Contest a California traffic ticket online

TicketClear prepares your Trial by Written Declaration documents. A trial by written declaration is a way to contest a California traffic infraction by mail (Vehicle Code 40902). Scan or type in your ticket, tell your side in your own words, then review, edit and sign your declaration. You file it with the court yourself.

By mail or online

In most California courts you contest by mail: you send the court form TR-205 with your written declaration. Under Vehicle Code 40902, you deposit the bail amount when you submit your declaration, and the court refunds it if you are found not guilty or the charges are dismissed.

Some courts also let you contest online through MyCitations, the California courts' online trial by declaration tool, where you submit a written statement and upload evidence. When we last checked (October 7, 2026), the California courts listed it in Amador, Imperial, Nevada, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Siskiyou counties. Source: California Courts Newsroom

Under Government Code 68645.4, a court that offers online trials cannot require you to deposit bail in advance unless it states specific reasons for your case, and there is no new trial (trial de novo) after a trial by declaration there, even one filed by mail.

Either way, TicketClear prepares your declaration for a ticket from any California county. You submit it yourself, by mail or through MyCitations where your court offers it.

What your packet includes

• Declaration PDF built from your story
• Completed TR-205 court form
• Photo evidence exhibits
• Step by step mailing instructions with your court’s address
• Works in all 58 California counties
• Your bail amount, or an estimate if your ticket shows none

Start free. Pay $49.99 for any eligible California ticket when you are ready to download your declaration packet. No subscriptions.

The Driver Pack is 2 packets for $89.99, and its credits never expire.

Free guides before you start

• Your options for fighting a California traffic ticket →
• Trial by written declaration, explained →
• A walkthrough of form TR-205 →
• Is a trial by written declaration worth it? →
• Online trial by declaration in MyCitations courts →
• Prices and the Driver Pack →

TicketClear is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. No outcome is guaranteed.