Tránsito

If the citation does not require a mandatory court appearance, you may follow the instructions on the court’s Reminder Notice to clear a citation. Options generally available include the following:

1. Pay (forfeit) the bail amount. This will close the citation and report the conviction to your driver’s license record (if the violation is reportable to the California Department of Motor Vehicles).
2. Submit the signed "Certificate of Correction" with appropriate fees to the court via mail, the drop box outside 108J or in person. Any police officer may sign-off most correctable violations. Violations of 16028 VC (automobile liability insurance) will only be dismissed upon: (1) showing or mailing evidence of financial responsibility (to the court) which was valid at the time the notice to appear was issued and (2) payment of a transaction fee shown on your Reminder Notice. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) may only sign-off vehicle registration and driver’s license violations.
3. Sign-up with the court to attend Traffic Violator School (TVS) (if eligible). Home study, and online internet classes are available throughout California. NOTE: If you are eligible and decide not to attend Traffic Violator School, your automobile insurance may be adversely affected. One conviction in any 18-month period will be held confidential on your DMV record if you complete a Traffic Violator School and pay all related Traffic Violator School fees. See below for further information regarding Traffic Violator School.
4. Request a court trial. Please refer to the section below entitled "To Contest Your Citation" for more information.

Most citations are cleared with the court without appearing before the Judge. Virtual or in person Court is the arraignment process for Traffic Infraction level violations. Individuals, who have been issued citations which require a mandatory appearance, or who wish to request a court trial without posting bail, must contact the Court to schedule a virtual or in person court appearance. There are no same day court appearances. You are not required to deposit bail when requesting an arraignment hearing or when requesting a court trial at your arraignment appearance.

• You may request a determination regarding your ability to pay due to financial hardship in order for the court to consider an alternative sentence such as a payment plan or community service. Please contact the court to obtain additional information.

Generally, when an officer issues a citation to appear in Traffic Court, the violation is an infraction and the citation will include an appearance date. You must clear your citation with the court on or before this date, or any court issued extension of this date. The court will mail a Reminder Notice to the address listed on the citation. The Reminder Notice will explain how to clear the citation with the Court (See Options to Clear Your Citation above). If you do not receive a Reminder Notice within six weeks after receiving a citation, contact the Traffic Division immediately at (707) 521-6680.

If you are unable to clear your citation before the due date, you may be eligible for an extension. You may request an extension by accessing the court’s website at sonoma.courts.ca.gov and clicking on the "Pay Online" link. You may also obtain an extension by calling (707) 521-6680 between 8:00 AM and 12:00 Noon - Monday through Friday.

IMPORTANT: You must take action on or before the Due Date on your citation. Failure to address your citation by your Due Date may result in additional charges, penalties, assessments, fees and actions, including a civil assessment of $100 (Penal Code 1214.1), a hold or suspension placed on your driver’s license, and/or a possible warrant for your arrest. The civil assessment under Penal Code 1214.1 may be collected by attachment of your wages, bank accounts and other property, or by tax refund interception. If your citation goes to collections, you must call Court Collections at (707)521-6659 to clear your citation. If your citation is in collections, Traffic Division staff will refer you to the Court Collections Division for assistance. Go to Court Collections Division page

If you wish to contest your citation, you may plead NOT GUILTY by using one of the following methods:

1. Complete and file a Declaration of Intent to Plead NOT Guilty and Request a Trial Date with the court in person before the citation due date. You may also submit your Request for a Court Trial by mail. You must post the bail amount stated on your Reminder Notice when this declaration or form is filed with the court. The court will notify you of your Trial Date and the officer will be subpoenaed to be present. Please note that bail may not be posted via credit card, over the Internet, or through the court’s phone system. If you are found not guilty, and no other fines/fees are assessed, your posted bail will be refunded.

2. Complete and file a Request for Trial by Written Declaration (TR-205). You must post the bail amount stated on your Reminder Notice when this form is filed with the court. Please read the TR-200 instruction form before completing the form and filing it with the court. The bail and the declaration form must be submitted before the due date listed on your Reminder Notice.

   If you are found not guilty after the Trial by Declaration, and no other fines/fees are assessed, your posted bail will be refunded. If you are found guilty, you have the option of requesting a new trial (Trial de Novo). You may request a Trial de Novo by submitting a TR221 form only in the 20 days following the court's finding of guilt. Premature and untimely filings will be rejected and returned.

   Please note that bail may not be posted via credit card, over the Internet, or through the court’s phone system.

3. Request a Court Trial by appearing in Court virtually or in person. You may appear virtually or in person in Court and request a court trial without payment of bail. A deposit of bail is not required for a virtual or in person Court appearance. To schedule an appearance, please contact the Court at 707-521-6680. You shall not be able to schedule a same day appearance.

