Traffic court handles all adult traffic citations that were issued in
Mendocino County. Juvenile traffic matters are handled in the Mendocino
County Probation Department. The Traffic division will handle all
trial matters relating to traffic infractions.
Court Clerk Information
Ukiah Branch:
100 North State Street, Room 108
Ukiah, CA 95482
Phone: (707) 463-4660
Fax: (707) 463-4655
Ten Mile Branch:
700 South Franklin Street, Room 144
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Phone: (707) 964-3192
Fax: (707) 961-2611
Clerks Offices are open 8:30am to
3:00pm Monday - Friday
Telephone hours are 8:30am to 1:00pm Monday - Friday
All Traffic Court information on this page applies to both
Mendocino County locations, unless otherwise specified.
Traffic Court
Calendar
Hearings
on Calendar - view on-line
Hearings on
Calendar - print version
Calendar Plan -
Effective April 1, 2011
Courtesy Notice
After receiving a traffic citation, the court will mail a courtesy
notice to the address on your citation. If you do not receive a courtesy
notice, you must still appear at the clerk's office or settle your case
by mail. You must contact the court if your address is incorrect.
The courtesy notice will supply the information about how to take
care of your situation. If you do not understand your options, you may
come in person to the clerk's office or correspond by mail prior to your
appearance date. The courtesy notice will state whether your situation
requires a
mandatory appearance.
Courtesy notices are not processed immediately after you receive the
citation. It may take up to two (2) weeks prior to due date for
processing.
Clearing Correctable Violations
Mechanical, Registration and License Violations
Either proof of correction and a $25.00 dismissal fee or proof of
correction and bail is required on
each mechanical, registration and license
violation.
Proof of correction can be obtained by having an authorized
representative of the issuing police agency complete the Certificate of
Correction located on the reverse of the courtesy notice or citation.
Registration and/or driver license violations may be certified by a
Department of Motor Vehicles clerk.
Submit the proof of correction and any required fee to the court by
the due date. For each item corrected,
pay $25 instead of the amount due for that charge.
Insurance Violations
If the vehicle was insured at the time you were cited, you may submit
proof of insurance, along with a $25 proof of correction fee, and the
violation will be dismissed.
Proof of insurance may be a copy of an insurance card or insurance
policy. Proof submitted must show the policy number and the policy
effective dates. The insurance policy referenced must cover the
vehicle listed on the citation.
Submit the proof of insurance and any required fee or bail to the
court by the due date.
Failure to Respond or Comply to Correctable Violation(s)
Failure to respond or comply with proof of correction will result in
one or more of the following:
- The amount of bail being increased by a minimum of $345;
- A warrant being issued for your arrest;
- The Department of Motor Vehicles being notified to withhold
renewal of your driver license (if you gave your written promise to
appear on the traffic citation);
- License suspension;
- Referral to a Collection Agency
Failure to comply with owner responsibility requirements on unsigned
citations will result in a hold being placed on the vehicle
registration.
Clearing Non-Correctable Violations
The courtesy notice mailed to your home will indicate the options for
your situation. These options may include paying your traffic ticket,
attending traffic school, mandatory appearance, requesting (by mail or
in person) a court appearance, and/or requesting a court trail by
declaration (written statement). The following sections will further
explain these options, in the order given above.
How to Take Care of Your Fine
You may choose to pay your fine in person, by mail, or over the phone
with a credit card. If you visit the Ukiah Courthouse, please go
to room 108 to make your payment.
? Pay in Person: Stop by either
branches in Mendocino County and pay with cash, check, money order,
MasterCard, or Visa, or set up an installment payment plan.
+ Pay by
Mail: Write your docket or citation number on your check or
money order, as well as any correspondence you include. Enclose a
self-addressed stamped envelope with any correspondence requiring a
response from the court, and mail your payment to the following address:
Superior Court of
Mendocino County
Attn: Traffic Division
100 North State Street, Room 108
Ukiah, CA
95482-4416
(
Pay by Phone: Call (707) 463-6872 to pay by MasterCard or Visa
using our automated phone service. You will need your case number,
date of birth, and daytime phone number.
