Traffic Citations in San Francisco

San Francisco is both a city and a county. The Superior Court has two locations that handle traffic matters. The Hall of Justice is at 850 Bryant Street in Room 145. The Civic Center Courthouse is at 400 McAllister Street with traffic court in Department 218 on the second floor. Window hours run from eight thirty in the morning to four in the afternoon with a lunch break from noon to one. Phone payment is available seven days a week through an automated system. Live agents answer calls Monday through Friday from four in the morning until nine at night Pacific time.

Two Traffic Court Sites

The Hall of Justice handles many criminal and traffic matters. The traffic clerk office is in Room 145 on the first floor. Hours are eight thirty to four with a break from noon to one. Parking near the Hall of Justice can be difficult. Public transit works well. The courthouse sits close to BART and Muni lines. If you drive, arrive early to find parking. Meters and lots fill up fast in that area of San Francisco California.

Civic Center Courthouse is the other traffic court location. It is at 400 McAllister Street. Traffic court is in Department 218 on the second floor. The clerk office is in Room 103 on the first floor. This courthouse also has limited parking. The Civic Center BART station is nearby. Walking from BART takes just a few minutes. Many people find public transit easier than driving and parking in downtown San Francisco.

Phone payments work any day of the week. The automated system runs twenty four hours. Live agents are available Monday through Friday from four in the morning until nine at night. Weekend hours are nine in the morning to six in the afternoon. The phone number is 415-551-8550. You can pay by credit card or check the status of your case. The automated system can tell you your balance and due date without waiting for an agent in California.

Traffic Fines and Payment Options

Fines in San Francisco follow the state penalty schedule. Base fines are set by the Judicial Council. Then many fees get added. Court fees, state assessments, and county charges pile on top of the base. A simple violation with a fifty dollar base fine can end up costing three hundred dollars or more. Your courtesy notice shows the total bail amount. That is what you pay if you choose to handle the ticket without going to court.

Traffic school costs fifty two dollars as a court fee. You also pay the full bail and the school itself charges a fee. Most online schools cost twenty to fifty dollars. Your total is bail plus fifty two dollars plus the school fee. Many drivers choose this to keep the ticket off their insurance record. But you can only use traffic school once every eighteen months. The time runs from the violation date of the first ticket to the violation date of the next ticket in California.

Correctable violations cost twenty five dollars per violation when you submit proof. These are fix it tickets. You must repair the problem and show proof to the court. Common examples include expired registration, broken lights, and proof of insurance. Once you fix the issue, get a sign off from law enforcement or an authorized station. Then submit the signed form with the twenty five dollar fee. The court closes your case after verifying the correction in San Francisco County.

Community Service Instead of Payment

San Francisco allows community service to work off traffic fines. The court sets the rate at thirty one dollars per hour. If you owe three hundred ten dollars, you must complete ten hours of approved community service. The court provides a list of approved sites. You must get approval before starting work. Hours completed at non approved sites do not count toward your fine.

You must complete the hours by the deadline set by the court. After finishing, submit proof of completion. The site supervisor must sign the form. The court reviews it and credits your account. If you do not finish on time, you still owe the full amount. Late penalties may be added. Community service is a good option if you cannot afford to pay cash. But you must follow the rules and meet the deadline in California.

Not everyone qualifies for community service. The court looks at your offense and your situation. Some violations do not allow this option. Ask the clerk office whether your case is eligible. If approved, get the list of sites and the required forms. Start working as soon as possible. Do not wait until the last minute. If something goes wrong, you need time to fix it before your deadline passes in San Francisco County.

Unpaid Fines and Collections

Unpaid traffic fines go to Alliance One for collection. This agency handles debt collection for San Francisco County. They add their own fees on top of what you owe the court. Your license gets suspended. The DMV holds your registration renewal until you pay. Fixing this after it goes to collections costs more than paying on time. The best move is to handle your ticket before the deadline.

If your case is already with the collection agency, you still have options. Contact the court to see if they can recall it. Sometimes they will pull the case back and let you set up a payment plan directly with the court. This saves the collection fees. Even if the case stays with the agency, you can try to negotiate. Ask about payment arrangements or reduced fees. Many agencies would rather get some payment than nothing at all in California.

Failure to receive a reminder notice does not relieve you of the obligation to appear. This is a key rule in San Francisco County. Some people think they can ignore a ticket if the court never sent a notice. That is wrong. The law says you must respond by the appear date on your citation. If no notice comes, you still have to act. Call the court if your deadline is close and you have not received a courtesy notice yet.

City of San Francisco

San Francisco is a consolidated city and county. The city limits match the county borders. All traffic tickets issued in San Francisco go to the Superior Court. Select the city page for more details:

San Francisco

Nearby County Courts

If your ticket was issued in a neighboring county, contact that county court. San Francisco County only handles citations issued within city limits. Check these nearby counties:

San Mateo County | Marin County | Alameda County | Contra Costa County