How and When to Respond to a Traffic Ticket 1. How can I respond to a ticket? Plead No Contest and Pay: If you pay your ticket, it will be considered a plea of Nolo Contendere (no contest), which means that you do not admit or deny the charges. Nolo Contendere has a similar legal effect as pleading guilty. Your ticket will be reported to the Connecticut Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. If you are an out-of-state driver, your home state will be notified of the case disposition by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. OR Online Ticket Review Program: Determine if you are eligible to participate in the Online Ticket Review Program by going to this webpage and entering your ticket number and the first three letters of your last name to retrieve your ticket information. The Online Ticket Review Program allows you to plead Not Guilty and have a prosecutor review the facts surrounding your ticket online. If you choose to participate in the process, a prosecutor will review your case. OR Plead Not Guilty: If you plead Not Guilty, your case will be transferred to court. You will be sent a Notice of Transfer from the Centralized Infractions Bureau in the mail. It may be several months before your case is scheduled. 2. How long do I have to respond to my ticket? You must respond by the Answer Date on your ticket – the Answer Date is assigned by the police officer who issued the ticket. 3. What will happen if I don�t respond by the deadline? If you do not pay in full or plead Not Guilty by the Answer Date, your case will be transferred to court. If your ticket is for a motor vehicle matter, we will notify the Department of Motor Vehicles that you have failed to pay or plead Not Guilty. The DMV will suspend your driver�s license. You will be required to pay a reopening fee of $60 to the Clerk of the Court where the ticket was issued, in addition to the original amount due. You may also be required to pay a fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles to have your driver�s license reinstated. If your ticket is for a non-motor vehicle infraction and you fail to pay in full or plead Not Guilty, your case will be transferred to court, an arrest warrant will be issued, and a bond for your release may be set by the court. This will add the charge of “Failure to Pay or Plead” to your original charge. Top Paying Your Traffic Ticket 4. What happens if I pay my ticket? If you pay your ticket, it will be considered a plea of Nolo Contendere (no contest), which means that you do not admit or deny the charges, and has a similar legal effect as pleading guilty. The ticket will be reported to the Connecticut Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. If you are an out-of-state driver, your home state will be notified of the case disposition by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. 5. How do I pay for my complaint ticket? There are two ways to pay your ticket: Online: You may pay online with a credit card, OR By mail: You may mail the total amount due by check or money order to Centralized Infractions Bureau at P.O. Box 5044, Hartford, CT 06102-5044. When sending payment, include your ticket or the Failure to Respond Notice. Use the self-addressed envelope provided with your traffic ticket. If you did not receive your envelope, or lost it, mail your payment in full to the Centralized Infractions Bureau, P.O. Box 5044, Hartford, CT 06102-5044. Make checks and money orders payable to “Clerk of Superior Court”, and write the ticket number on the check or money order. Never mail cash. No payment plans are available. Full payment is required on or before the Answer Date. You cannot pay the fine for one charge and plead Not Guilty to other charges. 6. How are fine amounts determined? The judges of the Superior Court set a schedule of fines for all infractions and violations payable to the Centralized Infractions Bureau. Fees and surchages are set by statute. The schedules are printed in a pocket-size booklet, which is updated every October 1st and is available in a PDF format. Infractions Booklet Top Online Ticket Review Program 7. What is the Online Ticket Review Program? The Online Ticket Review Program allows you to plead Not Guilty and have a prosecutor review the facts surrounding your ticket online. If you choose to participate in the process, a prosecutor will review your case. 8. How do I participate in the Online Ticket Review Program? Go to this webpage and enter your ticket number and the first three letters of your last name to retrieve your ticket information. You will be given instructions on how to submit a narrative (description of your story) and electronic documents and pictures for the prosecutor to review. You will be notified within 4 to 5 weeks when the prosecutor makes a decision about your case. At that time, you will be informed of any further action required. 9. What actions may a prosecutor take after reviewing my case? Nolle The prosecutor may dispose of your ticket by entering a nolle pursuant to section 44-27 of the Connecticut Practice Book, which means that the prosecutor chooses not to prosecute the case against you. If the prosecutor enters a nolle, your ticket will be disposed of and you will not be required to come to court or pay any fines, fees, costs or surcharges for the tickets you received. The court will notify the Department of Motor Vehicles or the appropriate arresting agency of the nolle. Transfer case to court The prosecutor may transfer your case to court, where it will be scheduled for a trial before a judicial authority. You will be informed of the time, date and place of the trial by mail. Make you an offer The prosecutor may make an offer to you, which could include reduced fines or fees and/or an option to accept different charges. 