housing Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, Constable Precinct 2, the County Clerk, Community Supervision and Corrections, Juvenile Probation, and the Tax Assessor Collector. A Frisco resident supervised on a Denton County case can report there rather than driving to Denton. It is also the clearest physical proof that Denton County's footprint inside this city is not a technicality on a map.
Frisco criminal defense FAQs
Is Frisco in Collin County or Denton County?
Both. The city states directly that it is located in both Collin and Denton counties and that it contracts elections through both county elections administrators. The split is much larger than the figure people repeat. Census place-part estimates for 2024 put 139,707 Frisco residents in Collin County and 95,501 in Denton County, so roughly 41 percent of the city lives on the Denton side. Descriptions of the Denton portion as two or three percent refer to land area at an earlier point in the city's growth, not to current population.
How do I know which county my Frisco case is in?
The county where the offense occurred decides it, not your mailing address and not where the police department is headquartered. Both county lines run through the city and the same Frisco police patrol each side. Get the offense address off the citation or the probable cause affidavit and check it against the county line. That single fact determines which sheriff holds you, which District Attorney's Office prosecutes, which courthouse you report to, and which diversion programs are even available to ask about.
Which jail will my family member be taken to after a Frisco arrest?
It depends on the county where the offense happened. Frisco police operate a detention facility at 7200 Stonebrook Parkway, and the city notes that the detention lobby there is open 24 hours even though the main police lobby is open only Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. County-level charges then route to the Collin County Detention Center at 4300 Community Ave. in McKinney, reachable at (972) 547-5200, or to the Denton County Jail in Denton. Those facilities sit roughly 25 miles apart in opposite directions.
Do I go to McKinney or to Denton for court?
Whichever county the offense occurred in. Collin County felonies are filed among fifteen district courts at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Rd. in McKinney. Denton County felonies go to one of twelve district courts at the Denton County Courts Building, 1450 E McKinney Street in Denton. Those two courthouses are about 35 miles apart. In a city where the line runs through the middle, this is the most consequential fact about your case and the easiest one for someone to get wrong.
What is the Burden to Blessing program?
It is the Collin County District Attorney's pre-trial diversion program, branded District Attorney Greg Willis' Burden-to-Blessing Pre-Trial Diversion Program. It runs 6 to 12 months and includes life and job skills training, and the office states that upon completion participants are eligible for an immediate expunction. Applications go through the office's dedicated pre-trial diversion email address. It applies only to cases arising on the Collin County side of Frisco. A Denton County case from the same city is measured against an entirely different set of options.
Is there a diversion option on the Denton County side of Frisco?
Denton County does not run the same style of prosecutor diversion. It instead operates five specialized treatment courts: the First Offender Drug Program for low risk first-time drug offenders, a Drug Court for high-risk felony offenders who abuse drugs, a Mental Health Treatment Court for offenders suffering from a legitimate mental illness, a DWI Treatment Court for select recidivist DWI offenders, and a three-phase Veterans Treatment Court. Two Frisco neighbors charged with the same offense can face different options depending on which side of the line the stop happened.
More Frisco questions
Does my traffic ticket also depend on which county I was in?
No, and this is the one place the county line does not matter. The city describes the Frisco Municipal Court's jurisdiction as Class C misdemeanor and city ordinance violations that occur within the corporate city limits and are punishable by fine only. Because jurisdiction is drawn by city limits rather than by county, the court at 8450 Moore Street hears fine-only Frisco cases from both the Collin and the Denton sides. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
How do the misdemeanor courts differ between the two counties?
The structures do not match. Collin County has seven statutory County Courts at Law handling Class A and B misdemeanor cases and Class C appeals, sitting in McKinney. Denton County has five County Criminal Courts handling the same category in Denton, staffed by the District Attorney's Misdemeanor Trial Division. Same Penal Code and the same punishment ranges under Chapter 12 of the Penal Code, but a different bench, different prosecutors, and different local practice. An attorney working both sides of the Frisco line is working two systems.
