Paying Your Traffic Ticket

Paying traffic tickets in Oregon varies by county and city, but is generally outlined on the traffic ticket itself. It will show how much the fine is, where to send it, and a court date to appear if challenging it.

DMV recommends dealing with tickets in a timely manner, whether you're challenging any charges or alleged offenses, or paying the fine.

The Oregon DMV may suspend or revoke your driving privileges if you fail to respond to citations or appear as ordered.

The DMV may also require you to participate in the Driver Improvement Program, Oregon's version of a point system that deals with multiple infractions or incidents.

Most counties offer traffic diversion or other programs for some offenses, if drivers have not already been compelled to participate in the Driver Improvement Program, and are otherwise eligible.

Some diversion programs offer online courses or in-classroom courses on driving safety. However, before enrolling, make sure that the program is acceptable to the Oregon jurisdiction where the citation was issued.

Tickets from out of state may also impact your Oregon driver license application, or privileges in the state. The most common reasons Oregon suspends licenses of non-residents are unpaid tickets or unreported accidents.

You may contact the Oregon DMV at (503) 945-5400 to find out why your privileges have been suspended. You will have to pay a $75 reinstatement fee to address the issue, in addition to meeting all other Oregon requirements.