Traffic Court

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In California, people usually get 1 of 3 kinds of traffic tickets: parking tickets, infraction tickets, or misdemeanor tickets.

Infraction Traffic Tickets

An infraction is a relatively minor violation of a law, and often you do not need to go to court -- IF you take care of your ticket right away.

Your ticket should say what law you have been accused of breaking. Generally, it will be one of four types. To learn more about the one you received, click on the ticket type.

• Moving violations – driving too fast or running a red light, for example.
• Driving without proof of insurance for your vehicle.
• Car registration or driver’s license violations.
• Having broken equipment that you need to fix.

Misdemeanor Traffic Tickets

A misdemeanor is a crime that can be punished by up to one year in jail. If you received a misdemeanor ticket, you must go to court.

In this section you will find information about what to do:

BEFORE you go to court for a traffic case

DURING a traffic court case – for either an infraction or a misdemeanor

AFTER a court case

You can also find:

Payment Information for infraction tickets, and the Traffic Violator School Option for people who got an infraction ticket.

* Parking Ticket appeals if the parking agency has already made a decision
  about your ticket.

In addition, this section has answers for your Frequently Asked Questions about traffic cases, and information about the forms you might need for your case.

To view some short videos with general information about how California’s court system works, click here.

To get the information you need to get started, you can use the “drop down” menu at the left side of this page, or you can click on the “Next” button at the bottom of the page.

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