Traffic Court
Alameda County Traffic Court handles traffic citations through the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. This article explains which matters belong in the Traffic Division, where traffic services are available, how to look up and pay a ticket, and what to prepare if you want to contest a citation. It also covers requests based on financial hardship, traffic school requirements, hearing arrangements, and deadlines that can affect your case.
Which Cases Belong in Traffic Court?
The court’s Traffic Division page is the official starting point for Alameda County traffic court services. It connects users with ticket lookup and payment services, information about contesting a citation, financial hardship requests, traffic school, and court scheduling.
Several matters involving vehicles are handled elsewhere. Parking tickets should be directed to the citing agency. Driving under the influence and other adult misdemeanor or felony violations belong to the Criminal Division. Juvenile misdemeanor and felony violations are handled through the Probation Department. For citations issued outside Alameda County, contact the county responsible for that citation.
This distinction matters before you submit a payment or ask for a hearing. A parking citation, criminal charge, and traffic infraction do not follow the same process. Identify the type of violation and the county responsible for it before choosing a court service.
Traffic Court Locations and Clerk Hours
Traffic court services are available at the Fremont Hall of Justice, the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland, and the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin. The court’s courthouse locations and contact directory identifies these facilities. Their addresses and telephone numbers appear at the end of this article.
Traffic clerk’s offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Telephone service is available from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The court also provides drop boxes at all three traffic locations. These options are useful when a procedure calls for submitting documents to the Traffic Clerk’s Office.
For a scheduled appearance, verify the courthouse, department, date, and time associated with your case. Alameda County has several other courthouses, so choosing a location solely because it is nearby can lead you to the wrong building.
Questions About a Specific Citation
The court’s Ask Traffic inquiry form provides a way to ask about an Alameda County traffic case. The form includes fields for an organization name or individual name, driver’s license number, citation or docket number, email address, telephone number, and a question or comment.
Have your citation and court correspondence available when preparing an inquiry. Use the citation or docket number associated with the matter you are asking about, and describe the issue specifically—for example, a payment question, hearing arrangement, or traffic school completion concern. The form’s citation or docket field identifies the traffic matter; it is separate from the driver’s license field.
Ticket Lookup, Payments, and Due Dates
The traffic ticket lookup and payment page leads to the court’s online system. That system supports more than a standard fine payment. It can also display your ticket and let you view or print a courtesy notice.
The court identifies the following online functions:
Forfeit bail or pay fines and fees.
Post bail for a court trial.
Post bail and request a trial by declaration.
Pay traffic school fees, including the bail amount and enrollment fee.
Make payments or pay off an established payment plan.
Extend a citation due date, fine due date, or traffic school completion due date.
Confirm the court’s receipt of a traffic school completion certificate.
Choose the transaction that matches your intended action. Paying a fine, posting bail to contest a ticket, and paying traffic school charges serve different purposes. For example, the court’s trial procedures require a request as well as the applicable bail deposit. Do not treat a payment alone as a substitute for completing the required contesting procedure.
Keep the different deadlines separate. A citation due date, a fine payment due date, and a traffic school completion due date apply to different obligations. When using the extension function, identify the deadline you need to change and review the information associated with your ticket.
Delinquent Fines Use a Different Process
The court’s Traffic Court Basics page explains that delinquent traffic fines are referred to collections. The court’s regular “Pay Your Traffic Tickets” online tool is not available for delinquent fines.
A delinquent account therefore should not be treated as an ordinary ticket payment through that tool. However, referral to collections does not automatically eliminate the ability to request a court determination based on financial hardship. The court allows qualifying ability-to-pay requests while an infraction judgment remains unpaid, including delinquent cases and cases referred to collections.
Hearing Dates and Appearance Options
The court provides an official court date service. Before attending a hearing, verify your trial date, department, and time. This is especially useful when you have received more than one court notice or have requested a change in your hearing arrangements.
Same-day walk-in court is available at the Fremont Hall of Justice on the second Tuesday of each month and at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse on the second Thursday of each month. In-person or remote hearings must be scheduled in advance by contacting the Traffic Clerk’s Office. The Traffic Division page also provides a traffic court schedule.
Remote Hearings Require Advance Arrangements
Some case types are eligible for remote appearances. The court’s remote appearance information explains that remote proceedings use ZoomGov. For a traffic matter, contact the Traffic Clerk’s Office to arrange an eligible remote hearing in advance.
Actual hearing links are not published on the general remote appearance page. Contact the department where your hearing is scheduled to obtain the link. Procedures shown on that page specifically for civil harassment or small claims matters should not be used as traffic hearing instructions.
During a remote appearance, treat other participants as you would in a courtroom and avoid distracting backgrounds. Recording or broadcasting a remote proceeding is prohibited except in compliance with California Rule of Court 1.150. Technology or audio problems may delay or interrupt a proceeding; participants may alert the judicial officer when those problems arise.