: Pay by the Internet:
Click here to pay by MasterCard or Visa
using our on-line payment system. You will need your case number,
date of birth, and daytime phone number.
Please note: When
paying by credit card, there is a $7.50 convenience fee automatically
added to the amount you enter as your payment.
If you are paying and
attending traffic school, add $57 to the total bail and you will have 90
days to complete the class.
Traffic School
NOTICE: Effective January 1, 2013, the state-mandated
fee to attend traffic school is $52.
Eligibility:
To be eligible for the Traffic Violator School Confidential
Conviction Program Program, you must meet certain requirements
(California Rules of Court 4.104).
You may qualify if:
1.
You currently possess a valid driver license (Out of state
residents see below);
2.
The violation(s) on your citation are eligible. A violation
that carries a negligent operator point count of more than one point
under Vehicle Code section 12810 or one and one-half points or more
under Vehicle Code section 12810.5(b)(2);
3.
A violation that occurs within 18 months after the date of a
previous violation and the defendant either attended or elected to
attend a traffic violator school for the previous violation (Vehicle
Code section 1808.7);
4.
Your citation is not for a violation of Vehicle Code section
22406.5 (tank vehicles);
5.
Your citation is not related to alcohol use or possession or drug
use or possession;
6.
You have not failed to appear under Vehicle Code section 40508(a)
unless the failure-to-appear charge has been adjudicated and any fine
imposed has been paid;
7.
You have not failed to appear under Penal Code section 1214.1
unless the civil monetary assessment has been paid;
8.
The violation is a speeding violation in which the speed alleged
is not more than 25 miles over a speed limit as stated in Chapter 7
(commencing with section 22348) of Division 11 of the Vehicle Code;
9.
The violation did not occur in a commercial vehicle as defined in
Vehicle Code section 15210(b); and
NOTICE: If you are eligible and decide not to
attend traffic school your automobile insurance may be adversely
affected.
Payment of Bail and Fees:
Prior to attending traffic school,
you must pay the non-refundable traffic school fee of $52.00 plus the
amount of bail to the court by the due date either in person, by
phone, through our website, or by mail. If you pay the $52.00
traffic school fee, and it is determined that you are ineligible to
attend traffic school, this fee cannot be refunded.
Upon receipt of bail plus the $52.00 traffic school
fee, your case will automatically be extended by the clerk to 90 days
from the original due date to allow for the completion of traffic
school.
Finding a Traffic
Violator School:
Traffic schools are private businesses and will
charge an additional fee. To find a DMV-licensed traffic violator
school, use the On-line Locator service operated by DMV:
DMV Occupational Licensing Status Information System
You may
also call the Department of Motor Vehicles, Business Licensing Unit at
(916) 229-3126 and
request a list of traffic violator schools be sent to you via mail or
fax.
The traffic school will need your Court Code, which is a five-digit
number printed as part of the return address of your courtesy notice,
along with the docket number printed on your courtesy notice.
Attending and Completing Traffic Violator School:
You must complete traffic school no
later than 90 days after your original due date. The law does not
allow us to give any further extensions.
The traffic school you attend will report completion to the DMV.
The court is notified of your completion the following day.
Upon notification of your completion of traffic school, the court will
report a "confidential conviction" to DMV.
Use the link below to confirm the court has received notification:
Traffic School Completion Certificates Received
Please allow up to 10 days after you complete traffic school for your
case to appear on the list.
If you do not complete traffic school by the due date, the Court will
order your Traffic School fee converted to bail. The bail will be
forfeited and the Court will order that no further proceedings shall be
made on your case. A bail forfeiture/fine is a conviction and will
be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Out of state residents:
If you hold a valid driver license from a state other than
California, you may complete a home study or Internet course for
eligible offenses from a course provider licensed by the State of
California DMV. The steps to follow are the same as above, however
you must submit the following three items to the Court by the due date
shown on your citation in order to request approval to take a home study
or Internet course:
1. A copy of your driving
record from your state's Motor Vehicle Department
2. The required fine/bail and
fees, including the $52 non-refundable traffic school fee
3. Form
TR-007, a declaration stating that you have not attended traffic
school anywhere in the United States for a citation received within 18
months prior to your current citation.
