County of Tuolumne Superior Court

TRAFFIC

Welcome to the Superior Court of California, County of Tuolumne, Traffic Web page. This section provides information about dealing with violations of traffic laws and other minor offenses. These violations are considered infractions and include matters like speeding, automobile equipment needing repair, and expired licenses. Traffic infractions are enforced by the issuance of traffic tickets ("citations") by law enforcement. Punishment for such infractions include payment of fines and do not carry any potential jail or prison time. Other, more serious, automobile related matters, such as reckless driving, driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI), and vehicular manslaughter, are either misdemeanors or felonies, carry potential jail or prison time as possible punishment, and are addressed on the Criminal section of this Web site.

Hours of Operation

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Monday - Friday (except holidays)

Location

Traffic cases are handled at the Branch Location of the Superior Court of California, County of Tuolumne, which is located at 60 N. Washington Street, Sonora, CA.

Mailing address: 60 N. Washington Street, Sonora, CA, 95370.

Phone Number: (209) 533-5671

To receive automated assistance with your traffic case, or to pay a fine, click here

Online Tuolumne Traffic System

En Español

Traffic Fine Information

It takes approximately 10 working days from the time the citation is issued until the court receives it from the issuing agency and processes it. If the address on your citation is correct, you should receive a courtesy notice in the mail stating the amount of your fine. The back of your courtesy notice will list your options so that you may take care of your citation in person or by mail. Traffic Division staff cannot quote fine information over the telephone unless we have the original citation from the issuing agency. If the address on your citation is not correct and you do not receive a courtesy notice, you will need to contact the court after 10 working days to inquire about your fine options.

REMEMBER, you are responsible for clearing your citation on or before the due date indicated on the bottom of your citation, whether or not you receive a courtesy notice.

Fees

The fees and fines are assessed according to a schedule set in the California Rules of Court.

Method of Payment

Traffic citations may be paid in person or by mail with cash, check, money order, or cashier’s check. Visa and Mastercard are accepted on our Online Tuolumne Traffic System and our automated phone system. Two party checks are not accepted. If you reside outside of the United States, you must use an international money order. Defendants may request a payment plan on infraction citations by coming into the Court Clerk's office and completing the necessary paperwork. Defendants who reside out of the area may send their request for a payment plan using a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the court, and the clerk will mail the necessary paperwork to the defendant.

To Contest an Infraction

If you want to contest an infraction ticket (plea of “not guilty”), you must pay the amount of the bail stated on your courtesy notice in person, by mail, or using our automated telephone system. This money is placed in trust until the disposition of your case. You will be notified of the court trial date by mail. If you are found “not guilty”, the bail posted will be returned to you. If you are found ”guilty”, the bail will be forfeited.

Enter a Plea of Not Guilty and Proceed With Trial By Written Declaration

(Does Not Require Appearance in Court)

Trial by declaration is available only for traffic related infractions and is not available for infractions committed outside the presence of the citing officer (this is the case where the citation was issued as a result of an accident investigation or a citizen complaint.) The trial by declaration procedure allows you to plead not guilty and have your case reviewed by the judge without having to appear in court. If you wish to elect this option and you are making your payment by mail, please make a notation on your payment, or use our IVR. Once received, the court will mail you and the citing officer the declaration forms to complete which must be returned to the court within two weeks. There is no personal appearance allowed at a trial by declaration. The court will decide the case based upon the documents and declarations in the file and you will receive notice of the court’s decision by mail. If you are found “not guilty”, the bail posted will be returned to you. Your failure to strictly follow the timelines will result in forfeiture of bail and a conviction as charged. No monthly payment option is available for trial by declaration.

Fix-it Tickets

Proof of correction can be obtained by having an authorized agent from any police agency fill out the certificate of correction located on the reverse side of the citation. If the violations charged on the citation involve expired vehicle registration, expired license, no license in possession, or any violation involving a DMV process, a representative from the Department of Motor Vehicles may fill out the certificate of correction.

The certificate of correction must be received by the court, along with the required fine, on or before the due date indicated on the courtesy notice or on the bottom of the citation.

