Traffic offenses are a police matter, not a matter for the Driver Services Department of the Secretary of State. In the unfortunate event that you are issued a traffic citation by a police officer, the ticket is handled by the court system―so you will pay any fines directly to the court.

In fact, you will have to enter a plea with the court―guilty or not guilty―just as with criminal offenses. You will have the option to fight the ticket by testifying before a judge. Thankfully, for minor traffic offenses you can opt to simply plead guilty and pay a fine without ever setting foot in a courthouse.

Top What to Do If You Get A Ticket

The paper ticket you are issued when you're stopped for a moving violation will have instructions for either paying the ticket or appearing in court. There will be a deadline for doing one or the other.

Normally, you will receive a reminder notice in the mail if you don't pay your ticket by the deadline. Contact the court in the town or county where you received the ticket to find out how to settle it.

If your recent driving record is clean, you may be given the option of attending traffic school to remove the conviction from your driving record.

You'll still need to pay the ticket. But since you never know when you might get another ticket and start accumulating significant points on your license, it's smart to take this option if it's offered.

Paying Your Ticket Online

Illinois is a little behind the national curve in providing online traffic ticket payment services on a statewide basis. For now, it's up to each county whether or not to provide automated ticket payment programs.

Most of the counties that do let you pay your traffic ticket online use the Illinois E-PAY system. E-PAY allows you to pay your ticket using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express for a small additional charge.

Each county determines what fees can be paid by E-PAY. Only traffic tickets that do not require you to make a court appearance can be paid online.

You must be willing to plead guilty to the offense by entering a guilty plea on the electronic form. Then you must immediately mail the court any original documents it requests.

Example E-PAY sites are those for Bond County and Peoria County. Search for the court listed on your ticket from the E-PAY home page.

Top Drivers from Out of State

If you are not a resident of Illinois, don't think you can get away with going back to your home state and not dealing with your ticket. The same goes for Illinois residents who got a ticket while in another state.

Most states now share information about traffic tickets. You will probably still have to pay any out-of-state tickets to avoid points or other sanctions showing up on your driving record.

Top Driver's License Reinstatement

Illinois provides several administrative forms that may be useful for requesting hearings on traffic violations or reinstating a suspended driver's license:

• Driver Services Reinstatement Locations: Where to go to when you are eligible to reinstate your license, and forms of payment accepted for the reinstatement fee.

• Formal Hearing Request Form: Drivers who lost their license for an offense involving a fatality or multiple DUIs may request a hearing to contest their driver's license suspension or request restricted driving privileges.

• Illinois Traffic Offenses: A list of the kind of points you don't want to earn.

• Road to Reinstatement: Restoring Your Driving Privileges: Brochure outlining the process to get your license back after it has been suspended or revoked.

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