Traffic Division

Amnesty Program for Traffic Tickets

Effective January 1, 2012, you may be eligible for the Amnesty Program on some infractions and minor violations.   Cases that meet the eligibility requirements outlined below may be eligible for a 50 percent reduction if the fine is paid within the six month amnesty period, which begins January 1, 2012 and ends June 30, 2012.

Amnesty Program Eligibility Requirements:

1. You have an outstanding traffic/minor violation case that was due to be paid prior to January 1, 2009.
2. You either failed to appear or failed to pay prior to January 1, 2009.
3. There has been no activity on your case (i.e. civil assessment fee added, court appearances, fine payments, modifications) after January 1, 2009.
4. You don’t owe restitution to a victim on any case and you have no outstanding misdemeanor or felony warrants in this county.

To take advantage of the Amnesty Program you must do one of the following:

IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN CONTACTED BY THE COURT'S COLLECTION AGENCY AllianceOne, you must contact AllianceOne directly to arrange your payment at 1-877-541-8420.  Do not call the Court.

IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY THE COURT'S COLLECTION AGENCY, contact the Superior Court Traffic Division at (831) 420-2200 to arrange your payment.

 Watch a brief video about the Amnesty Program:

Delinquent Fines:

For assistance in resolving your fine if it has been referred to the court's collection agency, AllianceOne, please contact them directly at 1-877-541-8420 or contact them online at AllianceOne. 

A representative is available Monday-Friday 8am-12pm and 1pm-4pm daily at 701 Ocean Street, Room A1, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (Located in the one story court building on the river side of the building).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I pay my citation?

• On Line - http://www4.epay-it.com/scz/ 
• By mail - Santa Cruz Superior Court, 701 Ocean Street, Room 120, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (Include your case or citation number)
• In person - At the clerk’s office or by placing payment in a Drop Box

If you choose to pay the bail on the citation without going to trial, it is called a bail forfeiture. The citation is deemed paid, and the resulting conviction will be reported on your driving record. Pay on line.

• Some violations require mandatory court appearance and cannot simply be paid.
• If you meet certain qualifications you may attend traffic school for moving violations. (See question 8 for more information.)
• If you would like a court trial you must post the bail to guarantee your appearance at the trial, or appear in court for an arraignment and ask for court trial date.
• If there are any mechanical or insurance violations included in the citation,” proof of correction” will be required before you can pay the citation. (See question 7 for more information.)

Again, failure to appear or resolve your citation on or before the due date may result in a DMV hold being placed on your driver's license and referral to the Court's Collection Division.  

2.What is a Courtesy Notice?

A courtesy notice is mailed to you at the address listed on the citation within 45 days of the date the ticket was issued. Make sure to carefully review both sides of the courtesy notice. The notice contains general information about requirements and options available for resolving the ticket, which may include:

• Amount of bail, based on the violations and your prior driving history
• Proof of correction requirements for mechanical violations
• Mandatory court appearance requirements
• Traffic school information

NOTE:

Failure to receive a courtesy notice is not a legal excuse for failing to take care of a citation. It is your responsibility to contact the Court on or before the appearance date. (When submitting payments and/or documents by mail, allow 14 days for delivery and processing.)

It is not mandatory that the court send you a courtesy notice. By signing the citation, in front of the officer, you have agreed to take care of the citation.

IMPORTANT:

Failure to appear or failure to resolve a citation on or before the appearance date may result in one or all of the following:

• A Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) hold being placed on your driver's license
• An additional Failure to Appear charge
• A civil assessment charge of $300.00 

3. What is a Civil Assessment charge?

Failure to comply with the appearance date on your citation or to pay your fines as directed will result in the court referring your case to a collections agency and adding an additional $300 fee pursuant to Penal Code section 1214.1.   

4. Is the date at the bottom of my citation a Court Date?

It depends on the violation you were cited for. Infractions (most moving violations) are not mandatory court. Therefore, the date at the bottom of the citation is a due date rather than a court date. If you were cited for an infraction and do not receive a courtesy notice by the date on your citation, you need to contact the court. If you are unable to determine if your citation is for an infraction or a misdemeanor, you will need to contact the court.  

5. May I request one of the following: A payment plan, Community Service, Bicycle Safety School or a fine reduction with my plea of Guilty or No Contest to my infraction(s) in lieu of a court appearance?