Defendants may request one 30 day extension to obtain proof of correction by speaking with a traffic clerk. The clerk will need to know the citation number or the docket number located on the courtesy notice when requesting the extension.

Traffic School

You may be eligible to have a vehicle code infraction violation dismissed by attending traffic school if all of the following apply:

· You do not hold a commercial class A, B, or C drivers license;

· You were not driving a commercial motor vehicle (as defined in VC15210(b)) at the time of the offense;

· You have not attended traffic school within the past 18 months from violation date to violation date;

· You did not exceed the speed limit by more than 25 miles per hour;

· The charge does not involve alcohol;

· The charge does carry a point count.

The courtesy notice sent by the court will also indicate whether you are eligible to attend traffic school.

· Click here for the list of California approved classroom based traffic schools

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· You may also attend one of these home study traffic schools

Traffic School Eligibility

1. If the citation contains any additional charges that require proof of correction, you must have those signed off prior to requesting traffic school.

2. You must pay the full amount of bail, plus an additional $64.00 administrative fee, prior to attending traffic school. This can be done in person, by mail, over the telephone, or on our Online Tuolumne Traffic System.

3. You are responsible for contacting and attending the traffic school of your choice. You will be required to pay a separate fee to the traffic school you choose. You may obtain a list of DMV approved traffic schools and/or a flyer for the home study programs approved for use in Tuolumne County. See links below.

4. You will be given 60 days to complete traffic school and submit your certificate of completion to the court. NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GRANTED BEYOND THE INITIAL 60 DAYS.

5. If you do not submit your proof of completion by the due date, your case will be closed and a conviction will be reported to the DMV. The $64.00 administrative fee will not be refunded.

6. If you are eligible for traffic school and decide not to attend, you may be subject to an increase in your automobile insurance premiums.

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PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) shall hold only one traffic school dismissal confidential within an 18-month period. This also applies to non-point count violations, which are not used to determine negligent operator by DMV. If you have attended another traffic school within 18 months, the DMV will not hold your attendance on this citation confidential.

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Your traffic citation will be continued for 60 days to allow attendance and completion of the Traffic School Program and have your citation dismissed.

HOWEVER, IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, YOU MUST:

1. Pay a non-refundable administration fee, plus the violation bail to the court.

2. Select the school from the list that will be provided to you.

3. Contact the school of your choice within two weeks, pay the registration fee, and register for the class.

4. Successfully complete the course of instruction.

5. Have the school complete the “Certificate of Completion”.

6. Return the ”Certificate of Completion” to the court, either by mail or in person, before the completion due date.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DELIVERY OF YOUR “CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION” FORM BY THE COMPLETION DUE DATE. IF YOU HAVE MAILED YOUR CERTIFICATE YOU SHOULD CONFIRM WITH THE COURT THAT IT WAS RECEIVED.

All of the above requirements are your responsibility and must be completed before 60 days. Do not wait to sign up for the school or you may discover that the classes are full and you cannot complete the classes and return the “Certificate of Completion’ to the court by the 60^th day.

WARNING:

If you fail to provide the court with the required “Certificate of Completion” form within 90 days, the fees paid to the court per California Vehicle Code Section 42007 will be converted to bail and be declared forfeited per California Vehicle Code Section 40512.6. The violation will be reported to the DMV as a CONVICTION.

Failure to Appear or Resolve Your Citation

If you fail to appear in court or resolve your citation by the appearance date or any date to which your matter may have been continued by the clerk at your request, the court will proceed pursuant to Section 40903 of the California Vehicle Code, which will most likely result in your conviction of the violations and the fine imposed. Failure to pay the fine will result in the imposition of an additional $300 civil penalty and the matter may be referred to a collection agency, which may adversely affect your credit.

Additional Resources

www.courtinfo.ca.gov

Note: Nothing on this Web site is intended as either legal advice or as a ruling of the court. This information is provided as a general guide only. You are encouraged to get the assistance of a lawyer if legal advice is needed.