How to check for and pay a traffic ticket

Most traffic tickets are handled by a state, county or municipal court. The ticket is the starting point: it names the court, carries a citation number, and sets a date. How to pay a court fine covers paying any fine; this page is about traffic tickets.

Check whether a ticket is still open

• Start with the court named on the ticket. Its clerk can tell you whether the ticket is still open, what is owed, and the date that applies. Have the citation number ready.
• Try the state's court portal. Many states run one online case search for their courts, and many clerks run their own. See how to look up a court case.
• Lost the ticket? Ask the clerk of the court for the place where you were stopped to search by your name.

Read the deadline on the ticket

A ticket sets either a date to pay or respond, or a court date. Some tickets require you to appear in court; others let you pay instead of appearing. The ticket or the court's notice says which. If it does not, ask the clerk before the date, not after.

Pay or contest

Paying usually closes the case, and it can mean giving up the chance to contest it. On a federal ticket, for example, paying the amount due waives the right to contest the ticket, to a trial and to a lawyer. If you mean to contest a ticket, find out how that court treats a payment before you pay, and what it needs from you, such as appearing on the court date.

What missing the deadline can lead to

States and courts set the consequences, so check your state. Two examples, each from the court's own pages:

• A California county court. The Superior Court in Orange County says that if you do not go to court or pay, an extra fee may be added, the case may be sent to a collection agency, and legal action may include a warrant. It also explains how to remove a suspension placed on a driver's license or vehicle registration.
• A federal ticket. Payment must be received by the date of the court appearance, or penalties may be imposed and the court may issue a warrant. On a motor vehicle ticket, the court may report a failure to pay or appear to your state's driver-licensing agency, which may affect your driving privileges or your registration.

Tickets written on federal land

A ticket written in a national park, on a military base, or elsewhere on federal property is a U.S. District Court Violation Notice, and the federal Central Violations Bureau processes it. Its site, cvb.uscourts.gov, takes payment online or by mail and explains the ticket's two boxes: if Box A is checked you must appear in court; if Box B is checked you must pay or appear. Paying a federal motor vehicle ticket may itself be reported to your state's licensing agency, and your state may then add points to your driving record, suspend a license or registration, or add fees.

If you cannot pay

Ask the court before the due date about a payment plan or other options. The payment plan calculator shows what a monthly amount adds up to, and what happens if you cannot pay a court fine covers what the law requires of a court.