The fine varies by the type of violation issued. The full list of fine amounts by violation type is detailed in the ‘Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules’, a 191 page document issued by the Judicial Council of California.
When You Get a Traffic Ticket, What Happens Next?
The police will likely ask for your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance, as well as asking you to exit your vehicle. If you are charged with a violation, the officer will issue you with a “Notice to Appear,” which will specify the charges or violations and ask you to sign them. Signing the “ticket” does not constitute an admission of guilt, but rather a pledge to appear in court on the specified day. If you refuse to sign the ticket, the officer is legally compelled to arrest you and bring you before a court for arraignment on the charges.
There are two types of California traffic tickets:
- An infraction is a traffic citation that includes all fundamental traffic offenses in California, such as exceeding the speed limit as well as running a red light.
- A misdemeanor is one of the traffic citations with a more serious driving infraction, such as driving without a license, driving while intoxicated, speeding excessively, and so on.
How do I know what violation type I was issued?
The violation type is always listed on the citation you were issued. However, there’s a lot of information on that citation and it’s not always easy to find the violation number on the ticket. It doesn’t matter if your ticket was issued by the CHP, LAPD, or the local Sheriff. If it’s a ticket for a Traffic Infraction, it has to follow the California Vehicle Code.
Where is the violation number on the citation?
The violation code is typically listed right in the middle of the citation. Usually, it is named ‘Code & Section’.
Sometimes the violation code has ‘VC’ or ‘CVC’ at the front, and sometimes it has those letters at the end or the numbers, but ignore the ‘VC’ and ‘CVC, it’s the other digits that are important.
Now I know the violation, what’s the fine?
To find the fine amount, you can either search through all 191 pages of the ‘Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules’ or you can use the little tool below that we built for you to check your traffic fines:
Once you got a hold of your tickets and their fines, you can now do an online payment. If a client chooses to pay the citation, they can do so by going to the clerk’s office in the county where the violation happened and paying the civil penalty specified on the face of the citation.
We at Ticket Snipers are available for everyone since we understand how a traffic or parking ticket may affect our clients’ life. We know they can’t afford to miss work to attend court or traffic school, and they can’t afford to pay huge fines or have their insurance rates raised.
Please contact us at Ticket Snipers if you’re seeking the best and most capable staff to handle your tickets!