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.  If you are unable to provide proof of insurance, the fine amount is $950.00.

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

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 

10.              You do not have a class A, class B, or commercial class C driver's license. 

NOTICE: If you are eligible and decide not to attend traffic school your automobile insurance may be adversely affected.

Prior to attending traffic school, you must pay the non-refundable traffic school fee of $57.00 plus the amount of bail by the due date either in person or by mail.  If you pay the $57.00 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 $57.00 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 and receipt of the certificate of completion.  Approved On-Line and Home Study traffic schools will report completions electronically to the court.  Upon receipt of the completion certificate, the court will report a "confidential conviction" to DMV.

If we do not receive the proof of Traffic School completion by the assigned 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. 

Traffic schools are private businesses and will charge an additional fee.  To locate a traffic school in your area, check your local yellow pages under Traffic School.  You may stop by any courthouse or DMV Office in California to pick up a list of approved traffic schools, or choose one of the following:

DMV-Approved Traffic Schools (DMV Website)
On-Line and Home Study Traffic Schools (NTSA Website)

You will need to supply the traffic school with the docket number printed on your courtesy notice.  Please note, we do not mail traffic school listings.

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.  The course provider must be listed on the On-Line and Home study Traffic School list (see link above). 

To request approval to take a home study or Internet course, you must submit the following three items to the Court by the due date shown on your citation or courtesy notice:  (1) A copy of your driving record from your state's Motor Vehicle Department, (2) the required fine/bail and fees, including the $57 non-refundable traffic school fee, and (3) 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.  Click here for form TR-007 - Declaration re No Traffic School Attendance Within Last 18 Months.

Once your request has been granted, you will have ninety (90) days to complete the course.  Your completion certificate will be sent electronically to the Court.

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. You must bring in your courtesy notice or information containing your Case Number, Docket Number or any DMV correspondence.

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:

	Fillable	Print
Instructions to Defendant		TR-200*
Request for Trial by Written Declaration	TR-205*	TR-205*
Request for New Trial (Trial de Novo)	TR-220*	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, 2012

DMV Holds and Past Due Citations

The Collection Department handles payment transactions for DMV Holds and Past Due Citations.  You may visit their office in the Ukiah courthouse, or phone them at (707) 463-7240