Traffic Tickets in South Carolina

SUMMARY: South Carolina Traffic Tickets

Depending on where you received your traffic ticket, you may be able to pay your fine online, by mail, or in person. If you plan to fight the charge, you'll need to plead “not guilty" in court.

Continue reading below for information about what to do if you receive a traffic ticket in South Carolina.

Traffic Ticket Fines and Penalties

Traffic ticket fines, surcharges, and court fees in South Carolina vary depending on your violation and county you were ticketed in.

To check how much you must pay for your violation, check your SC traffic ticket or contact the traffic court in the county where you received your ticket.

Additional Surcharges

Depending on your traffic violation and county court in South Carolina, you may have to pay surcharges in addition to your traffic ticket fine. Contact the SC traffic court handling your case for more information.

Driving Record Points

When you're convicted of a traffic violation, the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will add points to your SC driving record. Once you accumulate ;12 points or more, the DMV will suspend your driver's license.

You may eligible to remove points off your record by completing an approved defensive driving course. The SC DMV allows you to take the course only once every 3 years.

Pay a Traffic Ticket in South Carolina

The steps to pay your traffic ticket in South Carolina vary by county court. Check your traffic ticket or contact the traffic court handling your case to find out how to proceed.

You may be able to pay your SC traffic ticket fines:

When you pay your ticket, you are pleading “guilty" to your traffic violation.

Be sure to submit your payment before the due date shown on your traffic ticket. Failure to do so may result in additional penalties, such as a driver’s license suspension.

Fight a SC Traffic Ticket

If you wish to contest your ticket in South Carolina, you may plead not guilty by appearing in traffic court on your scheduled court date. You may want to consider hiring a traffic ticket attorney to assist you during the hearing process.

For specific instructions, refer to your SC traffic ticket or contact the traffic court handling your case, as the process may vary depending on the county.

NOTE: If you fail to respond to your traffic ticket, you may face additional penalties, including a driver’s license suspension.

Lost Your Traffic Ticket?

If you've lost your South Carolina traffic ticket, contact the relevant traffic court for information, including:

  • Your total fine amount.
  • The payment deadline.
  • Whether a court appearance is mandatory.

You can also check the county court website for an online ticket search feature.

Fines & Penalties for Commercial Drivers

When you're convicted of a traffic ticket in South Carolina as a commercial driver, you must notify your employer within 30 days.

For some first offenses, you'll even lose your privilege to drive for 1 year. Examples include:

  • Refusing to take a sobriety test.
  • Driving a CMV with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04%. and/or under the influence of a controlled substance.
  • The use of a CMV in the commission of a felony (including dispensing, manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance).
  • Operating a commercial motor vehicle with a suspended or revoked commercial driver's license (CDL).
  • Leaving the scene of an accident.
  • Causing a fatality due to negligent use of a CMV.

You can find more information on our Suspended CDL in South Carolina page.

South Carolina Traffic Tickets: FAQs

Go to our Traffic Ticket FAQ page for more information about the following topics:

  • SC driving records.
  • Driver's license suspensions.
  • SC traffic ticket attorneys.
  • Habitual traffic offenders.
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