Yolo County Traffic Court

Traffic cases in Yolo County go through the Superior Court in Woodland. The court handles citations issued by California Highway Patrol, city police departments in Davis, Woodland, and West Sacramento, along with county sheriff. You can search cases online through the Tyler Technologies portal and manage most matters without visiting the courthouse. New citations take four to six weeks to process. Wait for the courtesy notice before contacting the court. Remote dial in options are available for court appearances if needed.

How Traffic Court Works in Yolo County

The Yolo County Superior Court processes all traffic tickets issued within the county. The courthouse sits at 1000 Main Street in Woodland. This location handles traffic matters for all cities and unincorporated areas in Yolo County. Call 530-406-6702 for questions about your traffic case. Court staff can help with general questions but cannot give legal advice.

After you receive a citation, law enforcement submits it to the court for processing. This takes time. Do not expect the case to appear online right away. The court mails a courtesy notice once they enter your citation. This notice lists your bail amount and your options. You can pay the fine, request traffic school if eligible, or ask for a trial. The appear by date on your ticket is your deadline to respond. It is not a court hearing date unless specifically stated.

If you need to appear in court remotely, Yolo County offers a dial in option. Call 877-422-8614 or 833-881-5208. Use Courtroom ID 20138814 and Passcode 1000. This lets you participate in your court appearance by phone without traveling to the courthouse. This option is helpful for people who live far from Woodland or cannot take time off work in Yolo County California.

Search Traffic Cases Online

Yolo County uses Tyler Technologies for its case management system. The online portal is at portal-cayolo.tylertech.cloud. You can search by citation number or case number. The system shows your charges, bail amount, due date, and current status. Basic case searches are free.

The portal lets you pay online if your case is eligible. Credit cards and debit cards are accepted. A convenience fee gets added to your payment. This fee goes to the payment processor, not the court. After payment, print your receipt. The payment posts to your case within one to two business days. You can check the portal again to confirm it went through.

If your case does not show up online yet, wait longer. New citations can take four to six weeks to enter. If more than six weeks have passed and you still do not see your case, call the court at the number above. Sometimes delays happen in processing. The clerk can look up your citation by the number on your ticket even if it has not posted to the online system yet in Yolo County.

Courthouse Location and Hours

The Yolo County Superior Court sits at 1000 Main Street in Woodland. The traffic division operates on the first floor. Office hours are Monday through Friday from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon. The office may close for lunch from noon to one. Call ahead if you plan to visit during the lunch hour to make sure someone is available.

Woodland is the county seat and sits northwest of Sacramento in the Central Valley. It takes about twenty minutes to drive from downtown Sacramento to the courthouse. The building is located in downtown Woodland near other county offices. Parking is available on the street and in nearby lots. Bring your citation number and photo ID if you visit in person.

Most traffic services do not require a courthouse visit. You can pay online, by mail, or by phone. Traffic school requests can be submitted online. Trial by written declaration lets you contest your ticket without appearing. Only complex matters or document certification typically need an in person visit to the courthouse in Yolo County California.

Traffic Fines and Payment Plans

Fines in Yolo County follow the statewide uniform bail schedule set by the Judicial Council. Base fines start low but fees pile on top. State penalty assessments, court operations fees, and county charges can triple the base amount. A ticket with a thirty five dollar base fine might cost two hundred fifty dollars or more after all fees get added in Yolo County.

If you cannot pay the full amount, payment plans are available. Contact the court to request a plan. They will ask about your income and expenses. Based on this information, they set monthly payments. A fee may apply when setting up the plan. Make all payments on time. If you miss payments, the court cancels the plan and adds more penalties to your balance.

The state provides an ability to pay tool at mycitations.courts.ca.gov. If you receive public benefits or have low income, you may qualify for a fine reduction. Apply through the website or ask the court clerk for an application. If approved, your fine gets reduced based on your ability to pay. This program can save you hundreds of dollars if you qualify in California.

Unpaid fines lead to serious consequences. The court adds a civil assessment of up to three hundred dollars if you miss your deadline. The DMV suspends your license until you pay. Your vehicle registration renewal gets blocked. The debt goes to collections which adds more fees. Contact the court before your deadline if you cannot pay. Most problems can be avoided by responding early.

Traffic School in Yolo County

Traffic school keeps your conviction confidential. Insurance companies cannot see it. You can use school once every eighteen months. The eighteen months is measured from violation date to violation date, not from completion dates. Check with DMV if you are not sure when you last attended school.

The administrative fee to request traffic school in Yolo County is seventy six dollars. This is higher than many other California counties where the fee is fifty two dollars. You also pay the full bail amount for your citation. Then you pay the traffic school itself which charges between twenty and sixty dollars depending on which school you pick. Add up all these costs before deciding if school is worth it for your situation.

To qualify for school, your violation must be a one point infraction. Most basic speeding and stop sign violations qualify. You cannot use school if you were speeding more than twenty five miles per hour over the limit. Violations in commercial vehicles do not qualify. Neither do alcohol or drug related offenses. Reckless driving is also not eligible. Your courtesy notice will tell you if school is available for your case.

After the court approves your request, you have sixty days to complete the course. Pick a school from the DMV approved list at dmv.ca.gov. Only use schools on this list. The court will not accept certificates from unlicensed schools. When you finish, the school sends the certificate to Yolo County Superior Court electronically. The court reports the conviction to DMV as confidential. It goes on your record but insurance companies cannot see it in California.

Proof of Correction

Some citations are correctable. These are fix it tickets where you must repair a problem and show proof. Common examples include broken lights, expired registration, or missing insurance. Fix the problem right away. Get the correction signed off by an authorized person like a law enforcement officer, DMV employee, or mechanic depending on what needs fixing.

Submit the signed proof to Yolo County Superior Court. The fee is twenty five dollars. This is set by state law and is the same across California. Send or bring the proof before your deadline. If you miss the deadline, you owe the full fine plus penalties even if you fixed the problem. Proof of correction must be submitted on time to avoid additional charges in Yolo County.

Nearby California Counties

If your ticket was issued in a neighboring county, contact that county court. Yolo County Superior Court only handles citations issued within Yolo County boundaries. Check these nearby counties:

Sacramento County | Solano County | Colusa County | Sutter County