If you are experiencing financial hardship and are unable to pay your fine for a non-mandatory infraction case, you may request a reduction or the Alternative Sentencing Program (community service) based on your ability to pay.

The $25 proof of correction fee is statutory per Vehicle Code section 40611 and per Senate Bill 1407, for all vehicle code correctable violations.

You are responsible for any ticket the officer issues in your name. Some tickets are issued in the name of the registered owner, and others in the name of the driver. If you cannot show proof of correction and do not want to pay the full fine, you must appear in court. You should support your case with any relevant paperwork. Selling or junking the vehicle does not relieve you of the responsibility to pay or appear by the due date listed on your ticket.

If you receive a ticket because your vehicle is not registered properly and you know it is because the vehicle cannot pass the smog check, immediately contact the Bureau of Automotive Repair for information.

If you receive a ticket because your vehicle is not registered properly and you have an economic hardship, contact the Bureau of Automotive Repair for an application to determine if you qualify for financial assistance.

When you finish an approved Traffic Violator School course, the school will notify the court of your completion date. If the schooling is completed and all fines and fees are paid by the due date, the conviction will be masked on the DMV record of non-commercial drivers. Commercial drivers will be required to contact the DMV Mandatory Actions Unit at 916-657-6525 to have the point masked. Only one conviction may be masked in any 18-month period.

Failure to pay the full fine will result in your case being transferred to an outside agency for collection, and your Traffic Violator School certificate will not be accepted.

Eligibility information is available in the Traffic Violator School section of the Ticket Options page.

The eligible Traffic School List is maintained by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

There are several reasons a point may still appear on your DMV record. Below are a few of the most common reasons.

Both Traffic Violator School and payment must be completed on or before the due date listed on your Agreement to Attend Traffic Violator School. If either is completed late, the point will be reported on your DMV record. No extensions or partial payments are allowed.

Commercial license holders must contact the DMV Mandatory Actions Unit at 916-657-6525 after completing Traffic Violator School to have the point masked.

If you have attended a Traffic Violator School in the State of California within the past 18 months from the date of this violation, the point will remain on your record.

You may contact your Traffic School to verify that the name, date of birth, citation number, and case number you provided to them are accurate. If so, the Traffic School may resubmit the certificate.

For any other reason not listed above, contact Traffic Court.

If your case is on a payment plan or with a collection agency, it has been settled, and you may no longer appear in court.

Case Status:

• Collections Linebarger (Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP): 844-566-6558
• Collections DRR (Department of Revenue Recovery): 916-875-7500

An appeal may be submitted to the court within 30 days of a court trial or other judicial decision. New evidence is not accepted on appeal. The appellate court's decision deals with the evidence offered and decisions made at the time of the trial.

Within 30 days of the judicial decision, you may submit an appeal through the:

• Traffic Public Counter in person.
• Mail or drop box. Postmarks are not accepted.

A failure to appear is an additional penalty for not appearing in court or resolving your case by the due date listed on your ticket. It may result in your bail being increased, a Civil Assessment being imposed, a hold being placed on your driver's license, and/or a warrant being issued for your arrest. In addition, the Court will deem your failure to appear as an election to proceed with the case by trial by written declaration pursuant to Vehicle Code section 40903.

If your active case is still with the court and has not yet been forwarded to an outside collection agency, you may check into court. If your case has been decided in your absence and sent to collections, you are no longer eligible for court check-in.

Pursuant to Penal Code 1214.1, "…the court may impose a civil assessment of up to one hundred dollars ($100) against a defendant who fails, after notice and without good cause, to appear in court for a proceeding authorized by law or who fails to pay all or any portion of a fine ordered by the court…"

Failure to respond within 20 days of a Civil Assessment notice will result in the entry of a civil judgment for the total amount due and a referral to a collection agency.

To avoid these penalties, the court must receive the original bail plus the civil assessment amount within 20 days of the notice. If you have failed to appear, proof of correction for eligible violations may accompany the payment to reduce your bail.

It will be up to the judicial officer at your hearing to determine whether an excuse is valid. Some of the reasons found to be valid are military orders / military duty, jail incarceration, a medical excuse from a doctor or hospital, or jury duty. Documented proof will need to be provided to the court.

You may request monthly payments on the failure to appear penalty and the original fine. However, some violations may require you to appear in court first.

If your case has been referred to an outside collection agency, monthly payments can be made.

• The fine may be increased.
• A $100 Civil Assessment may be imposed.
• A warrant may be issued for your arrest.
• A suspension or hold may be placed on your driving privilege.
• A hold may be placed on your vehicle registration.
• The entire fine plus any additional penalty may be sent to an outside collection agency, and you will not be eligible to return to court to discuss your case.