10. How do I accept an offer? You will receive an email, or you can check the ticket status by visiting “Traffic Tickets” button and entering the ticket number and first three letters or your last name. If you accept the offer, click on the “ACCEPT OFFER” button. You will then be able to pay online. A plea of Nolo Contendere (no contest) will be entered, and you will not need to come to court. 11. What if I don’t like the offer? If you reject the offer, your ticket will be transferred to the court with the original charges and you will be notified of your court date by mail. 12. What if I forget to respond or forget to pay? If you fail to respond to the offer, or accept the offer but fail to pay the agreed upon fines/fees, your ticket will be transferred to the court with the original charges and you will be notified of your court date by mail. Top Pleading Not Guilty To determine if you are eligible for the Online Ticket Review program, enter your complete ticket number here. 13. What happens when I plead not guilty? When your Not Guilty plea is received, the Centralized Infractions Bureau will transfer your case to a Superior Court location for the geographical area where your ticket was issued. You may have to go to court. If your ticket was issued in certain locations of the state where there are Regional Motor Vehicle courts, you may be able to provide a written response to a prosecutor who may or may not nolle your case. If your case is nolled, the charges are dropped. If it is not nolled you will have to appear at the court. The local court will send you a notice giving you a court hearing date. Questions about court procedure should be directed to the court clerk. The court hearing location is based on the town where the ticket was issued. The court address and courtroom number will be included on your hearing notice. Geographical Area court phone numbers and locations. 14. How do I plead Not Guilty? There are three ways to plead Not Guilty: Online: You may plead Not Guilty through our website Mail in the ticket: Follow the instructions on the back of the ticket to enter a Not Guilty plea by mail. Be sure to sign the ticket. Use the envelope provided to mail in your plea. By telephone: You may plead Not Guilty by telephone if you are the defendant and the police officer’s copy of the ticket (called the “court original”) has been received and entered into the computer system at the Centralized Infractions Bureau. Call 860-263-2750, Monday-Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Top Going to Court 15. Will I have to go to court? Unless you pay the full amount due, you will have to go to court. 16. What should I do when I get to court? Find out what courtroom your case is in. Check the lists of scheduled cases called “posting dockets.” Cases are listed alphabetically with last names first. Cases are grouped by type of case. The lists are usually on a bulletin board or wall in the front lobby of the courthouse. Talk to the state’s attorney (prosecutor) about your case. When your case is called, stand and go to the front of the courtroom. If you do not understand something the judge, magistrate or the state’s attorney says, or if you have a question, ask the judge or magistrate. 17. What happens if I am found guilty in court? If you go to court and you are found guilty, the total amount you will have to pay will be more than the fine amount set by the judge or magistrate. For example, if you go to court on a charge of failing to obey a stop sign, and the judge finds you guilty, the total amount due will be the fine plus other court costs and fees set by state statute. Be sure to pay the fine at the clerk’s office or cashier’s office on or before the due date. Personal checks are only accepted when the name and current address is pre-printed on the check and the check writer has a valid picture ID. A check cannot be for more than $800.00. Checks should be payable to the �Clerk of Superior Court.� Top Effect on driver�s license and insurance 18. Will my ticket be reported to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles? Yes, it is reported to the DMV once the ticket is disposed. If you live out-of-state, Connecticut DMV may report ticket information to your state’s DMV. Contact your state DMV to get more information. For more information about the Connecticut DMV, call Driver Services at 860-263-5720 for general information, or visit the DMV website. 19. Will I get “points” on my driver’s license? If you are charged with a motor vehicle infraction or violation and you choose to pay the amount due to the Centralized Infractions Bureau, no points will be assessed against your operator�s license by the Connecticut Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, except that the Commissioner shall assess at least one point against your operator�s license for any violation of section 14-296aa of the Connecticut General Statutes for the improper use of a hand-held mobile telephone or mobile electronic device by a motor vehicle operator or school bus driver. Also note that your payment may result in administrative sanctions being imposed on you by the Commissioner, including license suspension. Points are assessed by the Connecticut DMV. For more information about the Connecticut DMV, call Driver Services at 860-263-5720 for general information, or visit the DMV website. 