Traffic Court handles cases that usually begin when a citation or ticket is written by a law enforcement officer. Tickets can be issued for violations of traffic laws and other non-traffic offenses.
Parking tickets are NOT handled by the Traffic Division. These are handled exclusively by the local city or the Los Angeles Parking Violations Bureau.
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) cases are criminal matters and are handled in the court’s Criminal Division.
Most tickets can be resolved without the need of scheduling a court appearance by using the Online Services on this website or by phone. You may have a lawyer present if you must appear in court but you are not entitled to court appointed counsel for traffic infraction matters.
Attention
July 1, 2011
Effective July 1, 2011, one conviction in any 18-month period will be held confidential and not show on your driving record if you complete a traffic violator school program. If you are eligible and decide not to attend traffic school your automobile insurance may be adversely affected.
July 29, 2011
July 29, 2011: The City of Los Angeles has decided to end its red light camera program on July 31, 2011. The City's action does not stop the processing of outstanding red-light citations. It does not eliminate penalties associated with red-light citations. It does not constitute grounds for a refund of any money paid on such a citation. Anyone issued a red-light citation must resolve it within the specified time limits or face certain penalties as prescribed by law.
May 13, 2013
Effective May 13, 2013, new traffic and non-traffic infractions will no longer be filed at the Alhambra Courthouse and the East Los Angeles Courthouse. Further, all pending traffic and non-traffic infractions will be transferred to other courthouse locations.
June 3, 2013
Effective June 3, 2013, new traffic and non-traffic infractions will no longer be filed at the Central Arraignment Courts (CAC), Huntington Park Courthouse, Malibu Courthouse, Pomona Courthouse North, San Pedro Courthouse, West Los Angeles Courthouse and the Whittier Courthouse. Further, all pending traffic and non-traffic infractions will be transferred to other courthouse locations.
General Information
Your overall guide to the entire Traffic process starts here. You will find information on handling your ticket, Traffic school, night court and the different types of Traffic court trials.