A Civil Assessment may be imposed, and the balance due with any additional penalty will be forwarded to an outside collection agency. In addition, you will not be eligible to return to court to discuss your case.

An abstract notifies DMV of updates to your driving record. After your case has been heard and/or you have complied with court orders, and the necessary paperwork is completed, an abstract will be sent to the DMV electronically.

Your driver’s license can be suspended at the Department of Motor Vehicles for a variety of reasons. If your driver’s license is suspended for a traffic-related issue, contact the traffic court for more information. If your driver's license is suspended due to a child support issue, you must contact the Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services.

Contact the Department of Motor Vehicles for information on how to get your license back.

California and all other states participate in the Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS). When you apply for a driver's license in a second state, the system alerts them to any action against your driver's license in the first state. It is up to the state where you apply to determine your eligibility for a license. They may not issue you a license until the suspension is cleared. Contact each state for its specific rules.

A restricted license is only granted when permitted by the California Vehicle Code. Contact the Department of Motor Vehicles for more information.

The Traffic Division does not handle parking tickets. To pay or contest your parking ticket, you must contact the citing parking agency listed on your ticket.

If you disagree with the final decision made by the Parking Division, you have the right to an appeal before the deadline listed on the Administrative Hearing Decision. You must have the Administrative Hearing Decision and picture identification available. There is a $25 filing fee for parking appeals.

You may file a parking appeal through the:

• In-person Traffic Public Counter
• Mail or drop box. Postmarks are not accepted.

The court may receive tickets from law enforcement agencies within 30 days or more. However, law enforcement has up to one year from the date of violation to file charges. If the ticket is filed by law enforcement after the listed court date, a new court date will be mailed to the address on the ticket. Once the ticket is filed with the court, a Reminder Notice will be mailed to the defendant at the address listed on the ticket.

When a ticket is issued, the officer will write a court date on the ticket. You do not need to appear in court unless you want to contest your ticket or your appearance is required. However, you must resolve your case any time on or before the date listed on your ticket.

See Ticket Options for more information.

Court dates are not rescheduled; however, you may appear or resolve your case any time on or before the date provided. The law enforcement officer should write a court date on the ticket when it is issued. You do not need to appear in court unless you want to contest your ticket or your appearance is required. However, you must resolve your case on or before the court date listed on your ticket.

Failure to resolve your case may result in your bail being increased, a Civil Assessment being imposed, a hold being placed on your driver's license, and/or a warrant being issued for your arrest. In addition, the court will deem your failure to appear as an election to proceed with a Trial by Written Declaration pursuant to Vehicle Code section 40903.

You must clear the ticket in the county where it was issued. For more information, contact the court in that county.

You may have been cited for a violation that requires you to appear in court. If your case requires a mandatory appearance, you must appear either in person or virtually at any time on or before the date listed on your ticket.

Mandatory appearance tickets cannot be paid without first appearing in court. If you fail to appear, a warrant may be issued for your arrest.

An arraignment is an initial appearance in court, during which the charges are presented and you have an opportunity to enter a plea. The bail amount may be set, and a future appearance may be scheduled. The citing officer(s) will not be present.

You may enter one of the following pleas:

• Guilty: You admit to the violation(s). This will result in a conviction once you enter your plea.
• Not Guilty: You deny the violation(s) and want to appear with the citing officer present.
• No Contest: You neither admit nor deny the violation(s). This plea is treated the same as a guilty plea.

The officer(s) will not be present at the arraignment. If you plead not guilty and a court trial is set, the issuing officer(s) will be subpoenaed to appear at the trial.

See Ticket Options for information about requesting a trial.

After the trial, you will be found guilty or not guilty. If you are found guilty of committing a traffic infraction, the court can impose a fine of $500 for the first offense, $910 for the second offense, and up to $1,115 for the third offense within one year of the current violation.

In speeding cases, the court may suspend your driver’s license for 30 days for the first offense, 60 days for the second offense, and up to six months for a third offense on your driving record.

The court will impose the sentence that is appropriate given the facts and circumstances that emerge during the trial.

The CR-125 Order to Attend Court or Provide Documents can be served on the law enforcement agency to subpoena discovery.

You may hire an attorney to represent you. If you are charged with a misdemeanor and cannot afford an attorney, you may request to have one appointed to you at your arraignment.

You may obtain documents at no cost online through the Public Case Access System.

Alternatively, you may request copies for $.50 per page and $40 per certification through the:

• Call Center: 916-875-7800
• Virtual Public Counter
• In-person Traffic Public Counter
• Mail or drop box. Postmarks are not accepted.

