How do I pay my traffic fines?

It depends on the type of traffic fine.

    For parking tickets, send your payment to the parking agency listed on the ticket.
    For infraction tickets: Read the ticket carefully—it will tell you whether to pay a fine or appear in court.
    If you are paying a fine, you will make payments to the court in the county where you received the ticket. Check the ticket for specific information about how and where to send your payment. You may also get a letter from the court—most counties will send you information about how to pay or contest (challenge) your ticket, and whether you have the option of attending traffic school instead. You can also contact the court right away to set up a payment plan.[2298]

The ticket will also indicate whether you have a “correctable violation.” If so, you can have your ticket AND traffic fine dismissed by fixing the problem, showing proof that you have made the correction, and paying a dismissal fee.[2299] To get proof that you have corrected the problem, you must get an authorized person to sign the “Certificate of Correction” line on your ticket. Bring the signed ticket and your dismissal fee payment to the court clerk BEFORE the deadline on the ticket. (In some cases, you may also be able to send your proof of correction and payment by mail—check your ticket or contact the court to find out.) The court will then dismiss your case and it will not go on your record.

    For driver license & car registration violations, get the DMV or a court clerk to sign your ticket.
    For equipment violations, get your ticket signed by a police officer.
    For proof of car insurance at the time of the citation, get your ticket signed by a court clerk.

TRAFFIC SCHOOL MIGHT BE AN OPTION:

In some cases, you may be able to attend traffic school for your ticket.[2300] Traffic school is a driver training class that you can take to make sure that your ticket does not show on your driving record. Tickets can impact your driving record by adding “points” to it. Points on your record can cause your insurance rate to increase and can even result in the suspension or revocation of your license.

You may get a letter from the court telling you if traffic school is an option, but you can also contact the court directly to ask. If the court lets you go to traffic school, you will need to complete the course by a specific deadline and provide a certificate of completion to prove that you have completed it.[2301] Make sure you attend a traffic school that is approved by the court, otherwise you will not receive credit for completing the course. The court can provide you with a list of approved schools.

If you successfully complete traffic school, your ticket will still go on your driving record, but it will be made confidential (hidden).[2302] Also, you will still have to pay all of your traffic fines, AND you will also have to pay additional enrollment fees to the court and to the traffic school.[2303] However, you will NOT get any points added to your driving record,[2304] which means your insurance rates won’t go up and your license will not be in danger of suspension or revocation. So, even though traffic school can cost you MORE money in the SHORT term, it can SAVE you a lot of money and trouble in the LONG run. For more information on traffic school, ask the traffic court clerk or visit the Judicial Council website at http://www.courts.ca.gov/9410.htm.

  1. 2298

    Cal. Veh. Code § 40510-10.5. See also Judicial Council of Cal. Traffic & Ticket Basics, http://www.courts.ca.gov/8452.htm. ↑

  2. 2299

    Cal. Veh. Code §§ 40150-53, 40610-18, 40303.5, 40522; Judicial Council of Cal., Correctable Violations (“Fix-It” Tickets), http://www.courts.ca.gov/9529.htm. ↑

  3. 2300

    Cal. Veh. Code §§ 41501, 42005. ↑

  4. 2301

    Cal. Veh. Code § 40512.6. ↑

  5. 2302

    Cal. Rules of Court, Rule 4.104. Procedures and eligibility criteria for attending traffic violator school, http://www.courts.ca.gov/9410.htm. ↑

  6. 2303

    Cal. Veh. Code § 42007–07.1. ↑

  7. 2304

    Cal. Veh. Code § 1808.7; but see § 1808.10 (conviction not confidential for holder of commercial driver license). ↑