Fight Traffic Ticket in Oklahoma
If you plan to fight your OK traffic ticket, you must please “not guilty" in court on your scheduled date.
To find out exactly how to proceed, check your OK traffic ticket or contact the appropriate Oklahoma traffic court.
Pay Ticket
(Plead Guilty or No Contest)
- Pay the fine.
- Option to plea bargain penalties.
- Incur points on your driving record (could lead to license suspension/revocation).
- Possibly incur increase on auto insurance rates.
- Possibly have points reduced by attending Defensive Driving School.
Learn more about
paying your traffic ticket.
Fight Ticket
(Plead Not Guilty)
- Contest traffic ticket via trial.
- Choose to represent yourself or hire an attorney.
- Possibly lose option to plea bargain for lesser penalties.
- No penalties if found not guilty, but must pay court/attorney fees.
Learn more by reading below.
Plead Not Guilty to Your OK Citation
The first step to contesting your traffic ticket is pleading not guilty to the charges on or before the court date listed on your citation.
You must enter your not guilty plea in person, at the Oklahoma municipal court that's handling your case. This first court appearance is also referred to as your arraignment.
When you plead not guilty, you'll be required to pay bond (i.e. the original traffic fines) on the day of your arraignment. If you win your case, the bond will be returned to you.
The Oklahoma municipal court will assign you a date to return for your pretrial conference. You MUST return on that date to begin fighting your traffic citation.
Keep in mind, if you miss ANY of your court dates, you could face the following consequences:
- Charged with Failure to Appear.
- Warrant issued for your arrest.
- Driver license suspension.
If you still have questions or need to reschedule a court date, call the OK municipal court in the district where you received your traffic ticket.
If you lost your citation, take a look at our page that outlines what to do when you've misplaced your traffic ticket in Oklahoma.
Implications of Pleading Not Guilty
When you decide to plead not guilty, you're asserting your right to stand before a judge to prove your innocence of the violation for which you are accused; and you:
- Can devote the time needed to appear in court (possibly on multiple occasions).
- Understand your license could be suspended as a result of points being added to your driving record.
- Understand you may have to serve jail time, especially with a serious conviction like DWI or DUI.
For more information, take a look at our guide to When to Fight a Traffic Ticket.
Fighting Your OK Ticket in Court
The process for fighting your Oklahoma traffic citation could consist of the following:
- Pre-trial conference.
- Trial before a judge or jury.
- Jury trials are reserved only for charges that could result in serious penalties.
BEFORE heading to court, you may want to consider hiring a traffic ticket lawyer. Remember, if you decide to represent yourself, you should have some familiarity with the procedures of Oklahoma traffic court before fighting your ticket.
Some OK courts may assign you an attorney if:
- A conviction could bring jail time.
- You can prove you don't have the financial means to afford a traffic ticket attorney on your own.
Pre-trial Conference
At your pre-trial conference, you or your attorney will meet with an Oklahoma state prosecutor and try to work out a plea bargain. A plea bargain will prevent your case from going to trial and usually requires you to change your plea to guilty in exchange for reduced penalties.
If a plea bargain can't be reached, you'll receive a date to return for your trial before a judge or jury.
Once you enter a plea of guilty, your auto insurance rates could INCREASE. Make sure you know exactly how traffic ticket convictions can affect your insurance rates BEFORE you agree to a plea bargain.
Trial Before Judge or Jury
Generally, you can expect the following when you go to trial before a judge or jury to contest your OK traffic ticket:
- Opening arguments, where the state prosecutor AND you (or your attorney) can present:
- Witnesses.
- Evidence.
- Cross examination of you and/or your witnesses by the Oklahoma state prosecutor.
- Closing arguments from both sides.
- Judge or jury's verdict.
- If you're found guilty, the judge will then impose your sentence.
Guilty Verdict
If you receive a guilty verdict and are convicted of your traffic violations, the penalties you'll face could be any of the following:
- Points on your driving record.
- Fines.
- Typically, you'll have to pay fines on the same day you receive a guilty verdict.
- License suspension.
- Community service.
- Jail sentence.
NOTE: According to federal law, if you have a commercial driver's license, you MUST notify your employer of any traffic violations (except parking violations) within 30 days of receiving a conviction.
Did you know, completing traffic school in Oklahoma could reduce the amount of points added to your record and even help to dismiss your traffic citation? Ease the pain of a guilty verdict and consider enrolling in a defensive driving course.
Not Guilty Verdict
If the judge or jury find you not guilty of the traffic violation(s) you can look forward to the following:
- All charges are dropped and your ticket's dismissed.
- The bond paid at arraignment is returned to you.
- No penalties or fines.
- Car insurance rates will stay the same.
- No points added to your driving record.
Make sure you check your driving record to ensure that it accurately reflects the outcome of your trial. Errors on your driving history can lead to huge consequences down the road, including major fines and even license suspension.