To clear a correctable violation, violation must be signed off by a police officer (Certificate of Correction) and submitted to the court with the Proof of Correction amount shown on your Reminder Notice. For insurance violations, please submit a copy of the insurance policy showing the insurance was valid on the date of the violation. Please write your citation number on your check or money order and include your Reminder Notice with your payment. Paying your citation is considered a forfeiture of bail and will close your case. Bail forfeiture is a conviction and will report to your driver’s license record if the violation is reportable to the Department of Motor Vehicles. If you are eligible and wish to attend Traffic Violator School (TVS), please read the Traffic School section prior to submitting your payment. If you are eligible for Traffic School and choose not to attend, your automobile insurance may be adversely affected. Using the pre-addressed Reminder Notice return envelope will expedite the processing of your payment.
Mail payments to:
SUPERIOR COURT TRAFFIC DIVISION
600 ADMINISTRATION DRIVE ROOM 109-J
SANTA ROSA, CA 95403-2878

You must complete one of the following actions on or before the due date on the Reminder Notice, or any court approved extension of this due date:

1. Appear, Pre-schedule a virtual or in person court appearance, no same day appearances available.
2. Request a payment plan, request a conversion of your fine to community service (This requires a virtual hearing and must be scheduled with the Court prior to your due date) or pay your fine in full (forfeit bail)
3. Submit your "Certificate of Correction" and correction fee (Send via mail, place in drop box located at 108J or in person)
4. Submit your completed "Trial By Written Declaration" (TR-205) and post bail, or; come to the court and complete a Declaration of Intent to Plead NOT Guilty and Request a Trial Date and post bail, or; timely mail your completed Request for Court Trial form (TR0035) and post bail.

If you fail to complete one of the above options by your due date the court may take one or more of the following actions:

1. Impose a $300 civil assessment
2. Transfer your citation to a collection agency.
3. Place a hold on your driver license with the Department of Motor Vehicles which may result in suspension of your driving privileges
4. Issue a warrant for your arrest.
5. Conduct a hearing under Vehicle Code 40903 where you may be found Guilty in Absentia

Access Information:

The Court does not provide case information via the Internet. On-site public access information terminals are available for researching cases at the Hall of Justice in Room 107J and Room 105-J.

Copy Information:

• Cost for Copies: $0.50 per page
• Certification Fee: $40.00 per document in addition to the copy fee.
• Exemplification of Copy of Record: $50.00 in addition to the copying and comparing fee of $0.50 per page.
• Searches of records lasting longer than 10 minutes: $15.00 per case.

Fee Schedule

Copies of documents in Traffic court case records can be obtained by visiting the Traffic Court Clerk's office from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Hall of Justice located at 600 Administration Drive, Room 109-J, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

For copy requests made in person at the Clerk's Office, payment can be made by cash, check (payable to Superior Court), money order, cashier's check or credit card (Visa or MasterCard only).

Copies can also be obtained by sending a letter, or by using the CR-01 form below, to the address above with the case name, case number, specification of the document requested, and whether the document is to be certified or not. Certification is a stamp that declares the copy to be an exact copy of the original in the courts file. Please be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope with the request in order to return the copies and receipt of payment.

For copy requests made through the mail, payments can be made by check, credit card, money order or cashier's check only. Please make the check payable to Superior Court. As you may not know the exact cost, you may indicate in the note section of the check "not to exceed ___" and list an estimated amount. The clerk will then fill in the amount of the check on your behalf, as long as the amount does not exceed what was list. If the payment submitted does not cover the fees, the request will be returned with a request for additional funds.

Certification of a document is $40 in addition to $0.50 per page (one sided, if double sided, the cost will be $1.00). Copies without certification are $0.50 per page. You may also request an Exemplified Record or a Letter of Exemplification which is an additional $50 fee in addition to $0.50 per page (one sided, if double sided, the cost will be $1.00)

Request for Records Search and/or Copies Form CR-01

Public Entity Records Requests Only

Effective March 1, 2015, the Court began charging public entities for clerk-made copies of court records in any criminal action pursuant to Government Code § 70627. Please note: Form CR-01 may be used to submit your request. If payment is not received with your request, you will be sent a bill with the requested documents.

El personal de la corte no puede proporcionar el monto de la fianza de una citación no presentada. Al ser capturada, el monto de la fianza de su citación será calculado por un programa informático que usa la lista uniforme de fianzas de todo el estado de la corte y el registro de su licencia de manejar para calcular el monto total de la fianza adeudada.

Son muchos los factores que pueden afectar la presentación de una citación en la corte por parte de la agencia emisora y su posterior captura en el sistema informático de la corte por parte del personal de esta. Pueden pasar entre 4 y 6 semanas desde la fecha de la contravención hasta que se reciba la citación y se capture en el sistema informático de la corte. La fecha de comparecencia de una citación por infracción suele ser de 60 a 90 días a partir de la fecha de la contravención. Esto debería proporcionar el tiempo adecuado para que tanto la agencia encargada de hacer cumplir la ley como la corte procesen su citación.

Una vez que su citación haya sido capturada en el sistema informático de la corte, se le enviará por correo a la dirección indicada en la citación un recordatorio informatizado en el que se le explicarán las opciones para resolver la citación en la corte. Puede resolver su citación en la corte en cualquier momento después de recibir el recordatorio de la corte. Si no recibe el recordatorio en el plazo de una semana desde la fecha de su comparecencia, comuníquese con la corte para obtener más información llamando al 707-521-6680.

