Traffic Division
Traffic
Alpine Superior Court's Traffic Division handles Adult Traffic Infractions, Juvenile Traffic Infractions, and Local County Ordinance Infractions.
Misdemeanor or Felony violations of the Vehicle Code (such as DUIs) are handled by the Criminal Division.
Quick Links
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Make a Payment
Note: Do NOT use this option if you wish to do a Trial by Written Declaration, Court Trial, or the Court has not received your Proof of Correction for a "fix-it" violation. In order to make your payment you will need your docket number (your case number) and your fine amount. A transaction fee will apply.
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Find a Traffic School
If your bail/fine is paid, plus the $52.00 traffic school fee, find a traffic school here.
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Self-Help Resources
Have more questions? The California Courts Self-Help Center is a resource for the public that covers multiple topics, including traffic.
General Information
Parking Violations are handled by the Alpine County Parking Agent as a civil penalty. If you have a parking ticket, please go to the Alpine County Parking Agent's webpage for more information.
Note: You may appear for all traffic matters remotely via Zoom. If you cannot appear by video, you may join the Zoom conference by audio only. There is no cost to appear by Zoom. For more information please see the Remote Appearances page. You are not required to appear remotely via Zoom, and may still come to the courthouse for any traffic matter at the scheduled date and time on your paperwork.
Courtesy Notice
Alpine County Superior Court mails a reminder notice, or "Courtesy Notice," to traffic defendants. It can take up to 4-6 weeks for the court to receive and then process citations from issuing agencies. The court mails the notice to the address listed on the citation. On the notice, the court notifies you of:
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Your docket number, or case number for the citation.
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Your appearance date. Alpine County Superior Court calendars all traffic defendants. You do not need to call to put yourself on calendar. If you do not intend to appear, this is your due date.
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Your bail, or fine amount. The court provides payment options on the back of the courtesy notice.
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Your options for appearing or resolving your traffic case without appearing in court.
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General eligibility criteria for Traffic School.
If more than 6 weeks have passed since you received your citation (ticket) and you have not received a courtesy notice, please call the Clerk's Office.
Note: Not receiving your courtesy notice is not a legal excuse for failing to take care of the citation by its due date.
If you fail to appear or pay by your appearance date, you will be deemed to have elected to have a trial by declaration pursuant to Vehicle Code §40903. If you are found guilty, you will be charged the bail amount shown on your courtesy notice. If you do not pay on or before the due date, you will receive an additional civil assessment of up to $100.00 for your failure to appear, and the Court will refer your account to an outside collection agency.
Remote Appearance
Alpine County Superior Court holds its Traffic Calendar every Monday at 10:00 a.m.
Traffic matters may be heard via remote video technology on the date indicated on your citation. You retain the option of (1) paying the fine without appearance: (2) requesting a trial by declaration: or (3) appearing remotely or in person on the date indicated on your citation. If you wish to appear remotely, you are instructed to contact the Alpine County Clerk’s Office at 530 694-2113 to obtain the information necessary for your remote appearance. Be advised that you must act on one of the three options noted above or a finding of guilt will be entered when your matter is called pursuant to Vehicle Code 40509.
For more information please go to the Remote Appearances page.
Paying Your Ticket
If you decide not to contest your ticket and want to close your case, you may pay your ticket at any time before your due date. This is called a "Bail Forfeiture". You may pay your citation:
- online,
- by phone, or
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you can mail a check or money order along with your courtesy notice stub.
To make your payment you will need your docket number (your case number) and your fine amount.
To pay online you may click on the quick link at the top of this page, or go to Online Payments for more information.
Upon receipt of the bail amount, the court will declare the bail forfeited and order that no further proceedings will occur. This will result in a record of conviction as if you had appeared and admitted or been found guilty of the charge(s).
Ability to Pay
If you do not wish to contest your ticket, but cannot afford to pay the fine in full in one payment, go to "If You Can't Afford to Pay."
