Lost Traffic Ticket in North Dakota

If you lost your ND traffic ticket, you may be able to search online for your lost ticket information.Otherwise, you'll need to contact your district court (for tickets issued by the Highway Patrol or Sheriff Department) or municipal court (for tickets issued by the local Police Department). Be sure to ask for your ticket fines, court date/deadlines, and payment methods.

NOTE: This information is related to moving violations; some of it might relate to a parking ticket, but it's best to contact your court for that information.

ND Lost Traffic Ticket Searches

Depending on factors like your violation, where you received the ticket, and that area's traffic court, you might find information about your lost traffic ticket online and/or with the appropriate traffic court.

As explained below, municipal courts and district courts that preside over traffic citations. Your presiding traffic court is the court that handles traffic tickets in the area where you received the citation. So, it's not automatically your home court—unless you received your ticket in your home city or county.

Remembering where you received your citation will help as you search for your lost traffic ticket; if you don't remember where you were ticketed:

  • Try contacting your neighboring municipal and district courts first. It's likely you drive through these areas more often than farther away towns, cities, and counties.
  • Think about the type of officer who pulled you over. Usually, tickets from local police departments go to municipal courts and tickets from a sheriff's department or the North Dakota Highway Patrol go to district courts.

Read on for details on searching for your lost traffic ticket.

Online Traffic Ticket Search

The North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry allows you to search for information about ND traffic tickets online. Be prepared to select the county in which you received the citation and provide your first and last names.

The North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry also allows online payments (check the payment instructions for details). So, if you want to plead “guilty" and pay your fine, you can use this system for that, too. However, if you're required to appear in court or your county doesn't participate in the online payment system (the website lists participating counties), you'll most likely need to contact your traffic court for more details.

Contact the Traffic Court

Generally, municipal courts handle tickets issued by the local police department while district courts handle citations issued by the sheriff's office or North Dakota Highway Patrol.

Once you determine which traffic court is handling your ticket, contact that municipal court or district court and ask for details about your ND traffic ticket. Be prepared to provide information such as your full name, address, and driver's license and license plate numbers.

Traffic Ticket Details in ND

The details about your specific traffic ticket will help you determine how you want to respond to your citation—and how to do it before the deadline of 14 days.

As long as you don't have to appear in court and you know you want to plead "guilty" and pay your fine, you can pay online; however, if you want to think about your options—perhaps with the help of a traffic ticket attorney—make sure you ask about:

  • Whether your violation requires a mandatory court appearance.
    • If so, ask for the court's address and the date and time of your hearing.
  • Specific details about your ticket, which can both help you decide if you want to plead "guilty" or challenge your ticket in court:
    • Your traffic violation.
    • Your citation number.
    • The officer's name and law enforcement agency.
    • The location, date, and time you were ticketed.
  • Your ND traffic ticket fine and fees. Find out:
    • Your exact fine amount.
    • Whether you must pay additional fees or surcharges.
    • Your deadline to pay.
    • The payment options and methods your court accepts (including whether you're eligible to pay online).
  • Your deadline to plead "guilty" or "not guilty."

Respond to Your ND Traffic Ticket

You can respond to your ND traffic ticket by pleading "guilty" and paying your fine or pleading "not guilty" and taking your case to court.

We outline the processes—including the advantages and disadvantages of both—in our Pay Traffic Tickets and Fight Traffic Tickets sections.

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