TR-007 - Declaration re: No Traffic School
Attendance
Once your request has been granted, you will have ninety (90) days
from your original due date to complete the course.
Setting up a
Court Appearance
You can plead not guilty by appearing at the clerk's office and
request a formal trial to be held at a later date where the officer will
be present.
To appear in court regarding your citation, you must do so on or
before the due date indicated on your citation. Check your courtesy
notice for day, and location of appearance. Call the court clerk's
office if you have any questions about whether an appearance is
required, or when and where to appear.
Mandatory Appearance
Your courtesy notice will state if you are required to appear in
court with the wording "Mandatory Appearance." Your citation or
courtesy notice will have the date, time, and location of appearance.
Extensions are not allowed on citations that require a mandatory
court appearance. If you fail to appear in court as you have promised
you may be subject to an additional "Failure to Appear" charge. This is
a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine, or jail, or both. The
Department of Motor Vehicles may withhold the issuance or renewal of
your driver license, and may revoke or suspend your driving privilege.
Requesting a Trial in Person or by
Mail
You may schedule a future court trial on an infraction by mail or by
appearing in person, at the Clerk's office by your due date. Bail is
required for court trials.
To request your court trial in person, you must bring in your
courtesy notice or information containing your Case Number or Docket
Number and any DMV correspondence, along with the bail amount listed on
your courtesy notice.
To request your court trial by mail, fill out and mail form
MTR-140
'Local Form - Advisement of Rights and Plea of Not Guilty' along with
the bail amount listed on your courtesy notice.
Requesting a Trial by Declaration
(Written Statement)
According to Local Court Rule 18.8, the defendant may elect to have a
trial by declaration of any charged infraction. You have the
option to conduct some correspondence with the clerk and court by mail,
but you must appear in court should the infraction require a mandatory
appearance. This Trial by Declaration should be requested on or
before the due date shown on your ticket. Your case will be decided
without requiring that you appear in court. You must post full bail
prior to the trial date, and enter a plea of not guilty.
The Judicial Council forms that are needed can be downloaded using
the links below:
|
|
Form Number
|
|
Instructions to Defendant
|
TR-200* |
|
Request for Trial by Written Declaration
|
TR-205* |
|
Request for New Trial (Trial de Novo)
|
TR-220* |
|
Local Form - Advisement of Rights and Plea of Not Guilty
|
MTR-140 |
These forms may also be obtained in person at the clerk's office,
photocopied from the county
law library, or by
requesting the forms by mail. When requesting forms by mail, please
include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for us to mail the forms to
you. Send in the completed forms and any witness statements or
exhibits with the full amount owed on your ticket, and a self-addressed,
stamped envelope. You will be notified by mail of the judge's decision.
Extensions
One 90-day extension may be obtained by mail, by phone or in person
on moving violations. If corresponding with the Court by mail, you will
need to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Extensions are
not allowed once the due date has passed. Extensions are not allowed on
citations that require a mandatory court appearance.
Please contact the Clerk's Office to discuss an
extension on your citation.
Uniform Bail
and Penalty Schedule
To achieve substantial uniformity of bail and penalties
throughout the state in traffic, boating, fish and game, forestry,
public utilities, parks and recreation, and business licensing cases,
the trial court judges, the Judicial Council has established a policy of
promulgating uniform bail and penalty schedules for certain offenses in
order to achieve a standard of uniformity in the handling of these
offenses.
In general, bail is used to ensure the presence of the
defendant before the court. Under Vehicle Code sections 40512 and 13103,
bail may also be forfeited and such forfeiture may be ordered without
the necessity of any further court proceedings and treated as a
conviction for specified Vehicle Code offenses. A penalty in the form of
a monetary sum is a fine imposed as all or a portion of a sentence
imposed.
The following modified Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule
has been approved by the judges of the Superior Court.
Uniform Bail
and Penalty Schedule - Effective January 1, 2013
DMV Holds and Past Due Citations
The
Collection Department
handles payment transactions for DMV Holds and Past Due Citations.
You may visit their office at the Mendocino County Administration
Center, 501 Low Gap Road, Room 1060, Ukiah, or phone them at (707)
234-6850.
