How to Pay a California Traffic Ticket

You pay a California traffic ticket to the court that handles it, not to TicketClear or any other company. Your ticket or the court’s courtesy notice tells you which court that is, how much you owe and the date to pay by. Before you pay, know what paying means: it counts as a conviction.

Check Your Notice First

Your ticket shows the date by which you must respond and the court that handles your case. The amount you owe is often not printed on the ticket: the court mails a reminder, called a courtesy notice, with the total. The California Courts self-help guide says it can take 30 days or longer to arrive, so calendar the date on your ticket instead of waiting for it. If the date is near and no notice has come, contact the court. If your ticket or notice says you must appear in court, follow those instructions: some tickets cannot be closed by paying alone.

The total is more than the base fine. Under the Judicial Council’s 2026 bail schedule, a $35 base fine becomes $234 after all penalties and fees (some counties charge more).

Find the court that handles your ticket. Find My Traffic Court →

How to Pay

1. Find your court and the amount you owe. Use the court name and citation number on your ticket or courtesy notice.
2. Choose how to pay. The California Courts self-help guide says you can usually pay online, by mail or in person at the court, and that if you pay online, you pay on the court’s own website. Your notice or the court’s website lists the options your court offers.
3. Pay by the due date, and keep your receipt or confirmation number.
4. If you want traffic school instead, contact the court before you pay. The self-help guide says that after you contact the court, you pay the court and the traffic school.

Your court’s payment page, county by county. Court Payment Pages by County →

Pay Only Through the Court

The California Courts warn about fake texts, calls and emails that look like they come from the court and say you owe money for a traffic ticket. The court will never ask for payment by text, phone or email, and it never sends links to pay tickets by text. The scam warning says to pay only through the court’s official website or in person at the courthouse; the self-help guide also lists paying the court by mail. Type the court’s web address yourself instead of following a link in a message you did not expect.

MyCitations, the California courts’ online traffic tool, is for asking for a lower fine and, in some courts, for online trials by declaration. The California Courts pages do not describe it for paying a ticket.

How to spot a traffic ticket scam, from the California Courts: Scam warning ↗

If You Cannot Pay the Full Amount

You can ask the court to lower the fine, give you more time, set up a payment plan or let you do community service, through MyCitations or form TR-320 (Government Code 68645.2). Not every court offers every option. You do not have to pay bail, fines or fees before the court decides, and the court cannot charge you an administrative fee for the request (Government Code 68645.2).

The California Courts self-help guide says that after you ask for a reduction, you can no longer correct a fix-it ticket or fight the ticket in court. If you think you are not guilty, decide that first.

Who qualifies and what the court can do. Ability to Pay in California →

Other Options Before You Pay

• Traffic school: if the court finds you eligible, completing a DMV-licensed course keeps a one-point conviction confidential, so no point is counted. It is allowed once in any 18 months, and not for commercial driver’s license holders, violations in a commercial vehicle, or violations worth more than one point (Vehicle Code 1808.7 and 42005). You still pay a fee equal to the full bail, plus a $49 fee and smaller added fees (Vehicle Code 42007 and 42007.1), and the school’s charge.
• Contesting: you can contest a court ticket by mail with a trial by written declaration, or at a trial in court. In most courts you deposit the bail amount when you request a trial by written declaration (Vehicle Code 40902(b)), and it is refunded if you are found not guilty; courts that offer online trial by declaration through MyCitations generally cannot require it up front (Government Code 68645.4).
• A fix-it ticket (correctable violation) is usually cleared by fixing the problem and showing proof of correction to the court by the date on your ticket. The court must then dismiss the corrected charge, and the clerk collects a $25 fee for each one (Vehicle Code 40522 and 40611).
• An AB 645 speed camera notice, an SB 720 civil red light notice, or a parking or toll notice is not a court case. Follow the payment instructions on the notice from the city or agency that issued it.

Who qualifies for traffic school. Traffic School and DMV Points →

Thinking about contesting instead? Is Trial by Written Declaration Worth It? →

If You Miss the Due Date

If that date passes and you have not paid, asked for a trial, or contacted the court, the court can record a failure to appear (FTA). An FTA can add a civil assessment of up to $100 (Penal Code 1214.1), and the court can add the violation to your DMV record. If you need more time, ask the court for an extension before the date passes; whether to grant one is up to the court.

What to do if the date has passed. Missed Your Traffic Ticket Deadline? →