Pay Traffic Ticket in Indiana

SUMMARY: How to Pay an Indiana Traffic Ticket

Depending on where you received your IN traffic ticket, you may be able to pay it online, by phone, by mail, or in person.

Your traffic ticket – as well as the appropriate county court – provides specific payment instructions, but we've outlined payment information as well as other considerations below.

Pay Ticket
(Plead Guilty)

  • Pay the fine.
  • Accumulate driving record points.
  • Get higher auto insurance rates.
  • Possibly attend Driver Safety Program (DSP) to keep violation off driving record.
  • Voluntarily attend DSP to offset points and get possible auto insurance discount.
  • Use a deferral program (if eligible and county offers it).

Learn more below

Fight Ticket
(Plead Not Guilty)

  • Contest ticket in court.
  • Seek legal counsel for representation.
  • Face no penalties if found not guilty.
  • Appeal the guilty verdict (if applicable).

Learn more about
Fighting Your Traffic Ticket »

Responding to Your IN Ticket

Paying your IN traffic ticket essentially means you're admitting guilt, or at least giving up your option to fight the traffic ticket.

Further fines and penalties depend on the nature of your traffic violation, but understand that many people who plead "guilty" to typical violations and pay their Indiana traffic ticket fines can:

  • Conveniently pay online, by mail, or over the telephone.
  • Expect higher auto insurance rates, but possibly get a discount for Driver Safety Program (DSP) completion.
  • Use the Indiana DSP or a deferral program to keep the traffic violations off their Indiana driving records.

Generally, the state allows a certain amount of time from the date you receive the traffic violation to respond (i.e., pay or plead "not guilty"). Be sure to check your ticket for a specific date. If you fail to respond on time, the court will notify the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) who will suspend your driver's license indefinitely.

CDL Drivers

If you have a commercial driver's license (CDL), you must understand that pleading "guilty" to certain offenses can drastically affect your driving privileges and possibly even your career. You are required to report any traffic violation convictions, except parking tickets, to your employer within 30 days.

Visit our Ticket Fines and Penalties section to find out what you're facing.

NOTE: Generally, Indiana's deferral and Driver Safety Program aren't available to CDL drivers.

How to Pay Your IN Traffic Ticket

Depending on what your court offers – and your specific situation – you might be able to pay your traffic ticket online, in person, by mail, or by phone.

Pay Your IN Ticket Online

Some drivers can pay their traffic tickets online using the state's Online Ticket Payment portal; however, because not all tickets are available on the site or eligible for online payment, you might have to ask your court about other options (see below).

The state's online system requires certain information from your ticket, such as the ticket number, so if you've lost your citation, contact the appropriate court for details on how to find your records.

Other Payment Options

If you're unable or ineligible to pay your traffic ticket online, contact the appropriate court and ask about the payment methods it accepts. You might be able to pay in person, by mail, or by phone. Just be sure to ask what forms of payment the court accepts (i.e. cash, credit cards, checks, etc.).

IN Deferral & Driver Safety Programs

Deferral Programs in Indiana

Some IN counties offer deferral programs for drivers who don't want to contest or fight their traffic tickets, but don't want to deal with the consequences of a traffic violation, either.

Depending on the court, drivers might avoid such consequences as:

  • Appearing in court.
  • Paying the traffic ticket fine.
    • This could include other fines associated with the ticket and/or court appearance.
  • Accumulating driving record points.
  • Having the ticket show up as a conviction on the driving record.

However, eligibility might depend on factors such as:

  • Being ticketed for an offense eligible for the program.
  • Having been violation-free for a certain amount of time.
  • The type of driver's license.
  • The driver's age.
  • Criminal charges associated with the ticket.

Again, not all courts in Indiana offer these programs. Plus, sometimes the programs cost more than the actual traffic ticket fines.

For more information, contact the appropriate court.

IN Driver Safety Program

Another option for drivers who don't want to fight their tickets in court but who'd like to keep the violations off their records is the Driver Safety Program (DSP).

An Indiana DSP won't block the driving record points you'll accumulate, but successful completion will keep the court from sending your traffic violation information to the Indiana BMV (i.e., the ticket won't show up on your IN driving record).

Ticket Points & Your Driving Record

You can get a credit of 4 points on your Indiana driving record when you successfully complete a course in the state's Driver Safety Program. You can complete the course for a point-credit once every 3 years.

Check out our page about point reduction for more information.

Check Your Indiana Driving Record

Check your IN driving record whenever:

  • You outright pay your ticket fine and want to make sure only the applicable number of points were added.
  • You complete a deferral program or DSP to make sure either the IN traffic violation doesn't show up or the credit was added (depending on your situation).

It's important to make sure the information on your driving record is accurate, as a high number of points could lead to license suspension or revocation and some violations can affect future employment.

Learn more about obtaining IN driving records.
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