CONTESTING A MOVING CITATION

There are three courses of action you can take after receiving a moving citation:

1. Pay the fine
2. Request traffic school and pay the fine. This option may allow a driver to mitigate the effect of the violation on their driving record by completing this safety course. There are requirements as to which violations are eligible for traffic school and how often this can be requested. Requests for Traffic School and eligibility are determined by the court.
3. You may contest the citation by requesting a court date where you and the issuing officer will present your respective cases before a hearing officer.

• If you are found not guilty, the case is dismissed and there is no fine and no points will be assessed to your driving record.
• If you are found guilty, you must pay the fine assessed for the violation, in addition to any penalties and assessments (court costs), which can be 150% of the fine, and the violation will be reflected on your driving record. Normally, there is no option for traffic school at this point.

"FIX-IT" CITATIONS

"Fix It" Tickets, also known as equipment or correctable citations, are citations issued to correct equipment violations with the driver’s vehicle. Examples include no brake lights, expired registration, broken windshield, modified exhaust, etc. The citation must be corrected and then verified by a police agency, CHP, DMV, or the court prior to the appearance date on the bottom of the citation. An employee/officer will inspect your vehicle to ensure the problem is corrected and sign and stamp the back side of the citation. There will also be a court fee assessed for "fix it" citations which is determined by the court.

Citation Sign-off Information