I got a DWI in Frisco. Does the county change anything?
The statute does not change. Penal Code Section 49.04 applies citywide, and enhancement to a Class A or to a third degree felony under Section 49.09 works identically in both counties. What changes is everything around it: which District Attorney's Office reviews the file, whether a specialized DWI Treatment Court exists as an option, which judge sets your bond conditions, and how far you drive for every setting. Our DWI defense page covers the license suspension track.
Can I clear a Frisco arrest from my record?
Possibly, and the path differs by county and by outcome. On the Collin side, the District Attorney's Office states that Burden to Blessing participants are eligible for an immediate expunction upon completion. On the Denton side, a completed deferred adjudication more often leads to an order of nondisclosure under Government Code Section 411.0725, which seals a record rather than destroying it. Dismissals and acquittals in either county can support an expunction. Our expunction and nondisclosure page sets out the eligibility rules.
Can I report to probation without leaving Frisco?
On a Denton County case, often yes. Denton County's Community Supervision and Corrections Department and its Juvenile Probation office both sit inside the city at the Frisco Government Center, 5533 FM 423, which also houses Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, Constable Precinct 2, the County Clerk, and the Tax Assessor Collector. Raise reporting logistics during negotiation rather than after sentencing, because a supervision plan somebody can realistically keep is far easier to complete than one built around a long daily commute.
What if I was arrested in Frisco but live in another city?
Residence does not control anything here. What controls is where the offense occurred, which fixes the county, and whether the offense is fine-only, which fixes whether it stays in municipal court. Someone who lives in Plano and is stopped on the Denton County side of Frisco has a Denton County case set in Denton. Someone who lives in Frisco and is stopped somewhere else does not have a Frisco case at all. Start by confirming the offense address, then work outward from there.
Arrested in Frisco?
Free, confidential consultation — direct to attorney, 24/7. We pick up jail-release calls at all hours.
Call (972) 370-5060How a Frisco case splits across the Collin–Denton county line
The first question in any Frisco case is which county the file lands in, because the city straddles the Collin–Denton county line. The side of town where an offense is alleged decides the court: matters on the Collin side go to the Collin County Courthouse, the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, in McKinney, while matters on the Denton side go to the Denton County courts in Denton. That split is not a technicality. It can change the bond a person faces, the dates they are ordered to appear, and which district attorney's office holds the charge. Two stops a few minutes apart on opposite sides of the line can move through entirely different courthouses.
That county question only governs the more serious charges. Felonies and Class A and B misdemeanors are the ones that route to McKinney or Denton depending on location. The Frisco Municipal Court handles a separate track entirely: Class C, fine-only offenses such as traffic citations and city-ordinance matters, and it does so regardless of which county a heavier charge would fall in. We make a point of confirming early which court a given allegation actually belongs in, because treating a county-level charge as if it were a municipal ticket, or the reverse, sends a case down the wrong path from the start.
Enforcement here tracks how the city moves. The Dallas North Tollway and SH-121, the Sam Rayburn Tollway, carry the bulk of north-south and east-west traffic, and US-380 and Preston Road add to the volume crossing the city. Frisco has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and major destinations like The Star, the Dallas Cowboys' headquarters, and the PGA of America draw heavy event-driven crowds. Rapid growth and large venues mean more drivers, more weekend traffic, and a steady stream of DWI, traffic, and related stops along those corridors on both sides of the county line.
For someone charged in Frisco, the practical upshot is that the same conduct can look different depending on where it happened and which county claims it. Our team starts by pinning down the filing county, the correct court, and the level of the charge, then builds the defense around the procedures and timelines of that specific courthouse. Knowing whether a case belongs in McKinney, in Denton, or in the city's municipal court is the groundwork everything else is built on.
About the Authors
Criminal Charges We Defend in Frisco
L&L Law Group represents clients throughout Frisco and Collin County against the full range of Texas criminal charges. These are the charges our defense team handles most often — or call (972) 370-5060 for a free, confidential consultation.