Lost Traffic Ticket in Indiana

To find information about your lost traffic ticket in Indiana you must check with your presiding traffic court. Your court can help you with information about a red light ticket, a speeding ticket, or any other offense the state considers a moving violation; however, you might need to take different steps to find lost parking ticket information.

NOTE: Indiana does provide an online traffic ticket search; however, you must have your citation number to use the system.

Traffic Ticket Search in Indiana

Your presiding traffic court is the court that handles tickets in the area where you received your citation. Your lost traffic ticket search requires contacting the presiding traffic court and inquiring about your ticket.

If YOU DO KNOW where you received your traffic ticket:

  • Search the state's list of courts and find your county's court website or the state's specific page for that county.
    • Generally, these courts are trial courts and clerks; however, if that court doesn't have your ticket information the clerk might direct you to another judicial office.
  • Be prepared to provide certain identifying information such as your name, birth date, and/or address.

If YOU DON'T KNOW where you received your citation:

  • Try to remember where you were when you received the ticket.
    • Were you visiting relatives a couple counties away? Were you picking up your child from school a few miles away?
  • Try to remember the day, week, or month you received the ticket.
    • If you can't immediately remember where you were, remembering the general time might help. For example, was it during a weekday evening? Where do you usually drive in the evenings? Home from work? On your way to the gym?
  • Once you've narrowed your options, contact the court that seems most plausible; if that clerk doesn't have information, try neighboring counties until you find the right court.

Lost Traffic Ticket Information

You must respond to your IN traffic ticket by date listed on your citation to avoid additional penalties.

Your date might be:

  • The deadline to plead “guilty" and pay your traffic ticket fine.
  • The deadline to plead “not guilty" and schedule a hearing to challenge your ticket.
  • The date you must appear in court.
    • This depends on your specific violation.

Regardless of your choice (or requirement), it's crucial to gather the following information when you contact your traffic court:

  • Whether you must appear in court, based on your violation.
    • If so, ask for the court's location and your hearing's date and time.
  • Your exact IN traffic ticket fine, including any additional court fees or surcharges.
  • Whether you can just plead “guilty" and pay your traffic ticket.
    • If so, find out your specific payment options and methods.
    • These include, but aren't limited to, paying online or by mail.
  • Your traffic citation number, and any other identifying numbers and/or information.
  • Your deadline to you must respond, whether you want to plead “guilty" and pay or “not guilty" and set a hearing to fight your ticket.

Your IN Traffic Ticket Plea

As mentioned above, you can plead “guilty" and pay your traffic ticket fine or plead “not guilty" and challenge your ticket in court; generally, you also can choose either of these options even if you're required to appear in court (you'll just have to appear in court first).

Learn more about these options—and their pros and cons based on your situation—at Pay Traffic Ticket and Fight Traffic Ticket.

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