Traffic tickets in California

What is a traffic ticket?

A police officer gives you a traffic ticket when they believe you broke a traffic law, like speeding or running a red light.

Your ticket will say:

• What law the officer says you broke
• Which court is handling your case
• What to do and by when

📌 You’ll get a court notice

The court will send you a notice, called a reminder or courtesy notice, that explains:

• How much you owe (called “bail”)
• Your due date
• Your options, including if you're eligible for traffic school

It may take 30 days or longer to get this notice. If you don’t get the notice, contact the court in the county where you got the ticket.

Option 1: Pay the ticket

If you pay the ticket, you are saying either

• you did what the ticket says you did, or
• you don’t want to argue about it.

This means that you agree that you're guilty of what the ticket says. Some courts call this forfeiting bail.  

If your ticket adds a point to your DMV record, it can make your car insurance cost more. But you may have options to keep this from happening, read more.

You can usually pay:

• Online

• By mail

• In person at the court

📌 If you pay online, you have to pay on the court's website. Check the court’s website for how to pay in the county where you got the ticket:

What if I can’t afford to pay?

You can ask the court for help. The court may:

• Give you more time to pay

• Lower the amount you owe

• Offer a payment plan

• Let you do community service instead

Learn more about your payment options

 

What if I have to choose between pleading guilty or no contest? 

When you use MyCitations to ask for a lower fine or if you go to court and the judge asks you how you plead, you may may be asked if you want to plead guilty and no contest.  You get the same result either way—a conviction. The ticket goes on your record, and you may have to pay the same fine or take the same steps to clear it.

• Guilty means you admit you did what the ticket says.

• No contest means you don’t admit it, but you’re not going to argue against it either.

The main difference is if someone tries to sue you for something related to the ticket:

• If you plead guilty, they can use that as proof that you did what the ticket says.

• If you plead no contest, they may still need to prove what happened.

Option 2: Fix any issues in a fix-it ticket

A fix-it ticket is for something you can correct, like a broken taillight or expired registration.

To take care of it, you usually need to:

• Fix the problem

• Get the back of your ticket signed (this is called a certificate of correction)

• Send the signed ticket to the court (or have the court sign it if it's a ticket for car insurance problems)

• Pay a small fee

The court will check your proof and let you know if anything else is needed. 

Learn more about fix-it tickets

Option 3: Ask for a trial

If you don’t agree with the ticket, you can ask the court for a trial. This means you want to explain what happened, that what the officer said you did cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and you want to ask the judge to find you not guilty. This is called pleading not guilty.

Two ways to have a trial

You can choose:

How points on your record affect your car insurance

If you’re found guilty, it’s called a conviction. If you chose not to fight the ticket and pay it, which is called forfeiting bail, it is treated as a conviction.

For some types of tickets, like speeding or running a red light, the conviction will go on your DMV record and add a point to it. Points can:

• Stay on your record for 3 to 7 years

• Cause your car insurance to go up

• Even lead your insurance company to cancel your policy

How traffic school can help 

If you’re eligible and finish traffic school by the deadline, the point is still on your record, but it's hidden from insurance companies, so it usually won't affect your insurance rates.

The court will let you know if you’re eligible.

Learn more about traffic school

If you do nothing

If you ignore your ticket, the court may:

• Add up to $100 as a late fee (called a "civil assessment")

• Charge you with “Failure to Appear”

• Add the violation to your DMV record

If you missed your due date for a good reason, like being sick, contact the court right away. They may cancel the extra fees.

If you can’t afford to pay the fine, ask the court for help. They may lower the amount, give you more time, offer a payment plan, or allow community service instead of paying.