Yes, a drop box is available. For more information, visit Contact Traffic Court.

Each violation listed on a ticket is assessed a base fine. In addition to the base fine, there are additional assessments added to make up the total fine amount due to the court. An explanation of the base fine and assessment breakdown is shown below. The total fine amount due can also be increased by priors or points on a person's driving record. Additionally, fines can be further enhanced pursuant to Vehicle Code 42009 for committing an offense while driving in a highway construction or maintenance area and pursuant to Vehicle Code 40310 for violations committed in a Safety Enhancement-Double Fine Zone. There are special violations with higher fines for violations committed in a school zone, a business district, a senior center zone, or at a railroad crossing.

This breakdown is applicable to Sacramento County and may not apply to other counties.

• Base Fine: Set by legislation and the Judicial Council of California.
• Penalty Assessment: Penalty assessments are allocated for court and jail facility construction and other items, as noted below.
  • $10 per $10/base fine per PC 1464 goes 70% to the State Trial Court Trust Fund; 30% to the County General Fund.
  • $2 per $10/base fine per GC 76100 goes to the County Courthouse Construction fund.
  • $2.50 per $10/base fine per GC 76101 goes to the County Jail Construction Fund.
  • $0.50 per $10/base fine per GC 76102 goes to the County Automated Fingerprint Fund.
  • $2 per $10/base fine per GC 76104 goes to Maddy Emergency Medical Fund (State/County split).
  • $5 per $10/base fine per GC 70372 (a) goes to the State Court Facilities Construction Fund.
  • $1 per $10/base fine per GC 76104.6 goes to the DNA Identification Fund (County/State split).
  • $4 per $10/base fine per GC 76104.7 goes to the DNA Identification Fund (County/State split). (First $1 per $10 effective on violations on/after 07/12/06; additional $2 per $10 effective on violations on/after 06/10/10; $1 per $10 effective on violations on/after 06/27/12.)
• Night Court Assessment Fee pursuant to Vehicle Code 42006; goes to the State Court Facilities Construction Fund - $1.
• DMV History fee pursuant to Vehicle Code 40508.6; goes to the court to offset the cost of recording and maintaining defendants’ prior convictions of the Vehicle Code - $10.
• Twenty percent Criminal Surcharge pursuant to Penal Code 1465.7, goes to the State General Fund. 20% is calculated on the base fine amount.
• Court Security Fee pursuant to Penal Code 1465.8 goes to the State Trial Court Trust Fund - $40.
• Criminal Conviction Assessment pursuant to Government Code 70373 goes to the State Court Facilities Construction Fund (assessed per conviction). - $30 (Misdemeanor); $35 (Infraction)
• Certain parking violations are processed by the court. These violations must be issued on a Notice to Appear and signed by the violator. $3 per parking violation. Pursuant to SB 857 and Government Code 76000.3, effective 12/19/10, it goes to the State Trial Court Trust Fund.
• If traffic school is allowed, an additional $52 is added to the total amount due, which includes the DMV Traffic Violator School Completion Certificate Fee, $3 charged per certificate. Pursuant to AB 2499 and Vehicle Code 11208(d), effective 09/01/11, it goes to the State Department of Motor Vehicles.

Uniform Traffic Bail Schedule

The court has no jurisdiction over the law enforcement officer(s). You must contact the officer's agency to file a complaint. Links for various agencies are listed below:

• California Highway Patrol
• Sacramento Sheriff's Department
• Sacramento Police Department
• Citrus Heights Police Department
• Elk Grove Police Department
• Rancho Cordova Police Department
• Regional Transit Police

Tickets issued by automated enforcement systems (red light cameras) are issued to the registered owner of the vehicle involved in the incident. Local law enforcement agencies issue the tickets, which are mailed to the address provided by the DMV within 15 days of the incident.

A picture of the person driving the vehicle at the time of violation appears on the ticket. If you were not driving at the time of violation, you may appear in court to dispute the ticket or contact the law enforcement agency that issued your ticket. The law enforcement agency will review the citation and notify the court of any updates. If you fail to contact the agency or do not appear on or before the date listed at the bottom of the ticket, additional penalties will be added to your case.

• City of Elk Grove, Red Light Camera Program
• City of Citrus Heights, Red Light Camera Program
• City of Rancho Cordova, Red Light Camera Program

To view the available photographs or videos of the incident, log in to Photo Notice using your ticket number and the corresponding city code:

• City of Elk Grove: ELKGCA
• City of Citrus Heights: CSHTCA
• City of Rancho Cordova: RCPDCD

Most Driving Under the Influence (DUI) cases are handled at the Tani Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse in downtown Sacramento. Some other alcohol-related charges may be handled at the Carol Miller Justice Center.