20. Will my insurance company find out about my ticket and raise my insurance premium/rates? Insurance companies usually check driver’s histories before issuing a new policy. Your driver’s history will show if you have paid a fine for a motor vehicle infraction or violation, or if a court has found you guilty of an infraction or violation. Decisions about insurance rates and premiums are up to the insurance company. 21. Will my license be suspended? How do I get my license reinstated? The courts do not suspend or reinstate driver’s licenses. That is done by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Convictions on certain charges automatically result in license suspension. Remember, paying the amount due is treated like a conviction. For more information about license suspensions or reinstatement contact DMV Driver Services at 860-263-5720 or dmv.suspension@ct.gov or visit the DMV website. 22. Will conviction on a ticket affect my Commercial Driver’s License? Maybe. Call 860-263-5720 (DMV-Drivers’ Services) for more information about disqualification for commercial drivers’ licenses. Top Miscellaneous Questions 23. What if I live out of state? Your case will be treated the same as if you lived in Connecticut. You will be mailed a notice about the court hearing date. The location of your court hearing will be based on the town where the ticket was issued. If you fail to respond to the ticket, your home state will suspend your driver’s license. 24. I lost my ticket. What should I do? Call the Centralized Infractions Bureau (CIB) at 860-263-2750 Monday-Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. or e-mail at: Centralized.InfractionsBureau@jud.ct.gov. You need to provide your name and date of birth. 25. What are the definitions or “infraction” and “violation”? An infraction is an offense for which the only penalty is a fine. An infraction is not a crime. You may pay your infraction or plead Not Guilty by mail. Infractions are described in Connecticut General Statue section 51-164m. A violation is an offense for which the only sentence authorized is a fine. Some violations require a court appearance; some can be paid by mail. Connecticut General Statute section 51-164n(b) lists payable violations. Violations are described in Connecticut General Statue section 53a-27. 26. Who can I contact for more information? If your question is not answered below, please contact the Centralized Infractions Bureau (CIB) Customer Service unit at 860-263-2750, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by emailing Centralized.InfractionsBureau@jud.ct.gov. Top SOURCE: CT Judicial Branch
How and When to Respond to a Traffic Ticket 1. How can I respond to a ticket? Plead No Contest and Pay: If you pay your ticket, it will be considered a plea of Nolo Contendere (no contest), which means that you do not admit or deny the charges. Nolo Contendere has a similar legal effect as pleading guilty. Your ticket will be reported to the Connecticut Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. If you are an out-of-state driver, your home state will be notified of the case disposition by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. OR Online Ticket Review Program: Determine if you are eligible to participate in the Online Ticket Review Program by going to this webpage and entering your ticket number and the first three letters of your last name to retrieve your ticket information. The Online Ticket Review Program allows you to plead Not Guilty and have a prosecutor review the facts surrounding your ticket online. If you choose to participate in the process, a prosecutor will review your case. OR Plead Not Guilty: If you plead Not Guilty, your case will be transferred to court. You will be sent a Notice of Transfer from the Centralized Infractions Bureau in the mail. It may be several months before your case is scheduled. 2. How long do I have to respond to my ticket? You must respond by the Answer Date on your ticket – the Answer Date is assigned by the police officer who issued the ticket. 3. What will happen if I don�t respond by the deadline? If you do not pay in full or plead Not Guilty by the Answer Date, your case will be transferred to court. If your ticket is for a motor vehicle matter, we will notify the Department of Motor Vehicles that you have failed to pay or plead Not Guilty. The DMV will suspend your driver�s license. You will be required to pay a reopening fee of $60 to the Clerk of the Court where the ticket was issued, in addition to the original amount due. You may also be required to pay a fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles to have your driver�s license reinstated. If your ticket is for a non-motor vehicle infraction and you fail to pay in full or plead Not Guilty, your case will be transferred to court, an arrest warrant will be issued, and a bond for your release may be set by the court. This will add the charge of “Failure to Pay or Plead” to your original charge. Top Paying Your Traffic Ticket 4. What happens if I pay my ticket? If you pay your ticket, it will be considered a plea of Nolo Contendere (no contest), which means that you do not admit or deny the charges, and has a similar legal effect as pleading guilty. The ticket will be reported to the Connecticut Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. If you are an out-of-state driver, your home state will be notified of the case disposition by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. 