Traffic Records in Merced County

Merced County Superior Court handles all traffic violations within the county through two courthouse locations. The main facility operates in Merced. A second branch serves Los Banos. You can resolve most traffic matters without appearing in person. Pay fines, ask for traffic school, or set trial dates online or by phone. The court offers walk in hours on specific mornings and one afternoon per week. Processing takes four to six weeks from when you receive your citation until it appears in the court system. This allows time for the officer to submit the ticket and for staff to enter it in Merced County California.

Merced Court Contact Information

The Merced courthouse is at 720 West 20th Street. Phone number is two zero nine seven two five four one zero seven. This location handles most traffic cases in the county. Walk in hours are Monday through Thursday mornings from seven thirty to eight fifteen. There is also a Thursday afternoon walk in from twelve thirty to one fifteen. Call ahead if you need help outside these hours in Merced County.

The Los Banos branch sits at 1159 G Street. Phone is two zero nine seven two five four one two four. This courthouse serves the western part of the county. Check which location handles your case based on where you got your ticket. Your citation shows the correct courthouse to contact in California.

Online case access is available through the Tyler Odyssey portal. This is the same system used by many California counties. Visit merced.courts.ca.gov and look for the traffic division page. The traffic section on the court website describes procedures, fees, and available options like traffic school and payment plans. Links to the online portal are provided on this page.

Most people use online services to avoid waiting in line at the courthouse. You can search your case, pay fines, and request traffic school through the portal any time of day. Phone and walk in services work if you need help or have questions in Merced County California.

Search Your Case Online

Merced County provides online case lookup through the Tyler Odyssey system. Enter your citation number to pull up your case details. The system shows charges, total due, and your deadline to respond. It also tells you if you qualify for traffic school based on your violation type and history.

Wait at least thirty days before searching for your case. Citations take time to process. The officer submits the ticket to the court. Staff then enter it into the computer. If you search too soon, the case may not be in the system yet. Call the court if more than eight weeks have passed and your case still does not appear in Merced County.

The online portal lets you make payments and submit requests. You can pay your fine in full or set up a payment plan. You can request traffic school if eligible. You can also ask for an extension on your deadline. Follow the prompts and keep your confirmation number after completing any transaction in California.

Traffic Fines and Costs

Merced County uses the California uniform bail schedule. Base fines vary by violation. Many fees then get added on. Court operations fees, state penalty assessments, and county charges all increase your total. A typical speeding ticket costs two to four hundred dollars after all fees are added in Merced County.

Traffic school costs seventy dollars as an administrative fee. This is higher than the fifty two dollar fee in most California counties. You also pay the full bail amount on your citation. Then you pay the traffic school provider, usually twenty to sixty dollars for online courses. Your total cost can reach five hundred dollars or more depending on how fast you were going or what violation you committed.

Proof of correction applies to fix it tickets. You pay twenty five dollars per violation if you show you fixed the problem. Common examples include proof of insurance, valid registration, or repaired equipment. Bring your proof to the court along with the fee. The court dismisses the citation once they verify you corrected the issue in California.

If you cannot afford to pay the full amount at once, ask about payment plans. Contact the court before your deadline. They review your income and expenses. Then they set monthly payments you can handle. A setup fee may apply. Make every payment on time to avoid penalties and license suspension in Merced County.

Traffic School Eligibility and Process

Most one point violations can use traffic school in Merced County. Your courtesy notice indicates if you qualify. You must request traffic school before your appearance deadline. After that date you cannot use it. California law limits traffic school to once every eighteen months. If you attended for another ticket in the past eighteen months, you are not eligible.

Certain violations never qualify for traffic school. Speeding more than twenty five miles per hour over the limit does not qualify. Any alcohol or drug related offense cannot use traffic school. Reckless driving, commercial vehicle violations, and collisions at the time of the violation also disqualify you. The court makes the final decision on eligibility in California.

After the court approves your request, choose a school from the DMV approved list. Visit the California DMV website to find licensed schools. Most people select online schools. You have sixty days to complete the course. The school submits your completion certificate directly to the court. The court then reports it to DMV as a confidential conviction in Merced County.

Confidential convictions do not show on your public driving record. Insurance companies cannot see them. But DMV tracks them for the eighteen month rule. If you get another ticket within eighteen months and try to use traffic school again, they will deny it. The time runs from violation date to violation date, not from completion date or court date in California.

Cities in Merced County

All traffic tickets issued in Merced County cities go to the county Superior Court. No city operates its own traffic court. Tickets from these areas are handled by the Merced or Los Banos courthouse:

Merced | Los Banos | Atwater | Livingston | Gustine | Dos Palos

Adjacent Counties

If your ticket was issued in a different county, you must contact that county court. Merced County only handles violations within its borders. Check these nearby counties:

Stanislaus County | Madera County | Mariposa County | San Benito County | Santa Clara County