Lost Traffic Ticket in Georgia

The Department of Driver Services (DDS) does not handle traffic tickets in Georgia; rather, the presiding traffic court handles tickets. Because you can't search for your lost traffic ticket online, you must contact the court clerk for traffic ticket details.

Traffic Ticket Search in GA

To find information related to your lost ticket, you will have to contact the court presiding over your ticket for citation details; this is the court that handles traffic tickets in the area where you received the citation. Because the DDS doesn't have the ability to search for a lost traffic ticket, you must try to remember where you were when you received it.

For some drivers, this might be a hit-or-miss process. You might have to think about where you were traveling when you received the ticket, or perhaps even think about some landmarks you visited or drove by.

A helpful tip for narrowing down the court handling your ticket is that there isn't one particular court that handles GA traffic tickets. Generally, the courts that handle citations are: municipal, magistrate, probate, juvenile, and state courts.

A few other notes to remember when contacting traffic courts include:

  • Only juveniles go through juvenile courts.
  • Georgia has more municipal courts than any other type of court.
    • Perhaps because of this, municipal courts act as traffic courts more often than other courts.
  • Typically, state courts handle traffic ticket appeals.

Online Ticket Search

Georgia doesn't offer a statewide online traffic ticket search; however, some courts do offer ways to search traffic tickets online. Those that require citations numbers might not be helpful—given you've lost your traffic ticket—but some websites can search using your full name. Look for this option when you visit your traffic court website.

Georgia Traffic Ticket Details

Once you locate your presiding traffic court, it's time to gather all the important information about your ticket.

Such information includes:

  • Whether your violation requires a court appearance.
    • If so, you need the court address and the date and time you must appear.
  • Exact information about your traffic ticket, such as the citation number.
    • This information especially is important if you're eligible to pay your ticket fine online, by mail, or by phone.
  • The deadline to pay your fine.
    • Failure to pay on time—or respond on time, if you want to fight your ticket—can lead to serious consequences such as license suspension and bench warrant for your arrest.
  • The court's payment options and payment methods.
    • For example, you might be able to pay your ticket online, by mail, by phone, or in person.
    • Some—but perhaps not all—courts accept cash, personal checks, money orders, and/or major credit cards.

Plead to Your GA Traffic Ticket

Once you find your traffic court and your ticket information—especially your deadline to pay or respond—it's time to decide how you will plead to your GA traffic ticket.

Some drivers choose to plead “guilty" or “nolo contendere" and pay their ticket fines; others want to challenge their tickets in court. Both options have pros and cons, and you can learn about the processes in our Pay Traffic Ticket and Fight Traffic Ticket sections.

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