Sometimes it’s easy to overlook paying a traffic ticket in the hustle and bustle of every day life. When a ticket shows up on your windshield, it’s easy to cast it onto the dashboard or the floor, where it can get lost and thrown out with the trash. With enough time, you may even forget whether you’ve paid a ticket or simply forgotten it. Luckily, it’s easy to find out if you have unmet obligations to pay parking tickets. Leaving tickets unpaid can results in increased fines, having your car booted or even losing your privilege to drive in extreme cases.
Search Your Local Violations Bureau Website
Many towns and cities have now moved traffic ticket payments online. You can set up an account and search by licence plate. You can then pay immediately with a credit card, or contest a ticket if you haven't missed the deadline to dispute its validity. If your area doesn't have a traffic violations website, or if you need the violation number in order to locate the ticket, you can call them.
Call Your Local Municipal Court
Locate the telephone number for your local municipal court. You can find this in the blue pages of your local phone book or with a simple online search that includes your town or county and zip code. Call the court and tell whomever answers that you have a question about unpaid tickets.
Explain that you may have outstanding tickets and that you want to pay them off. Ask if any penalties have been assessed. Make plans with the person on the phone to pay off your tickets.
References
Tips
- Many states have online systems that help you locate and pay tickets, but that varies from state to state--you may need the case number, too. It's best to simply call and ask.
Writer Bio
Melly Parker has been writing since 2007, focusing on health, business, technology and home improvement. She has also worked as a teacher and a bioassay laboratory technician. Parker now serves as a marketing specialist at one of the largest mobile app developers in the world. She holds a Master of Science in English.