5. How do I pay for my complaint ticket? There are two ways to pay your ticket: Online: You may pay online with a credit card, OR By mail: You may mail the total amount due by check or money order to Centralized Infractions Bureau at P.O. Box 5044, Hartford, CT 06102-5044. When sending payment, include your ticket or the Failure to Respond Notice. Use the self-addressed envelope provided with your traffic ticket. If you did not receive your envelope, or lost it, mail your payment in full to the Centralized Infractions Bureau, P.O. Box 5044, Hartford, CT 06102-5044. Make checks and money orders payable to “Clerk of Superior Court”, and write the ticket number on the check or money order. Never mail cash. No payment plans are available. Full payment is required on or before the Answer Date. You cannot pay the fine for one charge and plead Not Guilty to other charges. 6. How are fine amounts determined? The judges of the Superior Court set a schedule of fines for all infractions and violations payable to the Centralized Infractions Bureau. Fees and surchages are set by statute. The schedules are printed in a pocket-size booklet, which is updated every October 1st and is available in a PDF format. Infractions Booklet Top Online Ticket Review Program 7. What is the Online Ticket Review Program? The Online Ticket Review Program allows you to plead Not Guilty and have a prosecutor review the facts surrounding your ticket online. If you choose to participate in the process, a prosecutor will review your case. 8. How do I participate in the Online Ticket Review Program? Go to this webpage and enter your ticket number and the first three letters of your last name to retrieve your ticket information. You will be given instructions on how to submit a narrative (description of your story) and electronic documents and pictures for the prosecutor to review. You will be notified within 4 to 5 weeks when the prosecutor makes a decision about your case. At that time, you will be informed of any further action required. 9. What actions may a prosecutor take after reviewing my case? Nolle The prosecutor may dispose of your ticket by entering a nolle pursuant to section 44-27 of the Connecticut Practice Book, which means that the prosecutor chooses not to prosecute the case against you. If the prosecutor enters a nolle, your ticket will be disposed of and you will not be required to come to court or pay any fines, fees, costs or surcharges for the tickets you received. The court will notify the Department of Motor Vehicles or the appropriate arresting agency of the nolle. Transfer case to court The prosecutor may transfer your case to court, where it will be scheduled for a trial before a judicial authority. You will be informed of the time, date and place of the trial by mail. Make you an offer The prosecutor may make an offer to you, which could include reduced fines or fees and/or an option to accept different charges. 10. How do I accept an offer? You will receive an email, or you can check the ticket status by visiting “Traffic Tickets” button and entering the ticket number and first three letters or your last name. If you accept the offer, click on the “ACCEPT OFFER” button. You will then be able to pay online. A plea of Nolo Contendere (no contest) will be entered, and you will not need to come to court. 11. What if I don’t like the offer? If you reject the offer, your ticket will be transferred to the court with the original charges and you will be notified of your court date by mail. 12. What if I forget to respond or forget to pay? If you fail to respond to the offer, or accept the offer but fail to pay the agreed upon fines/fees, your ticket will be transferred to the court with the original charges and you will be notified of your court date by mail. Top Pleading Not Guilty To determine if you are eligible for the Online Ticket Review program, enter your complete ticket number here. 13. What happens when I plead not guilty? When your Not Guilty plea is received, the Centralized Infractions Bureau will transfer your case to a Superior Court location for the geographical area where your ticket was issued. You may have to go to court. If your ticket was issued in certain locations of the state where there are Regional Motor Vehicle courts, you may be able to provide a written response to a prosecutor who may or may not nolle your case. If your case is nolled, the charges are dropped. If it is not nolled you will have to appear at the court. The local court will send you a notice giving you a court hearing date. Questions about court procedure should be directed to the court clerk. The court hearing location is based on the town where the ticket was issued. The court address and courtroom number will be included on your hearing notice. Geographical Area court phone numbers and locations. 14. How do I plead Not Guilty? There are three ways to plead Not Guilty: Online: You may plead Not Guilty through our website Mail in the ticket: Follow the instructions on the back of the ticket to enter a Not Guilty plea by mail. Be sure to sign the ticket. Use the envelope provided to mail in your plea. By telephone: You may plead Not Guilty by telephone if you are the defendant and the police officer’s copy of the ticket (called the “court original”) has been received and entered into the computer system at the Centralized Infractions Bureau. Call 860-263-2750, Monday-Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Top Going to Court 15. Will I have to go to court? Unless you pay the full amount due, you will have to go to court. 