# How do California traffic tickets work? URL: https://californiaticketguide.com/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-13 > A California traffic ticket is a notice to appear, not a bill. You can pay it, ask for traffic school, or contest it in court or in writing. The base fine is a fraction of the total, and most moving violations add 1 point to your DMV record. Free calculator: https://californiaticketguide.com/ticket-cost-calculator/ ## What are your three options after a California traffic ticket? A California traffic ticket is a notice to appear. It opens a case with the court, and you decide how to answer it by the due date on your citation or courtesy notice. Two terms come up from the start. A **point** is a mark the DMV adds to your driving record for a moving violation or an at-fault crash ([VC 12810](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=12810)). **Bail** is the amount the court's schedule sets for the offense. Paying it in full ends the case with a conviction. | Option | Point on your record | Court visit | What you pay now | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pay the ticket | Conviction reported to the DMV, so the point counts | No | The full bail amount on the schedule | | Traffic school | A court may hold the conviction confidential if you are eligible | Not at courts that take requests online or by phone, such as Sacramento | Full bail plus a school fee | | Contest: court trial | Depends on the outcome | Yes, in person or by video where offered | Ask your court whether bail is due first | | Contest: written declaration | Depends on the outcome | No | Bail with your request | Each option closes some doors. Sacramento Superior Court says paying in full or starting a payment plan ends your right to contest, and a payment plan makes the case ineligible for traffic school. Traffic school rests on [VC 41501](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=41501), which lets a court hold a conviction confidential after you finish traffic violator school, and only one conviction within 18 months will be held confidential. A trial by written declaration, under [VC 40902](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=40902), lets you contest an infraction by mail. Our guide to [traffic school or fighting the ticket](https://californiaticketguide.com/traffic-school-or-fight/) compares them side by side. If you do nothing, you risk a **failure to appear (FTA)**: missing the date you promised on the ticket. See [what happens after an FTA](https://californiaticketguide.com/failure-to-appear/). ## Why is the total so much higher than the base fine? The base fine is only the first line of the bill. The state and county add penalty assessments to it, plus fixed assessments that do not depend on the base fine at all. The Judicial Council's total bail includes all of them. For a speeding ticket 1 to 15 mph over the limit, the 2026 statewide schedule lists a base fine of $35 and a total bail of $226.16. The difference comes from penalties for the state, county, DNA programs, court facilities and emergency medical services, a state surcharge, a court operations assessment and a conviction assessment. Counties can set their own totals: Santa Clara County's 2026 schedule lists $158 for the same band. Try the [ticket cost calculator](https://californiaticketguide.com/ticket-cost-calculator/) for your speed band and county, and read [how each assessment is built](https://californiaticketguide.com/ticket-cost-calculator/) before you decide. > Not sure what to do next? A three-question quiz is at https://californiaticketguide.com/traffic-ticket-lawyers/#quiz. ## Which ticket did you get? Start with the code section printed on your citation. Each guide below explains what the section says, what it totals and what your options are. ## What happens to your license and insurance? Points are what link a ticket to your license. Reach 4 points in 12 months and the DMV presumes you are a negligent operator and can move against your license. Insurance is separate: insurers look at your record on their own terms. ## Where is your traffic court? Your ticket goes to the superior court of the county where you were cited, at the courthouse named on the citation. We cover four courts in detail. - [Santa Clara County traffic court](https://californiaticketguide.com/santa-clara-county-traffic-court/), including San Jose tickets - [San Francisco traffic court](https://californiaticketguide.com/san-francisco-traffic-court/) - [Sacramento traffic court](https://californiaticketguide.com/sacramento-traffic-court/) - [Los Angeles traffic court](https://californiaticketguide.com/los-angeles-traffic-court/) If your county is not listed, the [traffic courts index](https://californiaticketguide.com/traffic-courts/) explains how to find your court. ## Who can handle a ticket for you? Some drivers prefer to have a lawyer deal with the court. Below are our picks for you, with the details a firm publishes about itself. The [full list of firms](https://californiaticketguide.com/traffic-ticket-lawyers/) explains what a traffic ticket lawyer does and how to check a license. ### Our picks for you: traffic ticket lawyers in California - **Ticket Crushers, A Law Corporation**, phone (866) 842-5384, flat fee from $149 - San Francisco: 350 Rhode Island St #240, San Francisco, CA 94103 - San Jose: 2033 Gateway Pl Ste 500, San Jose, CA 95110 - Sacramento: 980 9th St, Sacramento, CA 95814 - Los Angeles: 515 Flower St #1951, Los Angeles, CA 90071 - **Shouse Law Group, A.P.C.**, 4419 Van Nuys Blvd, Suite 307, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, phone (818) 921-7575 - **Wallin & Klarich**, 18022 Cowan # 285, Irvine, CA 92614, phone (949) 776-3424 Picks are not rankings. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a traffic ticket a criminal charge in California? The speeding and red light tickets in this guide are charged as infractions, which are handled differently from misdemeanors. Ignoring a ticket is where the larger risk sits: under VC 40508, failing to appear can be charged as a misdemeanor or an infraction, and it adds a second case on top of your ticket. ### What happens if I just pay the ticket? Paying in full is called bail forfeiture. Sacramento Superior Court explains that the conviction is reported to the DMV and your chance to contest ends. A conviction for a moving violation carries 1 point on most schedules. If you want traffic school or a trial, decide before you pay. ### How long do I have to respond to a ticket? Respond by the due date printed on your citation or courtesy notice. The date varies by ticket and court, so this guide gives no day count. Courts may allow an extension if you ask before the due date, but once it passes, options narrow. Look up your case on your court's website. ### Do I have to go to court? Not always. Paying, requesting traffic school and a trial by written declaration can all be done without appearing in person at many courts. A court trial requires you to appear, either in person or, in some courts such as Sacramento, by Zoom. Check your citation for any mandatory appearance. ### Will a ticket raise my insurance? Insurers set their own rates, and the DMV does not. A conviction on your record can change what an insurer charges, but the amount depends on your insurer, your history and the violation. Ask your insurer or an independent agent for a quote before you choose between paying and traffic school. ## Sources - [Judicial Council of California, 2026 Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule (County of Orange edition)](https://www.occourts.org/system/files/criminal/uniform-bail-and-penalty-schedule-orange-county-edition.pdf) - [California Vehicle Code 12810 (point values)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=12810) - [California Vehicle Code 41501 (traffic violator school)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=41501) - [California Vehicle Code 40508 (failure to appear)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=40508) - [California Vehicle Code 40902 (trial by written declaration)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=40902) - [Sacramento Superior Court, ticket options](https://www.saccourt.ca.gov/divisions/traffic/ticket-options)