Pay Traffic Ticket in Arizona

SUMMARY: How to Pay an Arizona Traffic Ticket

Depending on the Arizona county you received your traffic ticket in, you may be able to pay your ticket fines online, by mail, by phone, or in person.

To determine your options for paying a traffic ticket, you'll need to refer to your AZ ticket or contact the traffic court directly.

Pay Ticket
(Plead Guilty or No Contest)

  • Pay the fine.
  • Accumulate driving record points (sometimes leads to license suspension or revocation).
  • Pay higher auto insurance rates.
  • Possibly use Defensive Driving Program to satisfy ticket and avoid point accumulation.

Learn more below.

Fight Ticket
(Plead Not Guilty)

  • Contest the ticket during a hearing.
  • Represent yourself or hire a traffic ticket lawyer for help.
  • Possibly lose the chance to plead to lesser charges.
  • Pay only attorney fees (and possibly court costs) if found not guilty.
  • Appeal the verdict, if found guilty.

Learn more about
fighting your traffic ticket »

Responding to Your AZ Ticket

In Arizona, when you plead "guilty" or "no contest," it means you're admitting you are guilty of the offense, or have no proof or case for your innocence.

You may be able to:

  • Pay your AZ traffic ticket fine online or by phone, and avoid a trip to the courthouse.
  • Take advantage of plea bargains and suffer lesser penalties.
  • Enroll in a defensive driving program to satisfy the traffic ticket and avoid accumulating driving record points.

Check your AZ traffic ticket for the date by which you must respond to the charge; missing this date can lead to a driver's license suspension. If you've misplaced your traffic ticket, contact your Arizona county court. If your traffic citation is on a city level, contact the city court for more information.

CDL Drivers

If you're a commercial driver's license (CDL) holder, you must notify your employer within 30 days after being convicted of a traffic violation. If you were guilty of a traffic violation in another state, you'll also need to notify the Arizona Department of Transportation (DOT) within 30 days of the conviction.

How to Pay Your AZ Traffic Ticket

Generally, you can pay your Arizona traffic ticket either online or by phone; however, if these aren't possibilities for you, your court can provide alternative payment methods.

How to Pay Arizona Traffic Tickets Online

Most commonly, you can pay your fines online using the Arizona Courts Online Payment system.

Also, some county courts and city courts allow drivers to pay traffic ticket fines directly through their own websites.

Other Payment Methods

You must contact the county court or city court printed on your traffic ticket to find other acceptable payment methods if:

  • The traffic court doesn't consider your traffic ticket delinquent.
  • You don't have your court case number (or the notice number on the collection notice).
  • Your traffic citation doesn't show up when you enter your information in the system.

Sometimes, this means you can pay using the state's phone system; other times, it means you must pay directly to the appropriate court.

Call the appropriate court and ask for specific instructions on how to pay your ticket; you might even find out you can use the online option.

Driving School & Other Considerations

If eligible, you can use Arizona's defensive driving program to satisfy a traffic ticket and avoid point accumulation related to that violation.

Registration and eligibility varies by school, but you should be able to use a defensive driving course if:

  • Your traffic violation is eligible. (Some violations require judge approval.)
  • Your traffic violation was not associated with a serious injury or fatal accident.
  • You do not have a CDL.
  • You can complete the course at least 7 days before your hearing date.

For more information, visit our section on defensive driving in Arizona.

Check Your AZ Driving Record

Once it's all said and done, check your Arizona driving record to make sure:

  • Only the appropriate number of points show up (if you pleaded "guilty" and paid your fine).
  • No points show up (if you opted to complete a defensive driving course).

Under normal circumstances, you can talk with the AZ DOT about driving record points; however, if you see points on your driving record related to a traffic ticket for which you complete a defensive driving school, you need to notify your court.

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