16. What should I do when I get to court? Find out what courtroom your case is in. Check the lists of scheduled cases called “posting dockets.” Cases are listed alphabetically with last names first. Cases are grouped by type of case. The lists are usually on a bulletin board or wall in the front lobby of the courthouse. Talk to the state’s attorney (prosecutor) about your case. When your case is called, stand and go to the front of the courtroom. If you do not understand something the judge, magistrate or the state’s attorney says, or if you have a question, ask the judge or magistrate. 17. What happens if I am found guilty in court? If you go to court and you are found guilty, the total amount you will have to pay will be more than the fine amount set by the judge or magistrate. For example, if you go to court on a charge of failing to obey a stop sign, and the judge finds you guilty, the total amount due will be the fine plus other court costs and fees set by state statute. Be sure to pay the fine at the clerk’s office or cashier’s office on or before the due date. Personal checks are only accepted when the name and current address is pre-printed on the check and the check writer has a valid picture ID. A check cannot be for more than $800.00. Checks should be payable to the �Clerk of Superior Court.� Top Effect on driver�s license and insurance 18. Will my ticket be reported to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles? Yes, it is reported to the DMV once the ticket is disposed. If you live out-of-state, Connecticut DMV may report ticket information to your state’s DMV. Contact your state DMV to get more information. For more information about the Connecticut DMV, call Driver Services at 860-263-5720 for general information, or visit the DMV website. 19. Will I get “points” on my driver’s license? If you are charged with a motor vehicle infraction or violation and you choose to pay the amount due to the Centralized Infractions Bureau, no points will be assessed against your operator�s license by the Connecticut Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, except that the Commissioner shall assess at least one point against your operator�s license for any violation of section 14-296aa of the Connecticut General Statutes for the improper use of a hand-held mobile telephone or mobile electronic device by a motor vehicle operator or school bus driver. Also note that your payment may result in administrative sanctions being imposed on you by the Commissioner, including license suspension. Points are assessed by the Connecticut DMV. For more information about the Connecticut DMV, call Driver Services at 860-263-5720 for general information, or visit the DMV website. 20. Will my insurance company find out about my ticket and raise my insurance premium/rates? Insurance companies usually check driver’s histories before issuing a new policy. Your driver’s history will show if you have paid a fine for a motor vehicle infraction or violation, or if a court has found you guilty of an infraction or violation. Decisions about insurance rates and premiums are up to the insurance company. 21. Will my license be suspended? How do I get my license reinstated? The courts do not suspend or reinstate driver’s licenses. That is done by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Convictions on certain charges automatically result in license suspension. Remember, paying the amount due is treated like a conviction. For more information about license suspensions or reinstatement contact DMV Driver Services at 860-263-5720 or dmv.suspension@ct.gov or visit the DMV website. 22. Will conviction on a ticket affect my Commercial Driver’s License? Maybe. Call 860-263-5720 (DMV-Drivers’ Services) for more information about disqualification for commercial drivers’ licenses. Top Miscellaneous Questions 23. What if I live out of state? Your case will be treated the same as if you lived in Connecticut. You will be mailed a notice about the court hearing date. The location of your court hearing will be based on the town where the ticket was issued. If you fail to respond to the ticket, your home state will suspend your driver’s license. 24. I lost my ticket. What should I do? Call the Centralized Infractions Bureau (CIB) at 860-263-2750 Monday-Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. or e-mail at: Centralized.InfractionsBureau@jud.ct.gov. You need to provide your name and date of birth. 25. What are the definitions or “infraction” and “violation”? An infraction is an offense for which the only penalty is a fine. An infraction is not a crime. You may pay your infraction or plead Not Guilty by mail. Infractions are described in Connecticut General Statue section 51-164m. A violation is an offense for which the only sentence authorized is a fine. Some violations require a court appearance; some can be paid by mail. Connecticut General Statute section 51-164n(b) lists payable violations. Violations are described in Connecticut General Statue section 53a-27. 26. Who can I contact for more information? If your question is not answered below, please contact the Centralized Infractions Bureau (CIB) Customer Service unit at 860-263-2750, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by emailing Centralized.InfractionsBureau@jud.ct.gov. Top SOURCE: CT Judicial Branch