Yes. Complete this form and fax, mail or hand-deliver it to the court on or before your due date. The court will consider your request and you will be notified by mail of the bench officer’s decision. Fax: 831 420-2263.  Mail: Superior Court, Traffic, 701 Ocean Street, Room 120, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Note:  A $35.00 administrative fee will added to the total bail for all payment plans. 

6. If I sign a payment plan, can I still set a court date and request my fine be reduced?

No, by signing a payment plan you are admitting guilt to the charges and promising to pay the fine amount plus the $35.00 administrative fee.  

7. How do I obtain proof of correction

Corrections for most mechanical violations can be inspected by the Sheriff, California  Highway Patrol, the Department of Motor Vehicles, or other approved law enforcement agencies. You must also pay a $25.00 transaction fee for each correctable violation per Vehicle Code section 40611(a).

Proof of correction by an authorized law enforcement agency is to include:

• Inspecting officer's signature and printed name
• Badge number
• Registration and License Violations
• Submit the proof of correction by having the police officer inspect your vehicle and validate your ticket.

If you were cited with a registration violation and have proof of valid registration from the DMV, you may submit a copy of your registration with the appropriate bail to the court. If you cannot provide proof for the vehicle cited, you will be required to pay the bail associated with that violation or appear in court.

Some violations, including, but not limited to, sections 12500, 14601, and 23109 of the vehicle Code may require a mandatory court appearance. Contact the court for further information.

Insurance Violations

If you did not have financial responsibility (e.g. insurance) at the time the ticket was issued, you may pay the full bail for this violation, schedule a court date for arraignment and/or purchase insurance for a reduction in bail.

If you were insured at the time the citation was issued, but were unable to provide proof of financial responsibility (insurance) to the officer who cited you, you may either:

• Submit proof by mail, as described below, with a $25.00 transaction fee (40611(a )VC )

- OR-

Certain insurance violations are not correctable or dismissible by the Clerk of the Court and require payment of full bail or court appearance.

Acceptable proof of financial responsibility must be in the form of a document issued by the insurer and MUST include the following information:

• Name of the insurance carrier
• The VIN number (vehicle identification number)
• Policy number
• Effective dates of coverage (an effective date prior to the date the citation was issued is required for dismissal of the charge)
• Name of the person who received the citation AND the vehicle listed on the citation

If the proof does not show all of the information as listed above, the total bail amount must be paid or a court appearance is required. The Clerk of the Court does not have discretion to accept proof of financial responsibility that varies in content from what is specifically listed above. 

8. Am I eligible to attend Traffic School?

Traffic School attendance is a program that allows certain moving violators to receive instruction in driving and traffic safety. Your courtesy notice will indicate if you appear to be eligible for traffic school.  Be advised that by requesting and signing up for traffic school, you are entering an admission of guilt for the charge. Only persons meeting the following criteria established by the Judicial Council of the State of California are permitted to attend Traffic School :

• You must currently possess a valid CA driver's license.
• You have not attended Traffic School in this jurisdiction, or any other jurisdiction in California within any 18 month period calculated from violation date to violation date.
• Your ticket must not have defaulted to a failure to appear.
• The violation(s) on your ticket must be traffic school eligible.
• You must have a non-commercial driver’s license
• The violation occurred in a non-commercial vehicle
• The citation is not for a violation of the Vehicle Code section 20001 (accident with injury or death), 20002 (hit and run), 23103 (reckless driving), 23104 (reckless driving-bodily injury), 23105 *reckless driving-specific injury), 2340 (minor BAC .05 or greater) 23152 (DUI), 23153 (DUI with injury) or 23103.5 (reckless drive alcohol related.)

The following violations are not eligible:

• Any violation that carries a negligent operator point count of more than one point.
• Any speeding violation in which the speed cited is 26 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit.
• Seatbelt violations.
• Mechanical or equipment violations.
• Failure to have insurance.
• Registration violations.
• License violations.
• Alcohol related violations.
• The citation is for a violation of the Vehicle Code section 20001 (accident with injury or death), 20002 (hit and run), 23103 (reckless driving), 23104 (reckless driving-bodily injury), 23105 *reckless driving-specific injury), 2340 (minor BAC .05 or greater) 23152 (DUI), 23153 (DUI with injury) or 23103.5 (reckless drive alcohol related.)
• Other certain specified violations.

