Determine Where You Were Cited in New Mexico

You'll need to act fast if you've lost your traffic ticket. Depending on where you were cited, you may have anywhere from 15 to 30 days to respond. If you miss the ticket's appearance date, the MVD may suspend your driver's license and the court may issue a bench warrant for your arrest.

First, pinpoint where you were ticketed. If you can't remember the exact location, narrow it down to county. If you were ticketed by either the State Police or the Sheriff's Department, you'll need to call county's or district's Magistrate Court. If you were ticketed by a municipal officer you will need to either call the district's Municipal Court, or, if in Albuquerque, the Metropolitan Court.

Call the Court

Call the presiding court and explain your situation. The court clerk will retrieve your ticket information and instruct you on how to proceed. If the court has no record of your citation, call the surrounding courts near where you were cited. For instance, if you think you were cited somewhere near Santa Fe and tried the Magistrate Court, which oversees Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties, without success, next call Santa Fe's Municipal Court.

Determine How You Will Plead

Next, decide on one of three pleas:

• Guilty
• Nolo Contendere (No contest)
• Not Guilty

The first two options require paying your ticket fine. Pleading not guilty mandates appearing in court. Regardless of plea, decide fast. The court will not accept, "I lost my ticket" as a legitimate excuse if you miss the ticket's listed appearance date.