Los errores u omisiones de información de la citación pueden retrasar el procesamiento de una citación. Generalmente, la División de Tránsito de la corte solo procesa las citaciones emitidas por infracción y delitos menores menos graves que pueden ser atendidos como infracciones. Aunque son de tránsito, las contravenciones más graves cometidas contra un adulto, incluidas las que se indican a continuación, se presentan en la oficina del Fiscal de Distrito y son procesadas por la División Penal de la corte.

Sección 12500a del VC, Delitos menores – Conducir sin licencia (vehículo confiscado por 30 días)

Sección 14601a del VC - Conducir con licencia suspendida - operador negligente

Sección 14601.1a del VC, Delitos menores - Conducir con licencia suspendida - la mayoría se presenta en Penal a menos que la suspensión se deba a falta de comparecencia/pago y el vehículo no haya sido confiscado durante 30 días

Sección 23103a del VC - Manejar de forma imprudente

Sección 23109a del VC - Competencia de velocidad

Sección 23152a del VC - Manejar bajo la influencia (DUI, por sus siglas en inglés) del alcohol o las drogas

La mayoría de las citaciones son elegibles para una prórroga después de ser capturadas en el sistema informático de la corte. Puede llamar al (707) 521-6680 para solicitar una prórroga para la fecha de vencimiento de su citación o visitar el sitio web de la corte en sonoma.courts.ca.gov y hacer clic en el enlace "Pague por web" de la página de inicio.

Los montos de las fianzas por contravenciones del Código de Vehículos son establecidos por el Consejo Judicial de California de conformidad con la sección 1269(c) del Código Penal, la sección 40310 del Código de Vehículos y la Regla de las cortes de California 4.102 del Consejo Judicial (Lista uniforme de fianzas y penas).

La Lista uniforme de fianzas y penas se establece con el fin de lograr un estándar de uniformidad en todo el estado para fijar las fianzas sobre estas contravenciones.

Entre los factores adicionales que pueden afectar su "monto total adeudado en concepto de fianza" se incluyen:

El número de contravenciones indicadas en su citación

El número de "antecedentes" en su licencia de manejar de California (vea los montos de los antecedentes más abajo).

En 2003 la Legislatura del estado de California promulgó la sección 1465.8 del Código Penal "Para garantizar y mantener un financiamiento adecuado para la seguridad de la corte, se impondrá una cuota de cuarenta dólares ($40) en cada contravención y tras la condena por un delito penal, incluido un delito de tránsito...".

Si está pagando (se le está decomisando) la fianza o el monto de la multa adeudada, a fin de cerrar su caso, el monto total tiene que ser pagado de una sola vez. Si necesita más tiempo para pagar su multa o desea solicitar una determinación de su capacidad de pago debido a dificultades económicas y la consideración de una sentencia alternativa, puede solicitar una prórroga de la fecha de vencimiento en línea o llamando al (707) 521-6680.

Si desea un plan de pagos mensuales, tiene que comunicarse con la corte para obtener más información. Se pueden establecer planes de pagos para la mayoría de las citaciones no obligatorias sin necesidad de comparecer en la corte. Vea las opciones de pago.

Si desea ir a la escuela para infractores de tránsito (TVS) por su citación, pero no puede pagarla en su totalidad, puede comunicarse con la corte para obtener más información y opciones.

Generalmente, el recordatorio que le envía por correo la corte le indicará si su citación es elegible para ser asignada a la escuela para infractores de tránsito (TVS). Si es elegible, usted tiene que pagar primero el "monto total adeudado con la escuela de tránsito", indicado en el recordatorio. Este monto incluye una cuota administrativa de la corte no reembolsable. Después de que la corte reciba su pago, usted puede inscribirse e ir a cualquier escuela de tránsito presencial o por Internet que haya sido aprobada por el Departamento de Vehículos Motorizados y que aparezca en su lista estatal. Se le enviará por correo una copia de todas las escuelas de tránsito disponibles aprobadas por el Departamento de Vehículos Motorizados después de que la corte reciba el pago del monto adeudado de la TVS indicado.

Su citación puede ser elegible para la escuela de tránsito si cumple usted los siguientes criterios:

No ha ido a la TVS en los últimos 18 meses más un día (calculado de fecha de contravención a fecha de contravención, no fecha de asistencia a la escuela de tránsito).

Tiene una licencia de manejar válida. Si recibió una citación mientras conducía con una licencia de conducir Clase A, B o Comercial Clase C, a partir del 1.º de enero de 2013, pero no conducía un vehículo comercial en el momento de la infracción, puede asistir a la escuela de tránsito si es elegible. Después de cursarla con éxito, el conductor comercial tiene que comunicarse con la oficina de Seguridad para Conductores del DMV para eliminar el punto. Tenga en cuenta que aunque el DMV eliminará el punto del registro de manejo del titular de la licencia comercial, no mantendrá la condena como confidencial y su seguro puede verse afectado negativamente.

Su contravención no supera en más de 25 millas por hora el límite de velocidad.

Su contravención no se produjo en un vehículo comercial.

Si desea disputar su citación, puede declararse NO CULPABLE usando uno de los siguientes métodos.