Traffic Records in Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County Superior Court Traffic Division processes all traffic citations issued in the county. This includes tickets in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and other cities throughout the area. The court sends courtesy notices forty five to sixty days after you receive your citation. You can pay tickets online instead of in person. A new service lets you speak live with a traffic court clerk through video chat. The online portal operates twenty four hours a day for case searches and payments. Most people handle their entire traffic case without visiting the courthouse in Santa Clara County California. The five percent online payment fee applies to credit card and debit card transactions processed through the court website.

How Traffic Court Works

When you get a traffic ticket in Santa Clara County, the officer gives you the citation. The court does not get it right away. Law enforcement sends tickets to the court for processing. This takes time. The court then enters your case into the system. After that, they mail you a courtesy notice. This notice arrives forty five to sixty days after your ticket date. It shows your bail amount, due date, and available options in Santa Clara County California.

You do not have to wait for the courtesy notice to take action. The appear by date on your citation is your deadline. You must respond by that date whether you get a notice or not. Options include paying the fine, requesting traffic school if eligible, or asking for a trial. The court website explains each choice. Most people pay online or request traffic school through the portal in California.

If you miss your deadline, penalties pile up fast. The court adds a civil assessment. Your license gets suspended. Vehicle registration renewal gets blocked. Collections start. Contact the court before your due date to avoid these problems. Payment plans and other options are available if you reach out in time.

Santa Clara County Online Portal

The court portal is at portal.scscourt.org. Search by name or citation number. Both methods are free. Case details appear if the court has entered your ticket. New citations take several weeks to show up. Be patient if you just got your ticket in Santa Clara County.

The portal shows your balance, due date, and case status. Pay fines online through the same site. The five percent fee applies to all online payments. This covers credit cards, debit cards, and other electronic payment methods. You can also request traffic school through the portal if eligible. Document downloads are available for cases in the system. Copies cost fifty cents per page in Santa Clara County California.

A new feature lets you speak with a traffic court clerk online. This service uses video chat. You can ask questions about your case, payment options, or traffic school eligibility. The clerk cannot give legal advice but can explain court procedures and deadlines. This saves a trip to the courthouse for many people in California.

Starting January 1, 2026, California law AB 1524 lets you photograph court records with your own camera. You do not need to request copies if you can view the file in person. Bring your phone to the courthouse and take pictures of documents you need. This only works for public records you can legally access. Restricted files still require official copies through the court in Santa Clara County.

Fines and Payment Options

Traffic fines follow the Judicial Council schedule. Base amounts are set statewide. Then county and state fees get added. A simple violation might have a thirty dollar base fine but cost two hundred dollars after all assessments. Speeding tickets cost more as the speed increases. Each violation has its own bail amount shown on your courtesy notice.

Pay online, by mail, or in person. Online payments process immediately. The five percent convenience fee applies. Mail payments take longer to post. Send a check or money order to the address on your notice. In person payments work at the courthouse during business hours. Bring cash, check, or money order. Some locations accept cards with the same five percent fee in Santa Clara County California.

Payment plans are available if you cannot pay the full amount at once. The court looks at your income and ability to pay. They set up monthly installments you can handle. Traffic school costs the full bail amount plus any administrative fees. The school itself charges extra for the course. Most online schools cost twenty to fifty dollars in California.

Unpaid fines go to Alliance One starting in 2026. This collection agency is taking over from the previous contractor. They add their own fees on top of what you owe the court. Your license stays suspended until you pay. Registration renewal remains blocked. Deal with the court before collections start to avoid these extra costs in Santa Clara County.

Traffic School Eligibility

Most one point violations qualify for traffic school. Your courtesy notice tells you if it is an option for your case. You must not have attended traffic school in the past eighteen months. California measures this from the violation date of your old ticket to the violation date of the new one. Conviction dates do not matter for the eighteen month rule.

Certain violations never qualify. Speeding more than twenty five miles per hour over the limit is not eligible. Any alcohol or drug related offense disqualifies you. Commercial vehicle violations cannot use traffic school. Reckless driving and other serious violations do not qualify either. The court decides eligibility based on the Vehicle Code section you violated in California.

Request traffic school before your deadline. Pay the full bail amount plus any administrative fees. Pick a school from the DMV approved list. Complete the course within the time allowed, usually sixty days. The school sends proof of completion to the court. The court reports it as a confidential conviction to the DMV. Insurance companies cannot see it. But you cannot attend traffic school again for another eighteen months from this ticket date in Santa Clara County California.

Major Cities in Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County includes many large cities. All traffic tickets in these cities go to the county Superior Court. No city operates its own traffic court in California. Cities with populations over 100,000 include:

San Jose | Sunnyvale | Santa Clara

Other cities in the county include Palo Alto, Mountain View, Milpitas, Cupertino, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Los Altos, and Monte Sereno. Traffic citations in any of these areas get processed through Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Nearby California Counties

If your citation was issued in a different county, contact that county court. Santa Clara County only processes tickets from within its boundaries. Nearby counties include:

Alameda County | San Mateo County | Santa Cruz County | Stanislaus County