Traffic School

If you elect to attend traffic school you must pay the total fine amount plus a State Traffic School fee before your court due date or extended due date. If you do not timely elect to attend traffic school, you will be unable to request traffic school at a later date. A 90-day Traffic School installment payment plan is also available, but you must contact the court and enter into an approved plan prior to your court due date or extended due date.

Traffic school election can be done by mail, in person to the court’s drop box, or by using the online or phone payment option. However, if there are any correctable or “fix-it” violations on your citation, traffic school election can only be done by mail or in person to the court’s drop box.

If you are eligible for traffic school and have a correctable or “fix-it” violation, you will need to mail or bring in person to the court’s drop box your proof of correction with the fee(s) and a request to attend traffic school.

It will be your responsibility to:

1. Elect to attend Traffic School and post Traffic School Bail on or before your court due date or extended due date. Traffic School elections made untimely or without payment of full Traffic School Bail or an approved Traffic School installment payment plan will not be accepted by the Court.
2. Select a school and enroll. The traffic school will charge you a separate enrollment fee.
3. Complete a DMV-approved traffic school within 90 days. Upon completion, your violation will be reported to DMV as a confidential conviction.

The Court will be able to retrieve an electronic completion certificate from the School/DMV five (5) business days after you have successfully completed Traffic School.

Failure to complete Traffic School or pay a Traffic School installment plan as ordered will result in the Court converting the fee to bail and declaring it forfeited and reporting the forfeiture as a conviction to DMV. Further, if you fail to pay, the Court may impose a civil assessment of up to $300.00 and refer your case to a collection agency.

Traffic School Eligibility

• You must have a valid driver’s license.
• You have not attended or elected to attend traffic school in the past 18 months. The 18-month eligibility period for a confidential conviction after completion of traffic school is determined from violation date to violation date.
• You have no outstanding Failure to Appear or Failure to Pay.
• The citation involves a moving infraction and does not involve any drug or alcohol violations.
• You were not speeding more than 25 mph over the posted limit.

If you are eligible and decide not to attend traffic school, your automobile insurance, and driving record may be adversely affected. One conviction in any 18-month period will be held confidential and not show on your driving record if you complete traffic school. If you complete traffic school when legally ineligible for a confidential conviction, DMV will remove confidentiality of the conviction from your driving record and the conviction and violation point will appear on your driving record at the DMV.

For additional traffic school eligibility information, refer to California Rules of Court, Rule 4.104.

Commercial Drivers

Commercial Drivers are not eligible for Traffic School if cited while driving a commercial vehicle. For moving violations occurring on or after January 1, 2013, holders of commercial driver licenses cited while operating a vehicle that requires only a Class C or Class M license (such as a personal/non-commercial vehicle) may be eligible to attend traffic school. DMV will not mask the conviction from view on a person’s driving record; however, no points will be assessed.

Finding A Traffic School

You can attend any DMV-approved traffic school. To locate a DMV-approved traffic school, use the online locator service operated by DMV at https://www.dmv.ca.gov. If you do not have access to the Internet, you may call the Department of Motor Vehicles, Business Licensing Unit at (800) 777- 0133 and request a list of traffic violator schools be sent to you via mail or fax. You may also use the link provided below to go to DMV’s website. Click here for DMV’s approved Traffic Violator Schools offering Internet, Home Study and classroom programs.