Traffic

After you get a ticket, the court will mail a courtesy notice to the address on your citation. You should get it about 2 weeks before your appearance date (the "promise to appear" date under your signature on the ticket).

The notice includes:

• Your court case number and citation number
• The bail amount
• Your due date (appearance date)
• Whether you are eligible for traffic school
• How to clear a "fix-it" violation with proof of correction
• How to pay, and where and when to go if you want to contest the ticket

Court staff cannot give you information about your ticket until the court receives it from the citing agency, which can take 2 to 3 weeks.

If you have not received your notice at least 2 weeks before your appearance date:

• Search for your citation on the Case Index & Calendar Portal
• Call the court at (530) 251-8205
• Come to the Clerk's Office at the Hall of Justice
• Write to the court before your appearance date

If the address on your citation is wrong or incomplete, call or visit the court to update it.

Not getting a courtesy notice is not a legal excuse for missing your due date.

Most traffic tickets can be handled without coming to court by paying the bail amount on your courtesy notice by the appearance date. What your payment means depends on the option you choose when you pay. Check the box on the back of your courtesy notice, choose the option on the online payment form, or tell the clerk if you pay in person or by phone.

Your options:

• Pay the bail and close the case. You are giving up your right to a trial and the case is closed as a conviction. Reportable violations are sent to the DMV.
• Pay the bail plus the $52 traffic school fee and attend traffic school, if you are eligible. See "Traffic School" below.
• Plead not guilty and request a trial by written declaration. The bail is held as a deposit while your case is decided. See "Contesting a Ticket: Trial by Written Declaration" below.
• Plead not guilty and request a court trial. The bail is held as a deposit, and the court will mail you a trial date. See "Contesting a Ticket: Trial in Court" below.

If you choose a trial and are found not guilty, or your case is dismissed, your bail will be refunded by mail. Refunds typically take 4 to 6 weeks.

If your ticket includes an equipment, registration, license, or insurance violation, send proof of correction or proof of insurance with your payment, by mail or in person. See "Proof of Correction" and "Insurance Violations" below. The courtesy notice shows a separate, lower bail amount that applies when you send proof of correction.

Ways to pay:

• Online: Make a payment by credit card
• In person: Hall of Justice, 2610 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130
• By phone: Call (530) 251-8205 and follow the prompts.
• By mail: Lassen Superior Court, 2610 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130. Send a personal check, cashier's check, or money order in U.S. funds, payable to "Lassen Superior Court," with your signed courtesy notice. Write your case or citation number in the memo line. Do not mail cash.

Juvenile traffic cases: Youth under 18 can pay the bail to close the case or to attend traffic school. To contest the ticket, the youth must appear in court on the date on the notice. Trial by declaration and trial by mail are not offered on the juvenile courtesy notice.

If you cannot afford to pay, see the Financial Hardship page.

Pay Online Financial Hardship

Your courtesy notice will say whether you are eligible for traffic school (Traffic Violator School). If you are eligible and choose not to go, your car insurance rates may go up.

What traffic school does for your driving record:

• Regular (noncommercial) driver's license: The conviction is kept confidential and does not show on your driving record.
• Commercial driver's license, ticket received in a personal vehicle: The conviction shows on your driving record, but without a point.
• Ticket received while driving a commercial vehicle: You are not eligible for traffic school.

Traffic school can be used for one ticket in any 18-month period.

How to attend:

1. Before your due date, pay the full bail amount plus the $52 traffic school fee to the court.
2. Choose a DMV-approved school from the DMV traffic school list. The school charges its own separate fee.
3. Make sure the court receives your certificate of completion within 90 days of your payment (for juvenile cases, within 90 days of the appearance date). Call the court to confirm it arrived.

If the court does not receive your certificate within 90 days, the $52 fee is applied to your bail, and the conviction is reported to the DMV.

You are eligible only if:

• You have a valid driver's license
• You have not had a violation in the past 18 months for which you went to, or signed up for, traffic school
• Your ticket does not require a mandatory court appearance
• If you have a commercial driver's license, you were not driving a commercial vehicle when you got the ticket

The clerk cannot approve traffic school for:

• Misdemeanors
• Violations worth more than 1 point under Vehicle Code § 12810, or more than 1.5 points under § 12810.5(b)(2)
• Speeding more than 25 mph over the limit, or over 100 mph
• Violations in a commercial vehicle (Vehicle Code § 15210(b))
• Violations of Vehicle Code § 22406
• Violations involving alcohol or drugs
• Cases with an unresolved failure to appear under Vehicle Code § 40508(a), or an unpaid civil assessment under Penal Code § 1214.1

If you go to traffic school when you are not eligible, the conviction will still be reported to the DMV, and fees will not be refunded.

