One of the more frustrating experiences for any driver is getting a traffic ticket. This stressful experience is exacerbated when you lose track of the ticket, as the citation number is what you use to reference the violation and take appropriate action. You can find the citation number by contacting the traffic court in your county.
Determine the County of the Citation
Determine the county in which the citation was issued. This is where the relevant data regarding the citation is stored, rather than with the police department issuing the ticket. If you are unsure which county you were in when you received the citation, you can pull up a county map from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Visit the Website of the County's Superior Court
Visit the website of the Superior Court of that county. If you can't find the website URL, try searching through the state government's site to find it.
Find the Traffic Section
Find the portion of the court dealing specifically with traffic. The site should list the phone number and appropriate extension near the bottom.
Call the Traffic Court
Call the traffic court. Be aware that government agencies may keep you on hold for a long time before taking your call.
Provide Information
Supply the representative with a driver's license or license plate number. For moving violations, they usually want a driver's license, while for non-moving violations, they sometimes search by license plate. The representative will be able to look up the citation and provide you with all of the relevant information, including the amount owed and the deadline to pay the ticket or contest it. You may also have the option to pay at this point.
Tips
Parking violations are a different matter than traffic violations and usually require contacting a city's parking bureau rather than a county court.
References
Resources
Tips
- Parking violations are a different matter than traffic violations and usually require contacting a city's parking bureau rather than a county court.
Writer Bio
Ray Dallas graduated with majors in journalism and English. While in Florida, he wrote freelance articles for "The Alligator" and was the copy editor and a writer for "Orange & Blue." Since moving to California, Dallas has worked as a script reader and for a talent manager, as well as taking numerous industry odd jobs.