General Ticket Information

Paying Your Ticket

Your courtesy notice will indicate the amount due or if your appearance in court is mandatory. The following options are available to pay bail on or before your appearance date:

• Online: (click to begin now).
• Automated Telephone System to Pay Fine: (619-906-5888)
• Mail: Send a check or money order payable to "San Diego Superior Court" along with a copy of your courtesy notice to the court address on the notice.
• Fax: Fax completed credit card section on your courtesy notice along with your request to forfeit bail to the appropriate office location.
• Express Drop Box: Most locations provide an Express Drop Box where you may submit your payment with the courtesy notice.
• In Person: Appear at the appropriate office location during normal business hours.
• Phone: Call the appropriate office location during normal business hours.

More Information about paying a Citation:

• The "bail" on a traffic ticket is the amount of money required to guarantee your appearance. Your courtesy notice will show the amount required. If you choose to forfeit the bail on the citation, the violation is considered paid, and the resulting conviction will be placed upon your driving record, if it is a reportable offense.
• Credit card payments are accepted online, by paying in person, by mail, by fax, or over the phone. (see Credit Card Payments)
• If you have already appeared in court and have been given time to pay the fine imposed by the judge, you may mail a check or money order along with a clear copy of your paperwork or payment notice to the court by the due date. You may also use the drop boxes inside the court or pay in person as shown above.
• Bail Schedule (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
  The total bail for any one violation may vary due to prior convictions and additional fees.

Juvenile Tickets

Parking Tickets

Red Light Camera Photo Enforcement Ticket

To pay your ticket on-line, click here.

If you want to see your Red Light Camera Photographs, see below.

If you received your Red Light Camera ticket in the City of San Diego, call (858) 573-5051 to set up an appointment with the San Diego Police Department to view your photographs.

If you received your ticket in any of the following cities, please call the Sheriff's Department at the number listed below to set up an appointment to view your photographs:

• Del Mar (760) 966-3500  
• Encinitas, Solana Beach (760) 966-3500
• Escondido (760) 839-4451
• Oceanside (760) 435-4789
• Poway (858) 513-2800
• Vista (760) 414-3360 

For tickets issued in North County, you may view your photographs at www.photonotice.com or the Vista court location, 325 South Melrose, Annex Building, Vista, California.

For tickets issued in the City of El Cajon, you may view your photographs at www.photonotice.com or on THURSDAYS ONLY, between 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., in the courthouse on the first floor, 250 E. Main Street, El Cajon, California.

• Bail may be reduced if you submit proof of correction on many equipment, registration and license violations. 
• Proof of correction may be verified and signed off by a law enforcement officer on the back of the traffic ticket or on the Courtesy Notice. If the violation(s) corrected involve registration or driver's license violations, clerical staff from the court or the Department of Motor Vehicles may also verify and sign off the correction. Pursuant to Government Code §26745.1, a law enforcement agency may charge $15 to sign off a correctable violation.
• The signed off correction must be submitted to the court by the appearance date along with an additional $10 transaction fee.
• If your ticket is written for both an equipment and a moving violation, and you attend traffic school, you must submit your proof of correction with your traffic school certificate and a check or money order to cover both the $10 transaction fee and the traffic school administrative fee.

Insurance Violations (Proof of Insurance)

First violation of Vehicle Code ("VC") §16028(a) or VC §16028(c):

• If you have been cited for not having proof of financial responsibility (liability insurance) when operating a vehicle [VC §16028(a)], or when involved in an accident [VC §16028(c)], the court may dismiss the violation upon payment of a $10 fee and proof of insurance on the vehicle that was valid at the time the ticket was issued.

The court may accept the following as proof of insurance:

• Copy of Insurance Card
• Insurance Policy or Bond showing:
  • Insurance Company Name
  • Policy Number
  • Effective and expiration dates of insurance coverage for the vehicle you were driving when you received the ticket.

If you obtain and submit proof of valid insurance AFTER the ticket was issued, the bail may be reduced.

Second or subsequent VC §16028(a) or VC §16028(c) offenses:

• If you received a ticket for a second or subsequent violation of VC §16028(a) or VC §16028(c), the prior conviction(s) will cause this offense to require a mandatory appearance in court with the following exception:
  • The court may waive (not require) the mandatory appearance and dismiss the violation if you pay a $10 transaction fee and submit proof of insurance on the vehicle that was valid at the time the ticket was issued. If proof of insurance is valid after the time the ticket was issued or you do not have proof of insurance, a mandatory appearance in court is required.

• It is your responsibility to address the matter on or before the appearance date regardless of where you live.

• You may call the court or write to the address of the court on the ticket. If you write to the court, please include:
  • a copy of your traffic ticket and/or
  • your full name, date of birth, address, and
  • any other information that will aid us in identifying your case.

Please be aware that correspondence may not affect the status of a warrant that has been issued in your case or result in the issuance of a DMV abstract to clear your driver's license.

The court accepts Visa or Master Card for payments shown on your courtesy notice online, in person, by mail, by fax, or over the phone. However, credit card payments cannot be accepted for requests to set a case for trial or trial by declaration.

• You may need to provide the following information:
  • Visa or Master Card credit card number and expiration date
  • Amount you are paying
  • Card code located on the back of the credit card
  • Signature of cardholder
  • Zip code of cardholder
  • Daytime phone number

Fees may be added to your bail/fine for:

• Dismissal of violation
• Court Security fee
• Establishing a payment schedule to pay a fine
• Extension of fine payment due date
• Failure to appear
• Failure to pay the fine
• Failure to comply with a court order
• Sheriff Warrant/Civil Assessment fee
• Prior convictions
• Night court