Frequently Asked Questions
Please be patient. It can take up to a few weeks for the court to receive citations from issuing agencies, and another couple weeks to process those citations into our case management system. If more than 6 weeks have passed from the date you received your citation, you may call the Clerk's Office to confirm a Courtesy Notice was sent to the address shown on your citation. Clerks cannot tell you what your bail amount will be until your citation is entered into the system. Keep your copy of your citation in a safe place in the meantime.
The officer or deputy who issued your citation will use your driver's license to take down any relevant information needed to fill out the ticket. If you have recently moved, are going to be moving, or the physical address listed on your license is not a good mailing address, contact the Clerk's Office. Please give the clerk a correct current mailing address, your citation number, and your name as it is shown on the citation so that your Courtesy Notice has the best chance of reaching you.
Court clerks are authorized to grant one three week extension. Your request may be in writing, in person at the clerk's office, or you may call the clerk's office. You will be given a new appearance date on a Monday three weeks from your original appearance date.
Should you need further time, you may make your request to the Judge on your appearance date.
You cannot ask for an extension on the day of your appearance date. The request must be received no later than ten days prior to your initial appearance date.
A Minute Order will be mailed to you to confirm your new due date. It is your responsibility to follow up and resolve your traffic case before your extended due date.
If you are an out of state driver who has been cited for a traffic violation in Alpine County, please contact your state's Department of Motor Vehicles before requesting traffic school for your citation.
As a Superior Court of California, the court reports all traffic violations to California Department of Motor Vehicles. We will only accept certificates of completion for traffic violator schools that are licensed by CA DMV.
Violations that are eligible for traffic school, the penalties associated with them, and reporting on a driver abstract differ from state to state. It is your responsibility to know if completing a California Traffic Violator School for a California Vehicle Code infraction will positively impact your driving record in your home state.
When your citation is processed by the court, a case number is generated and the applicable base fine for the violation is applied to the case with penalties and assessments. The total amount is your "bail" or fine amount.
Your bail amount is shown below your appearance date on your Courtesy Notice.
If more than 4-6 weeks have elapsed since the day you were cited, please call the Clerk's Office to confirm a good and current mailing address to receive your Courtesy Notice. Please have your citation in front of you to give your citation number (starting with any letters or numbers in the top right hand corner of your citation) to the clerk.
Alpine County Superior Court does not have an online search engine that allows public access to the court’s case management system to look up your case. You must call the Clerk's Office and provide your citation number so that a clerk may provide you your case number. When you call the clerk's office, please have your citation in front of you to give your citation number ( in the top right hand corner of your citation with any letters or numbers) to the clerk.
If you fail to appear or pay by your appearance date, you will be deemed to have elected to have a Trial by Declaration pursuant to Vehicle Code §40903. If you are found guilty, you will be charged the bail amount shown on your courtesy notice.
The court will send a Traffic Trial by Declaration Decision, Notice of Decision and Notice of Civil Assessment to the address on file with the court. On the Notice, you will be given 30 days from the date of your appearance date to resolve the case.
You must either appear in court and show good cause for failing to appear OR pay the sum of the initial fine. The court will vacate the civil assessment, and if the fine is paid in full the case will be closed.
Prior to 2023, defendants who failed to appear or pay by their appearance date, and then failed to appear or pay by the 30 days after the Notice of Decision was mailed to them, were referred to collections and DMV was instructed to place a hold on their license for a Failure to Appear charge.
If you wish to clear the hold on your license for the traffic case from this Court, you must pay your account in full with the Court.
Alpine County Superior Court Collections:
Phone: (530) 694-2113, extension 324
Fax: (530) 694-2119
Email: ap@alpine.courts.ca.gov
Juvenile Traffic cases, if they are an infraction of the CA Vehicle Code, are heard confidentially before Adult Traffic Infractions during the Traffic Calendar.
If you are under the age of eighteen and were cited by an officer, your appearance on the date listed on the ticket is mandatory. A parent or guardian is required to accompany you to your arraignment. You cannot post bail and not appear.
Just like all other traffic matters, Juvenile Traffic Infraction matters are being heard remotely. You or a parent must contact the Clerk's Office the week preceding your arraignment and provide a clerk with a good and current email address to receive an invite to the Traffic Calendar.