Options for Contesting a Citation
The court’s instructions for contesting a traffic ticket explain arraignment, court trials, and trial by written declaration. Your chosen procedure affects whether you must deposit bail, how many appearances are required, and what you must submit before the courtesy notice due date.
Arraignment and Trial Without Bail
Under California Rule of Court 4.105, you may request a court trial without depositing bail. This route requires two court appearances. First, appear in walk-in court for arraignment and enter a not guilty plea on or before the due date on your courtesy notice. A future trial date will be scheduled at that appearance.
An arraignment is the initial court appearance where the charges are presented and you may enter a plea. The citing officer will not be present. A not guilty plea means you deny the violation and want a trial with the citing officer present. A guilty plea admits the violation and results in a conviction. A no contest plea neither admits nor denies the violation, but the court treats it the same as a guilty plea.
Combined Hearing With Bail Posted
Under California Vehicle Code Section 40519(a) and (b), you may choose to have your arraignment and court trial at the same hearing. Submit a signed request and the total bail amount on or before the courtesy notice due date. For this procedure, the court directs that bail be posted in full, in person or by mail.
After receiving the request, the court will mail the scheduled court date to you. This procedure differs from appearing first for arraignment without depositing bail, so make sure your request reflects the hearing arrangement you intend to use.
Trial by Written Declaration
A trial by written declaration allows an eligible traffic infraction to be contested by mail without a court appearance. Submit a signed request or completed TR-205 forms and the full bail amount on or before the due date on your courtesy notice. The court’s instructions require full bail to be posted in person or by mail.
To qualify, the violations must be Vehicle Code infractions only, with no accident involved. The case must have no failure to appear, failure to pay the fine, or prior failure to appear. You must enter a not guilty plea in writing and pay full bail. The procedure is unavailable for misdemeanors, mandatory court appearances, and non-traffic local ordinance violations.
Your written statement should explain the facts and events of the case. You may include documentary evidence that supports your account. The court obtains a written report from the citing officer, and a commissioner reviews the documentation. The decision is issued by mail.
If you are dissatisfied with that judgment, you may request a new trial within 20 days after the notice of judgment is mailed. That deadline applies specifically to requesting a new trial after a trial by written declaration.
Preparing for a Court Trial
At a court trial, a judge or other authorized judicial officer considers the evidence. The citing officer is subpoenaed, and you may present evidence, documents, and witnesses supporting your case. You may have a lawyer present, but the court will not provide an attorney.
Bring all case-related materials, including photographs, diagrams, reports, or other exhibits you intend to present. You may also be required to show picture identification. Organize your account around the street or highway, any relevant intersection, your direction of travel, and the events in the order they occurred.
The court recommends presenting your strongest reasons first and keeping your explanation direct. Answer the judicial officer’s questions, avoid unnecessary repetition, and do not interrupt or argue with the judicial officer or citing officer.
Witnesses, Interpreters, and Arrival Time
If witnesses are necessary to your defense, obtain a subpoena form from the Clerk’s Office well before trial. Complete the form, have it served, and file the subpoena with proof of service on or before the trial date. A defendant cannot serve the subpoena. Witnesses must receive reasonable advance notice of when to appear.
Interpreter services are available, but must be ordered at arraignment or when requesting a court trial. Arrive on time because the court provides an advisement video or brochure explaining your rights at the beginning of each session. Although an individual trial may be short, plan to spend at least three hours at court. Keep phones and pagers silent.
Be prepared to pay your fine in full at the conclusion of the appearance. If payment presents a financial hardship, review the court’s ability-to-pay process described below.
Changing a Scheduled Trial Date
You may change your trial date only once. The request must be made at least 10 court days before the trial date. The court states that there are no exceptions to this minimum requirement.
You cannot set a court date for a relative. You may appear for a relative only for the limited purpose of explaining why that person cannot attend the scheduled appearance. The court decides whether to accept the explanation and set another date.
If you do not appear at the trial time, your bail will be forfeited and your driving record will show a conviction. A scheduling conflict therefore needs attention before the hearing, within the court’s stated deadline.
Financial Hardship and Payment Alternatives
The court’s financial hardship and ability-to-pay page explains requests for relief on eligible infractions. If you cannot afford the full fine, you may ask for a reduction based on your ability to pay. You may also request a payment plan, additional time, or community service instead of paying fines and fees.
The MyCitations online tool allows users to enter a plea and make an ability-to-pay request on eligible infractions. A request may also be made by completing the form and submitting it to the Traffic Clerk’s Office.
Once a fine has been ordered, an ability-to-pay determination may be requested while the judgment remains unpaid, including when the case is delinquent or referred to collections. Fines and fees from misdemeanor or felony offenses are not eligible for this reduction process.
If the court has already determined your ability to pay and your financial circumstances change, you may ask the court to reconsider. A hardship request concerns the amount or method of satisfying an eligible financial obligation; a not guilty plea and trial concern whether you committed the violation.