For violations committed on or after July 1, 2011, the court may, after a deposit and forfeiture of bail, a guilty or no contest plea, or a conviction in court, continue the case for successful completion of Traffic School.  The court will report completion of Traffic School to DMV as a “confidential conviction”, rather than as a dismissal.  In cases where Traffic School is not completed, or the defendant was not legally eligible for Traffic School, the DMV will remove the confidentiality of the conviction from the driver’s record and the conviction and violation point will appear on the driver’s license record at DMV. 

To attend Traffic School, a non-refundable traffic school fee equivalent to the citation bail amount, plus $52.00, must be paid to the Court.  The Traffic School of your choice will charge you an additional fee to attend their program.

There are three alternatives for paying Traffic School fees:

• ePay-it
• By mail
• In person

You will be given 90 days to complete a program. If you submit satisfactory proof of completion by your traffic school date, the citation will be reported to the DMV as a confidential conviction. If you sign up for Traffic School and fail to file the certificate of completion by the due date, the traffic school fee you paid will be deemed as bail and forfeited. DMV will be notified of the conviction.

    NOTICE:  If you are eligible and decide not to attend traffic school your automobile insurance may be adversely affected.  One conviction in any 18-month period will be held confidential and not show on your driving record if you complete a traffic violator school program. 

9. May I have an extension to complete Traffic School?

No Traffic School extension will be granted.  

10. How do I plead Not Guilty? / What is a Court Trial?

If you wish to plead not guilty, you may contact the court to schedule a Court Trial. You may post full bail and obtain a Court Trial date, or you may set a court date for an Arraignment and request a Trial date from the Court. 

A Court Trial is a trial where you appear in person to testify about the facts in the case. The officer who issued the citation will also be required to appear. You have the right to subpoena witnesses and to have a lawyer present, if you retain one.

11. How long will a Court Trial Take?

Most trials take a very short amount of time, but you should plan to be at court for the entire afternoon.

12. Should my witnesses appear at the Court Trial?

If you have witnesses that are necessary to your defense, you should have them subpoenaed to appear in court. You can obtain the form from the law library. Do this well in advance of your trial date. Do not subpoena the Court. The Court is not a party to your action.

Note: A defendant cannot serve the subpoena. The person served (witnesses) must be given reasonable advance notice of the date and time to appear for trial.

13. Will the officer who wrote the citation be present at the Court Trial?

The officer will be subpoenaed to appear in court by the Court. Unavoidable circumstances may prevent or delay his/her appearance, in which case the Court may continue the trial to a different date.

14. What if I am found guilty?

If you are found guilty, a sentence is imposed. If you have posted bail, it will be declared forfeited and applied to the fine imposed.  

15. What if I do not appear at the trial time?

The trial will be held in your absence.  

16. What is a Trial by Written Declaration?

A Trial by Written Declaration is a procedure whereby, instead of going to court for a trial on your citation, you mail or bring in a written statement on a Trial by Written Declaration form explaining the facts of your case and why you think the court should rule in your favor. You may also include any documentary evidence you feel is helpful. The officer who issued the citation will also be asked to submit a written statement.

In order to proceed via Trial by Written Declaration, you must waive your rights to appear, to testify in person, and to subpoena witnesses. The court will issue a ruling based solely on the submitted documentation. You must also include a written declaration stating to the Court that you wish to plead NOT GUILTY, in addition to the Judicial Council Trial By Declaration form and any documentary evidence you wish the Court to consider.

You will be required to deposit the bail amount in advance at the time you submit the Trial by Written Declaration.

If you are found guilty, your bail deposit will be applied toward the fine, if one is imposed. If the fine is suspended or if you are found not guilty, your bail will be refunded by mail to you at the address listed on your case, usually within six to eight weeks. 

17. What is a Release on Own Recognizance?

A Release on Own Recognizance is a written promise to appear for a court date.

Failure to appear in court after signing a Release on Own Recognizance may result in additional penalties and assessments and will result in referral to the court's collection division which may affect your credit.

• Call the court
• Print a release on own recognizance “OR” form  (click OR to print)
• Complete the form,

                  Name

                  Case Number

                  Court Date and Time assigned

                  Signature and Address

• Fax the completed form to 831-420-2263 within 24 hours or date will be canceled

Send a confirmation email to the court by clicking here