Traffic court trial

How to ask for a court trial

✅ Check your court notice or website.

It should tell you how to ask for a trial.

You may be able to ask:

• Online

• By phone

• In person at the courthouse

If you go to court to ask, the trial won’t happen that day. The court will give you a trial date later.

💻 Some courts offer remote (video) trials. If you would like a remote trial, ask your court. And read more about remote hearings.

What is an “arraignment”?

An arraignment is a court date where:

• The judge tells you what the ticket is for

• The judge explains your rights

• The judge asks if you say you are guilty or not guilty

If you say not guilty, the judge will give you a trial date.

⚠️ The arraigment is not your trial. The trial will happen on a different day, except in some courts which do offer arraignments and trials on the same day.

Do I have to pay before I get a trial?

Sometimes.

If you want to ask for a trial without paying first, you can but you may have to go to more than one court date. That's because you will first have an arraignment, and then, on another day, a trial.

If you want to have the arraignment and trial on the same day, and your court offers that option, the court may ask you to pay the fine (called bail) first.

If the judge says you are not guilty, you will get your money back.

What happens at a traffic trial?

If you say you are not guilty, the court will give you a trial.

There is no jury.

A judge or commissioner will decide what happens.

At the trial:

• You will get the chance to speak

• The officer who gave you the ticket will also speak

• You can bring proof, like pictures, videos, or witnesses

What if I’m found guilty?

The judge will decide how much you owe.

If you can’t afford the fine:

• Tell the judge about your money situation

• The court may let you pay less, give you more time, or let you do community service

• ✅ You may also be able to go to traffic school to keep a point off your record. Learn more about traffic school.