DMV Traffic School List

Some violations can be dismissed if you fix the problem and show proof to the court. Only violations the officer marked as correctable qualify.

• Equipment violations: After you fix the problem, any law enforcement agency can inspect it and sign the back of your citation. The agency may charge a fee (Government Code § 26746.1).
• Brake light, smog device, or muffler violations: A station licensed to inspect and certify that type of repair can sign off.
• Registration or driver's license violations: Court staff or the DMV can verify and sign off. The DMV may charge fees.

Submit the original signed proof (copies are not accepted) by mail or in person by your due date, with a $25 fee for each corrected violation.

If your ticket has both a correctable violation and a moving violation and you are going to traffic school, send your proof of correction with your traffic school certificate. Include payment for both the $25 correction fee per violation and the traffic school fee.

If you sold the vehicle or cannot show proof of correction, you must still resolve the ticket, either by paying the bail or by going to court to explain. Bring any paperwork that supports your case, such as proof of sale.

• You had insurance when you were cited: Show the court clerk proof of insurance that lists the cited vehicle and covers the date of the ticket. The bail on that violation is reduced to $25, paid by your due date.
• You got insurance after you were cited: Show proof of insurance that lists the cited vehicle and its effective dates. Your fine may be reduced, but the court must still impose a minimum fine (Vehicle Code § 16029).
• Repeat violations, or no insurance in an accident: You may have to appear in court (Vehicle Code § 16028(c)). If you show valid proof of insurance and pay court fees before your court date, the case may be taken off calendar.

If you want to plead not guilty and contest your ticket in court, there are two ways to get a trial date:

1. Request a trial without going to court first. By your due date, pay the bail amount on your courtesy notice by mail, online, in person, or by phone. Choose the option to plead not guilty, waive time, and request a court trial, or tell the clerk. The court will mail you the trial date. If you are found not guilty or the case is dismissed, your bail will be refunded by mail, typically within 4 to 6 weeks.
2. Go to your arraignment. Appear on the date on your citation or courtesy notice. At the arraignment, the judge explains your rights and the charges, and you enter a plea. If you plead not guilty, the judge sets a trial date. If you plead guilty, the judge sentences you. You do not have to post bail if you request a trial at your arraignment.

If you were cited for an equipment, registration, license, or insurance violation, bring any proof of correction to your arraignment.

At the trial: The officer who cited you will be told to appear. You can testify, present evidence and documents, and bring or subpoena witnesses. You may hire a lawyer. If you do not come to your trial, the judge may find you guilty without you.

Remote arraignments: To appear remotely at a traffic arraignment, submit the Traffic Add-On Request form no later than the Friday before your appearance date. See the Traffic section of the Zoom Appearance page.

You can also contest your ticket in writing. See "Contesting a Ticket: Trial by Written Declaration" below.

Under Vehicle Code § 40902, you can contest a Vehicle Code infraction in writing without going to court. This is called a trial by written declaration.

To qualify:

• All violations must be Vehicle Code infractions or local ordinances adopted under the Vehicle Code
• No accident was involved, and the violation happened in the officer's presence (not, for example, from a citizen complaint)
• There is no failure to appear or failure to pay on the case
• You must pay the full bail at least 5 days before your appearance date

How it works:

1. Pay the bail and choose the option to plead not guilty, waive time, and request a trial by declaration, or tell the clerk. See "Paying Your Bail and Choosing an Option" above.
2. The court mails declaration forms to you and the officer. Fill out yours completely and return it by the due date on the form. If you do not return it on time, you may be found guilty and lose your bail.
3. The judge decides based on the written statements and mails you the decision.

If you are found not guilty or the case is dismissed, your bail will be refunded by mail, typically within 4 to 6 weeks. If you are found guilty, the fine will not be more than the bail you paid. Payment plans are not available for trials by declaration.

New trial: If you disagree with the decision, you can ask for a new trial in court (trial de novo) by filing a Request for New Trial (Trial de Novo) (form TR-220) within 20 calendar days after the court mails the decision. The court will set a trial within 45 days (Vehicle Code § 40902(d)). If your request is late, no new trial will be held and the case will be closed (California Rules of Court, rule 4.210(b)(7)).

To request a postponement: File a Request for Postponement of Traffic Court Trial (form LSC-TR-100) at least 15 days before the trial.

• Explain why you need the postponement (good cause), and include supporting documents, such as a plane ticket or doctor's note.
• Serve the request on the other party, and file the completed Declaration of Service with the court.
• Requests that are late, do not show good cause, or have no proof of service may be denied.