Juvenile cases involving Vehicle Code infractions  are processed by the Traffic Division at the Carol Miller Justice Center. Juveniles are required to appear in court and must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at their hearing. Appearances may be in person or via Zoom.

All other matters—including traffic misdemeanors and non-traffic offenses—are managed at the Juvenile Courthouse, located at 9605 Kiefer Boulevard.

If you need further information or have questions, contact the court at 916-669-5712.

The California Highway Patrol issues this ticket for certain types of correctable violations. You are required to submit proof of correction(s) directly to the California Highway Patrol within 30 days. Failure to comply will result in the ticket being filed with the court and further penalties will apply.

If you were involved in an accident, the Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) determines whether a ticket will be issued as a result of their investigation. If the LEA determines a ticket is to be issued, you should receive a written notice from them or the District Attorney's Office (DA). If you do not receive a notice within 30 days from the date of your accident, you may contact the investigating agency for further information.

To obtain a copy of an accident report, contact the investigating law enforcement agency.

Access the Virtual Public Counter, or enter meeting ID 160 5330 6751, to check in virtually for arraignment. An audio and video connection are required. See Remote Appearance Guidance for more information.

If you have already checked in for same-day arraignment, or your trial has already been scheduled, you will find the link to your virtual hearing through the Public Case Access System. After searching for your case, at the top of your case details page, you will find two links on the day of your hearing. The first link, which reads “click here” in red, will connect you to the courtroom. After completing your hearing, you must click the second link, which reads “click here” in blue, to connect to the Virtual Fines Room. You are required to finalize your appearance with a Virtual Fines Room clerk immediately after your hearing to avoid further penalties.

You can download the Zoom Workplace application online or from your device's app store.

You may also view tutorials on the Zoom website.

1. Open the document on your device that you wish to share.
2. In Zoom, click the 'screen share' icon at the bottom of the screen. Then select the document/screen that you wish to share, and click the blue 'share' button.
3. When you are done sharing, click the red 'stop share' button located at the top of your screen.

If you experience issues accessing the Zoom link, email the applicable address below for assistance.

• Arraignments: TrafficVideoArraignment@saccourt.ca.gov
• Trials: TrafficVideoTrial@saccourt.ca.gov
• Motions: TrafficVideoMotion@saccourt.ca.gov
• Post Sentencing: TrafficVideoPostSentencing@saccourt.ca.gov
• Parking Appeals: TrafficVideoParkingAppeal@saccourt.ca.gov
• Vehicle Post Storage: TrafficVideoPostStorage@saccourt.ca.gov

A warrant may be issued for your immediate arrest for failure to appear, failure to pay, failure to correct a violation, or failure to comply with a court order. Any law enforcement officer in the state of California may arrest you anywhere, including your home or place of business.

Most traffic warrants can be cleared by paying the amount due or by appearing in court. If you know that you have an outstanding warrant, do not wait to be arrested. Contact the court or the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department for information on how to clear it. In some instances, you may be able to pay your fine instead of appearing in court. Cases with no bail warrants (mandatory jail time) cannot be cleared in court.

You may be sentenced to jail and referred to the Sheriff's Work Project or Home Detention. You must report to 700 North 5th Street no later than 5 court days after sentencing. The Sheriff's Department will interview you to determine your eligibility for this program. If you fail to qualify or you are not accepted, you will be ordered to begin serving your sentence as jail time in the County Jail or at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center.

If you fail to report for your interview within 5 days or fail to complete the court-ordered sentence, a warrant will be issued for your immediate arrest, and you will serve your sentence as jail time.

If you are sentenced to jail time on your traffic ticket, you must report to the County Jail or at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center on or before the court-ordered date. Failure to comply with the court order will result in a warrant being issued for your immediate arrest.

The installation of an ignition interlock device will be required if you are convicted of driving on a suspended license due to a DUI conviction. Installation and program fees will apply and be paid to the program agency. A court-ordered IID installation will be reported to the DMV. Both your vehicle registration and driver's record will reflect the installation of an IID.

You may be ordered to complete the Alcohol and Drug Program if you have been convicted of an alcohol or drug-related offense and are between 18 and 21 at the time of your sentence. You can choose one of several programs to attend. You must contact the program within 72 hours of your sentencing date for a registration appointment.

Failure to enroll in the program within 72 hours and/or failure to complete the program may result in a revocation of probation and a warrant issued for your immediate arrest.