Determine Where you Got Your Montana Traffic Ticket

Pinpoint where you were ticketed. If you can't recall the exact location, narrow it down to county. Once you have this information, call the Justice Court from the county in which you were cited.

You may have to make a couple calls if you were ticketed near a town. Your ticket may have gone to either the county's Justice Court or the town's City Court. Knowing the citing law enforcement agency will help. Tickets issued by Montana's Highway Patrol, Sheriff's Office, and Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Department go to county Justice Courts. Tickets issued by local police officers are handled by Municipal Courts.

Determine How You Will Plead

Once you've retrieved your ticket information, you'll need to enter one of two pleas:

• Guilty
• Not Guilty

Your plea must be entered before your citation's appearance date passes. If you miss it, the court will not accept, "I lost my ticket" as a legitimate excuse. Your Montana driver's license will be suspended and the court may even issue a bench warrant for your arrest.