Traffic School Eligibility and Completion
The court’s traffic school requirements explain eligibility, payments, and completion deadlines. For an eligible citation, completing a licensed program and meeting the court’s certificate deadline allows the DMV to hold the conviction confidential. The court warns that an eligible driver who does not attend traffic school may experience an adverse effect on automobile insurance.
Eligibility Depends on the Violation
Traffic school requires a valid driver’s license at the time of the citation and a qualifying moving violation. A commercial license holder may qualify when driving a non-commercial vehicle at the time of the violation. The cited violation cannot be a misdemeanor or involve driving a commercial vehicle.
Other eligibility restrictions include:
You cannot currently be attending traffic school or have attended within the preceding 18 months.
The violation cannot require a mandatory court appearance or involve alcohol or drugs.
The citation cannot be for Vehicle Code Section 22406.5 or 21655.5.
Excess speed of 25 mph or more is not eligible.
A failure to appear, warrant, or civil assessment charge must be adjudicated or paid in full before attendance.
The 18-month period is measured from violation date to violation date, not from classroom attendance dates. The DMV holds only one traffic school conviction confidential during that period, including non-point-count violations.
Payments and the Completion Deadline
Before signing up, pay the violation bail and the state-mandated traffic school administrative fee. The administrative fee is nonrefundable and separate from the registration charge imposed by the school. For a check payment, the court directs that the check be payable to “Clerk of the Court” and include the citation or case number.
The citation is continued for 90 days from the payment date to allow completion. Contact the selected school within two weeks, pay its registration fee, and register for the course. Complete the instruction within the allowed period. The school issues a receipt and electronically files the Certificate of Completion with the court.
Meeting the completion requirements remains your responsibility. Delaying registration can leave you unable to finish before the deadline. Failure to submit proof of completion by the due date results in bail forfeiture, reporting the violation to the DMV as a conviction, and a point count on your driving record.
The ticket lookup system can be used to extend the traffic school completion due date or confirm receipt of the certificate. Allow five to seven business days after completing the course for the court to process the certificate before checking receipt.
Trial Results, Refunds, and Appeals
If you are found not guilty after trial, the court states that your bail deposit will be returned by mail within six to eight weeks. Immediately after trial, verify your current address with the clerk or bailiff so the refund is directed correctly.
In most cases resulting in a guilty finding, the fine does not exceed the deposited bail. The fine is taken from that deposit, and the remaining amount is refunded.
Appeal Filing Deadlines
An appeal concerns a claimed legal error in the court’s decision. It is not a retrial, and the appellate court does not receive new testimony or exhibits. It reviews the evidence presented to the trial court.
Appeal papers must be filed with the Clerk’s Office at the location where the case was heard within 30 days of the court decision or within 30 days of the mailing of judgment. There is no charge to file an appeal.
A Proposed Statement of Appeal must be filed within 15 days after the Notice of Appeal is filed, or it may be filed at the same time. It must include the testimony, evidence, and legal reason for the appeal. The court schedules a hearing to settle the statement, usually before the judicial officer who decided the case.
Filing an appeal does not suspend the sentence unless a judicial officer orders a stay. The fine and other court orders remain due as directed. An appeal packet may be obtained from the Traffic Division after the appeal is filed. The case is forwarded to the Appellate Department, and the court states that a ruling can take up to three months. Proceedings and rulings are communicated by mail, and another appearance may be required to clarify the written statement.
Traffic Court Offices
Fremont Hall of Justice
39439 Paseo Padre Parkway
Fremont, CA 94538
510-818-7500
Oakland - Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse
661 Washington Street
Oakland, CA 94607
510-627-4700
Dublin - East County Hall of Justice
5151 Gleason Drive
Dublin, CA 94568
925-227-6700
Traffic Court FAQs
What if I lost my traffic ticket?
You can still start with the court’s ticket lookup page, which provides access to your ticket and a printable courtesy notice. Use the court record to recover the information you need before choosing a payment or court option. If you cannot identify your citation, the Traffic Division’s FAQ menu includes an “I Lost My Citation/Ticket” topic. Losing the paper ticket does not tell you whether your case has an upcoming deadline, so check the case information rather than waiting for another notice.
Where can I review red-light citation footage?
The court’s Traffic Division page includes a “View Your Red Light Traffic Video” service and a separate “Photo Red Light Citations/Tickets” FAQ topic. These are the relevant starting points for reviewing a camera citation. If your concern is that you were not driving, the same FAQ menu also includes “I Was Not the Driver.” Review the applicable instructions before deciding how to respond; viewing footage is separate from submitting a response to the court.
What happens before my traffic trial starts?
The bailiff or clerk gives preliminary instructions and checks in the people appearing in court. A judge or court commissioner then calls the cases. Listen for your case and follow the courtroom’s instructions. When your trial begins, the court hears statements from sworn witnesses against you and may question them. You then have an opportunity to present your case before the judicial officer rules. Checking in is the preliminary step; your opportunity to explain the citation comes when your case is heard.