Traffic Cases in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County traffic court handles over one million citations each year through sixteen locations across the county. The LA Superior Court Traffic Division processes every traffic ticket issued within county boundaries. You can search cases online, pay fines, and request trials through the court website. Most services are available twenty four hours a day. The court uses a custom case management system built specifically for the high volume of traffic matters in Los Angeles County California.

How Traffic Court Works in LA County

Traffic cases in Los Angeles County go through the Criminal Division of Superior Court. This changed in 2016. Before that date, infractions went to the Traffic Division. Now all misdemeanor violations after January first 2016 get filed in Criminal Court. Infractions still go to one of sixteen traffic court locations spread across the county. Each courthouse serves specific areas within LA County.

When you get a ticket in Los Angeles County, wait four to six weeks for processing. The court needs time to enter your citation. You can try to search sooner but the case may not show up yet. Once entered, you can look it up on the court website at lacourt.org. The online system lets you search by name or case number. Name searches cost $4.75 each. This fee covers one search with basic case details. Each additional case you want to see costs another $4.75 in Los Angeles County California.

The appear by date on your ticket is not a court date. It is your deadline to take action. You must respond by that date. Your options are to pay the fine, request traffic school, or ask for a trial. If you do nothing, the court adds penalties. A civil assessment of up to three hundred dollars gets added to your balance. The court can also suspend your license until you pay.

Los Angeles County offers online services through several portals. You can pay citations online any time. You can also request traffic school online if eligible. Trial by written declaration can be submitted through the website. Each service has its own section on the LA Court site. The main traffic page has links to all these tools.

LA County Traffic Court Locations

The Los Angeles Superior Court operates sixteen traffic court sites. Each location serves nearby cities and communities in that part of the county. You must go to the courthouse assigned to your case. Your citation or courtesy notice shows which location handles your ticket. Some larger courthouses like Metropolitan handle many cases. Smaller locations like Catalina process fewer matters each day.

The main traffic court website is at lacourt.org. This page lists all sixteen locations with addresses and phone numbers. Hours vary by courthouse but most open between eight and eight thirty in the morning. Most close at four thirty in the afternoon. Some locations have limited hours on certain days. Check the website for your specific courthouse before you visit in Los Angeles County.

You do not need to appear in person for most traffic matters. Online and phone options work for many tasks. But if you want to speak with a clerk or need copies of documents, visit the courthouse during business hours. Bring your citation number and photo ID. Staff can help you with payments, proof of correction, or setting up a payment plan at any traffic court location in California.

Search LA Traffic Cases Online

Los Angeles County built its own case search system. It does not use Tyler Odyssey or other common vendors. The custom portal handles the huge volume of cases filed each year. You access it through the main court website. Look for the Online Services section. Click on Public Access to Court Records. This takes you to the search page for Los Angeles County California traffic records.

Searching costs money in LA County. Each name search is $4.75. The fee covers one search result. If multiple cases show up under that name, you pay extra to view details on additional cases. Case number searches work the same way. Once you find your case, basic information displays for free. But downloading documents costs more. The first five pages cost one dollar per page. Additional pages cost forty cents each. The maximum fee for any document is forty dollars.

For document downloads and certified copies, contact the Certification Unit. They are located at 111 North Hill Street in Room 112C in downtown Los Angeles. Mail requests to that address or visit in person. Phone is available for questions but you cannot order documents by phone. Certified copies cost more than regular copies. You need certified copies for some legal purposes. Regular printouts from the online system work fine for most people checking on their own case status.

Traffic Fines and Fees

Los Angeles County follows the statewide fine schedule. The Judicial Council sets base fines. Then many fees get added on top. Court construction fees, state penalty assessments, and county charges all pile onto the base amount. A simple speeding ticket might start at thirty five dollars. By the time all fees are added, you pay two or three hundred dollars total in Los Angeles County.

Traffic school costs extra if you want to keep the ticket off your record. The administrative fee to the court is fifty two dollars. You also pay the traffic school itself. Schools charge between twenty and sixty dollars for online courses. So your total cost for traffic school is the full bail amount plus fifty two dollars to the court plus the school fee. Many people find this worthwhile to avoid insurance rate increases in California.

If you cannot afford to pay, LA County has options. You can request a payment plan. The court looks at your income and expenses. They set up monthly payments you can handle. Another option is to ask for community service instead of payment. The court sets a dollar value per hour. You work off your fine by doing volunteer work. The ability to pay tool at mycitations.courts.ca.gov helps people who qualify for reductions based on income. This is available to anyone in California including Los Angeles County.

Unpaid fines go to collections. Los Angeles County uses Alliance One as the collection agency. They add their own fees on top of what you owe the court. Your license gets suspended if the debt stays unpaid. Renewal of your vehicle registration gets blocked until you clear the hold. The best approach is to contact the court before the deadline. Ask about your options. Most people can work out a plan that avoids these extra penalties in Los Angeles County California.

Traffic School in Los Angeles County

You can request traffic school for most one point violations. Your courtesy notice will tell you if you are eligible. If traffic school is an option, you must choose it before your deadline. Once that date passes, you lose the chance to use traffic school for that ticket. The eighteen month rule applies. You cannot have gone to traffic school for another ticket in the past eighteen months. California counts from the violation date of the first ticket to the violation date of the new ticket.

Some violations never qualify for traffic school. These include speeding over twenty five miles per hour above the limit, any alcohol related offense, reckless driving, and commercial vehicle violations. If you were in a collision at the time of the violation, that also disqualifies you from traffic school in most cases. The court makes the final decision on eligibility in Los Angeles County.

After the court approves your traffic school request, you pick a school from the approved list. The DMV website has the full list of licensed schools in California. Most people choose online schools for convenience. You have sixty days to complete the course. When done, the school sends your completion certificate to the court. The court then reports it to the DMV as a confidential conviction. Insurance companies cannot see it. But if you get another ticket within eighteen months, you cannot use school again and that second ticket will go on your visible record in California.

Major Cities in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County includes many major cities. All traffic tickets in these cities go to LA County Superior Court. No city in California operates its own traffic court. Select your city below to learn more about which courthouse handles cases in that area:

Los Angeles | Long Beach | Pomona | Torrance | Pasadena | Santa Clarita

Nearby California Counties

If your ticket was issued in a neighboring county, you need to contact that county court. Los Angeles County does not handle cases from other jurisdictions. Check these nearby counties:

Orange County | Ventura County | San Bernardino County | Kern County