Traffic

A courtesy notice will be mailed to the address listed on your ticket. This notice will provide important information, including:

• The amount you owe (bail).
• Whether or not a court appearance is required.
• The deadline by which you must address your ticket.

If you do not receive a courtesy notice at least five days before the appearance date listed at the bottom of your ticket, please contact the court at (530) 283-6232.

For mechanical violations, you may qualify for a reduced fine if the issue is corrected. The courtesy notice will indicate the reduced amount if this applies.

To plead not guilty, you have the following options:

1. Appear in Court for Arraignment:

   • Attend court on your appearance date.
   • You do not have to pay your fine before appearing.

2. Schedule a Court Trial:

   • Appear in court at the time of your trial.
   • If you schedule a Court Trial without first attending an arraignment, you must pay your fine before the trial date.

3. Request a Trial by Declaration:

   • You will not have to appear in court but must pay the full bail (fine) in advance.
   • After receiving your payment, the court will send you the necessary forms and instructions.

Additional Information

Arraignment:

An arraignment is a hearing where the court:

• Advises you of your rights.
• Informs you of the charges against you.
• Asks you to enter a plea:
  • Not Guilty: A court trial date will be set.
  • Guilty: The judicial officer will impose a sentence.

Note:

• An arraignment is not a trial, and no case arguments are heard.
• If cited for mechanical, registration, driver's license, or insurance violations, bring all proof of correction with you to the arraignment.
• Most citations do not require a personal appearance and can be resolved by mail or telephone by paying the bail amount and/or providing proof of correction.

Court Trial:

A court trial is a hearing where:

• You appear in person to testify about the facts of your case.
• The issuing officer is required to appear.
• You may subpoena witnesses and bring legal representation (if retained).
• You must present evidence, documents, or witnesses to support your case.

Trial by Declaration:

If charged with an infraction, you can request a Trial by Declaration by:

1. Pleading not guilty.
2. Sending the total bail amount to the court at least five days before your appearance date.

Upon receiving payment, the court will send you and the officer declaration forms to complete. You must:

• Fill out the forms completely and return them by the due date listed.
• The court will decide the case based on the submitted documents and notify you of the decision by mail.

Important Notes for Trial by Declaration:

• You will not have to appear in court, and your bail will be held in a trust account until the case is decided.
• If found Not Guilty or if the case is dismissed, your bail will be returned by mail within 6-8 weeks.
• If found Guilty, the fine will not exceed the bail amount deposited.
• Failing to return your declaration on time may result in a guilty finding and forfeiture of the bail.
• Monthly payment options are not available for Trial by Declaration cases.

Failure to Appear:

If you do not appear for your Court Trial, the judicial officer may find you guilty in absentia (in your absence).

NOTE: If you are eligible for Traffic Violator School (TVS) but choose not to attend, your automobile insurance may be adversely affected.

The Courtesy Notice sent by the court will indicate your initial eligibility to attend TVS.

Payment for TVS

To attend TVS:

1. Pay the bail amount listed on your citation, plus the $52 Traffic Violator School fee, before your Appearance Date.
2. Complete TVS and submit your Certificate of Completion to the court within 90 days of payment.

An additional fee will be charged by the traffic school you choose. Once you complete TVS and the court receives your Certificate of Completion, the case will be closed and reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as a confidential conviction.

How to Attend TVS

• Pay the bail amount and the $52 TVS fee to the court before the court will accept your Certificate of Completion.
• Traffic school must be completed, and your Certificate of Completion submitted to the court within 90 days.
• Contact and attend a traffic school of your choice. A list of approved courses is available on the California DMV website.

Failure to Complete TVS

If you fail to attend traffic school or provide the court with the Certificate of Completion within 90 days:

• The Traffic School Administration fee paid to the court under Vehicle Code § 42007 will be converted to bail and forfeited under Vehicle Code § 40512.6.
• The violation will be reported to the DMV as a conviction.

Eligibility

You must meet the following requirements to attend TVS:

• Possess a valid driver’s license.
• Have not attended traffic school in the past 18 months.

Ineligibility

If you are not eligible to attend TVS but attend anyway:

• The conviction will be reported to the DMV.
• No refund will be issued for any fees paid.

A court clerk cannot authorize TVS for:

• A violation carrying a negligent operator point count of more than one point under Vehicle Code § 12810 or 1.5 points under Vehicle Code § 12810.5(b)(2).
• A violation within 18 months of a previous TVS attendance or election.
• A violation of Vehicle Code § 22406.
• Violations related to alcohol or drug use/possession.
• A violation involving failure to appear under Vehicle Code § 40508(a) unless the charge has been adjudicated and any fine has been paid.
• A failure to appear under Penal Code § 1214.1 unless the civil assessment has been paid.
• Speeding violations 25+ miles over the speed limit.

Submitting Your Certificate of Completion
You are responsible for ensuring your Certificate of Completion is delivered to the court by the due date. Verify with the court that your certificate was received on time.

The $25 fee for each correctable violation is statutory pursuant to Vehicle Code § 40611.

Yes, unless the ticket is issued in the name of the registered owner of the vehicle you are driving. This is known as an Owner's Responsibility Citation.

If you have sold the car or if it has become inoperable, you must set a court date to appear and provide proof of sale or inoperability to clear the ticket. Be sure to bring any relevant paperwork to court to support your case.

General Guidelines for Fix-It Tickets After Selling Your Car

1. Mechanical Violations (e.g., broken taillight):

   • If the issue wasn’t fixed before you sold the car, you are responsible for paying the full ticket amount.
   • You may qualify for a discount or a payment plan, but the reduced $25 fee for correcting the issue will not apply.

2. Expired Car Registration:

   • If the registration wasn’t renewed before you sold the car, you must pay the full ticket amount.
   • A discount or payment plan may be available, but the $25 corrected violation fee does not apply.

3. Proof of Car Insurance:

   • Even if you no longer own the car, you can clear the ticket by providing proof that you were insured at the time you received the ticket. Present this proof to the court clerk.

4. Driver’s License Violations:

   • Since these violations are not related to the car itself, the usual fix-it ticket rules apply.
   • Obtain a certificate of correction signed by the DMV or law enforcement. Alternatively, you can present your valid California driver’s license to the court.

Paying the bail amount is required under Vehicle Code § 42007. The benefit of attending traffic school is that the conviction will be suppressed on your DMV record and will not count as a point on your driving history.

You must request a court date to explain it to a judicial officer.

Missing your due date can result in:

• A failure to appear charge being added to your citation.
• Increased fine amounts.
• A negative impact on your driving record.

For more details, refer to the Failure to Appear section above.

Drivers are required to handle tickets even if they do not reside in California.

• Citations may be paid online using a credit card.
• If you live outside the U.S. and choose to pay by check or money order, the payment must be made in U.S. dollars.

The court may allow you to appear remotely. If you wish to contest your citation through a court trial, you may be eligible to appear remotely for your traffic arraignment. For more information, visit the Remote Appearances page.