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Lost Traffic Ticket in Montana
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:
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.
Pay Ticket
(Plead Guilty or No Contest)- Pay the fine
- Incur points on your driving record (could lead to license suspension/revocation)
- Possibly incur increase on auto insurance rates
Learn more about
Paying your Traffic Ticket »Fight Ticket
(Plead Not Guilty)- Contest traffic ticket via trial
- Choose to represent yourself or hire an attorney
- Possibly lose option to plea bargain for lesser penalties
- No penalties if found guilty, but must pay court/attorney fees
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