To object to a postponement: If you were served with a request and do not agree, file an Objection to Postponement of Traffic Court Trial (form LSC-TR-101) within 5 days after you were served. If you do not object, you do not need to do anything. The court will tell you if there is a new date.

Filing your objection online: To avoid mail delays, you can submit your objection online.

• You will get a confirmation email with a PDF of your completed objection. Download and print it.
• Submitting online does not serve the other party. Someone 18 or older who is not part of the case must serve the printed PDF on the requesting party, in person or by mail.
• The person who served it must complete the Declaration of Service at the bottom of the form. File it with the court in person or by mail.

For more about serving papers, see Serving court papers.

Submit an Objection Online

If you must appear in court, your courtesy notice will say so: the Department shown on the notice will be something other than "Traffic Tickets." Appear at the Hall of Justice on the date and time shown. The pay-by-mail and traffic school options do not apply. Wear proper attire. Tank tops, shorts, and bare feet are not allowed.

The court generally allows remote appearances in traffic infraction cases. See the Traffic section of the Zoom Appearance page.

If you do not appear or resolve your ticket by your due date, or by any later date the clerk gave you, the court may take action under Vehicle Code § 40903. This may include:

• A misdemeanor charge for failure to appear (Vehicle Code § 40508), with bail increased by $260.55. A conviction is reported to the DMV.
• A civil assessment of up to $100 (Penal Code § 1214.1)
• A warrant for your arrest
• Referral of your case to collections or the Franchise Tax Board
• For youth under 18, a case filed by the District Attorney under Welfare and Institutions Code section 602

If you cannot afford to pay, see the Financial Hardship page to ask for a lower fine, a payment plan, more time to pay, or community service.

If you miss your due date, you may face:

• A misdemeanor failure-to-appear charge
• A civil assessment of up to $100
• A higher amount owed and a possible warrant

Contact the court as soon as possible. See "Failure to Appear" under Traffic Topics above.

State law requires the court to collect a $25 fee for each correctable violation (Vehicle Code § 40611). The officer may not have been referring to this court fee.

Yes, unless the ticket was issued in the registered owner's name. That is called an owner's responsibility citation.

You still must resolve the ticket. What you can do depends on the violation:

• Equipment (such as a broken taillight) or registration: If it was not fixed or renewed before you sold the car, you must pay the full ticket amount. The $25 correction fee does not apply, but you may qualify for a reduced amount or a payment plan. See the Financial Hardship page.
• Proof of insurance: Show the clerk proof that you were insured on the date of the ticket.
• Driver's license: These are not about the car, so the usual fix-it rules apply. Get a sign-off from the DMV or law enforcement, or show the clerk your valid California driver's license.

If you believe the ticket should be dismissed because you sold the car or it is inoperable, you can ask for a court date and bring proof, such as a bill of sale.

State law requires the $52 court fee (Vehicle Code § 42007). It pays for the court's work managing traffic school cases. None of it goes to the school.

Traffic schools are private companies approved by the DMV, and they charge their own fees.

State law requires it (Vehicle Code § 42007). The bail amount becomes your fine when you complete traffic school. The benefit of traffic school is that the conviction is kept confidential on your DMV record. For commercial license holders, it shows on your record but without a point. See "Traffic School" under Traffic Topics above.

Ask for a court date so you can explain to a judge. Bring any documents that support your case, such as identification or proof of where you were. Do not ignore the ticket.

• You can pay online with a credit card.
• If you live outside the U.S. and pay by check or money order, the payment must be in U.S. dollars.
• To contest your ticket, you can appear remotely at your arraignment. Submit the Traffic Add-On Request form by the Friday before your appearance date. See the Zoom Appearance page.
• You can also contest in writing with a trial by written declaration, if you qualify.

File a Request for Postponement of Traffic Court Trial (form LSC-TR-100) at least 15 days before the trial. Explain why you need the postponement, include supporting documents, and serve the request on the other party. See "Postponing a Traffic Court Trial" under Traffic Topics above for all the steps.

If you do not object, you do not need to do anything. The court will tell you if there is a new date.

If you do object, file an Objection to Postponement of Traffic Court Trial (form LSC-TR-101) within 5 days after you were served. You can file it online, but you must still serve the printed form on the requesting party. See "Postponing a Traffic Court Trial" under Traffic Topics above for all the steps.

Submit an Objection Online

Yes.

• Interpreters: The court provides interpreters at no cost for court proceedings. Let the court know as early as possible. See the Language Access Services page.
• Disability accommodations: Submit form MC-410 as far in advance as possible, and at least 5 court days before your hearing. See the ADA Information page.