Paying Your Traffic Ticket

All Pennsylvania moving violation convictions add points to your driving record. If you top six points, you will be required to a take a special written examination to keep your license. If you pass this test within 30 days of being notified that you need to, then two points will be removed from your driving record.

Another way to trim your point total is to drive 12 months without being slapped with another violation. If you succeed at this task, three points will be expunged from your record.

Traffic tickets issued by Pennsylvania's Highway Patrol, Sheriff's Office, and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission all must be settled with the justice court of the county in which you were cited. If you get ticketed by a local police officer, you must settle your fine with the municipal court of that specific city or town.

All courts accept cash and checks. Some courts, such as Philadelphia's Traffic Court, allow you to pay traffic tickets online.

Bear in mind that when you pay a traffic ticket, you must plead guilty. You always have the option to fight the ticket in court if a guilty plea isn't acceptable to you. To do so, appear in the court listed on your ticket on the date and time shown for an arraignment. You will have the opportunity to plead innocent and be scheduled for a trial.

If you neither pay the fine by the deadline displayed on your ticket, nor appear in court on the date specified, the traditional judicial response is to issue a bench warrant for your arrest for failure to appear.

It's not worth it; it's better to pay up or show up. Not sure what to do? A traffic ticket attorney can give you advice.