Pay Traffic Ticket in Idaho

Know Your Options

What it Means to Pay Your ID Traffic Ticket

Paying your ID traffic ticket means admitting guilt―admitting you committed the violation or offense for which the officer ticketed you.

It also means:

• Paying all applicable court costs and attorney fees (should you hire legal help.
• Potentially pleading to a lesser offense with lesser penalties. Generally, you must appear in court for this.
• Possibly avoiding court altogether by paying online, over the phone, or by mail.
• Accumulating points on your driving record, putting you at risk for license suspension.
• Potentially experiencing an increase in auto insurance rates.

Note that if:

• You’re younger than 17, a first traffic violation conviction won’t affect you much more than a warning letter and payment of fines and court costs; second and subsequent convictions, however, carry license suspensions. Refer to our Traffic Ticket Fines and Penalties section for more information.
• You’re cited for a misdemeanor, the way in which the court handles it will vary slightly from how it would handle a typical traffic infraction. Check the Idaho Misdemeanor Criminal Rules .

Check your ticket for the date by which you must respond or appear in court. Failing to respond to the ticket within the allotted amount of time or failing to show up for your hearing date puts you at risk for license suspension. In some cases, it means jail time or community service until you pay the ticket and court costs.

Plead Guilty as a ID CDL Driver

Overall, CDL drivers can plead guilty and pay, or plead not guilty and fight, the same way other drivers can; however, a CDL driver must remember:

• To notify his employer within 30 days of receiving a citation; if he received the citation in another state or jurisdiction, he also must notify the DMV.
• If he pleads guilty or is found guilty, he could face much more serious penalties than paying a fine, incurring points, and risking higher auto insurance rates. Many traffic violations, for CDL holders, lead to license suspension and revocation.

Check our Traffic Ticket Fines and Penalties for more information.

Plead Not Guilty

Remember: You don’t have to plead guilty and pay your fine. Although it’s the quickest and easiest way for many drivers to handle their ID traffic tickets, it’s not always the most appropriate option.

If you believe you aren’t guilty of the offense and think you have a pretty strong case proving as much, learn more about how you can fight your ID traffic ticket.

Pay Your Idaho Traffic Ticket Online

Some courts allow drivers to pay traffic tickets online; unfortunately, there isn’t one standard website for this. For example, Kootenai County uses one online method; Ada, Bannock, Canyon, and a few other counties use another online method.

The best way to find out if you can pay online is to look at your citation, locate the court in charge of your ticket, and visit that court’s or county’s website.

Lost or misplaced your ID traffic ticket? Head over to Lost ID Traffic Tickets for help retrieving the information.

Determine Where You Got Your ID Traffic Ticket

Look at your citation to determine where you were ticketed and which court is handling your ticket.

NOTE: Usually, the magistrate court in that district handles traffic infractions, while the bigger district court handles traffic misdemeanors.

Visit the Proper ID Website

Once you know which court is handling your citation, you can visit the court website. The website should provide you with information about payment options and methods, as well as contact and address information.

Pay Your ID Traffic Ticket

As mentioned above, some court websites allow drivers to pay their traffic ticket fines and court costs online. Generally, if this option is available, it’s accessible from the site’s front page. So, once you visit your court’s website, you’ll know whether you can pay online.

If your court’s website doesn’t offer online payments, look for (or call and ask about) any of the following common payment options:

• In person.
• By mail.
• Over the telephone.
• Via a drop box.

Don’t forget to ask about acceptable payment methods. For example, which credit cards does the court accept over the phone? Can you use a personal check in the mail, or does the court accept only money orders?

Get Points Removed from Your Driving Record

Idaho doesn’t offer the option to attend a defensive driving or accident prevention course to satisfy (dismiss) tickets or avoid points accumulated in relation to a current ticket; however, drivers can attend a course once every three years to remove three points from their records.

Learn more at our Point Reduction section.

Check Your Driving Record

Because point accumulation can lead to license suspension, it’s a good idea to check your driving record to make sure:

• No more points than allowed were added to your record after a guilty plea or verdict.
• No points added after a not guilty verdict.
• Three points were removed from your record after completing a defensive driving or accident prevention course.

Shop for Better Auto Insurance Rates

Traffic violation convictions are common reasons for increases in auto insurance rates. Because pleading guilty has the same affect as being found guilty (you’re admitting to fault), it puts you at risk for higher coverage costs.

Talk with your insurance provider about whether your rates will increase the next time you renew your policy. If you find out they will, start comparing insurance quotes online now to get more affordable coverage.