Californians aren’t strangers to traffic tickets. Odds are good you’ve gotten a traffic ticket at least once in your life if you live in California. You know the consequences of not paying a ticket or paying it late can be bad. Fees can double, triple, and go up by hundreds of dollars. Worse, you might be sent to a collection agency and even charged later with a crime.
But, if you’re simply not able to pay a traffic ticket because of financial problems, California offers relief in several ways. Keep reading to find out what happens if you can’t pay a traffic ticket and how to get help.
First Response To A Traffic Ticket
After getting any traffic ticket over an infraction, any relevant information about how and when to pay it is on the ticket, or notice, itself. Almost all traffic tickets can be handled via mail or the internet, unless it’s for a misdemeanor, or if you want to challenge the ticket in any way. If you do, then you should also know that which court you can appear at is also printed on the ticket.
Once the ticket is issued, most courts send via mail a courtesy letter within two to three weeks of your infraction detailing some of the steps you can take. Contact the court immediately if the deadline for the letter has passed and you haven’t gotten a courtesy notice. You not only have to pay the fine for the traffic ticket but you must also pay the administrative fee to the court, either in person or through the mail.
Every traffic ticket in California comes with financial penalties attached, which can be some of the harshest in the country, with some costing you up to hundreds of dollars. On top of the money you lose, you face added points to your driving record, license suspension, and even a warrant for your arrest after getting a notice of license suspension.
Options If You Can’t Pay A Traffic Infraction
Never pay late. That’s definitely not an option. The consequences for late-paying or never go from having to pay hundreds of dollars to even getting your license revoked. Instead, there are two main options.
Push Back The Date
Once you have the notice to appear in court and you’re facing problems with your flow of cash and can’t pay right now but you can later, then ask for an extension on your date to pay. Every extension is usually for an extra 30 days.
Due dates for traffic tickets and traffic court trials aren’t immovable in most jurisdictions. There is a good possibility you will be able to convince the court to approve your request for a delay if there’s a reasonable basis for extending that traffic court trial date.
Even though every jurisdiction has its own set rules and protocols, most traffic court sites lay out how to ask for an extension of time for a traffic ticket due date or a traffic court trial. You can generally request an extension in writing, over the phone, or in-person at the traffic court.
Whatever the path you choose to request a time extension, the court will require you to have a valid justification for the extra time needed. Depending on your circumstances, an extension might be granted for:
- Unable to be in the state during the trial date.
- Prior employment, school, or family responsibilities.
- Financial difficulty.
- The need of having more time for preparing for a traffic court trial, and
- That a crucial witness in your case is unavailable.
Ask For Financial Assistance
If you meet certain guidelines in regards to your economic and social situation, you might be able to get the cost of your ticket lowered or get an alternative instead of paying for the fine in full, like community service.
Some counties might offer up to an 80% reduction of fines and fees, or even more. The most common procedure is to request a 30’day extension to pay, either by phone or mail. Go to the county traffic court or traffic business office, and request any of the following:
- A fine reduction;
- Community service or volunteer work for up to half of the total fine;
- A payment plan, which can also be combined with a discount of the fine if it ends up being above $35 a month.
Before you do any of these, you have to first appear in court to ask it to consider your inability to pay. Make an appointment.
You will then have to file or mail your explanation, in writing, about why you can’t pay the fine for now. The court will then mail you a response to the request. There is a form available for this process, called the TR-320.
Please contact us at Ticket Snipers if you have any questions about not being able to pay for a traffic ticket and how to get help and avoid penalties, or worse, getting your license revoked. We are available 24/7 if you’d like to chat with one of our trained consultants about defense against traffic infractions.