California traffic ticket defense

Ticket Ninja has helped thousands of motorists get their California traffic ticket dismissed!

California Traffic Tickets

If you were pulled over and received a California traffic ticket, you came to the right place. While getting a moving violation is never a good thing, there are ways to deal with California traffic tickets as painlessly as possible — and even keep moving violation points off your driving record. At Ticket Ninja, we can help you to get your California traffic tickets dismissed through a convenient process called Trial by Declaration.

When you get pulled over in California

When you are pulled over for a California traffic ticket, the officer will ask to see your driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance. If you cannot present these 3 items, you could already be in trouble, in addition to the violation the officer pulled you over for.  All three of these are ticketable violations, so make sure to have these documents with you when you operate a motor vehicle.

2 types of California traffic tickets:

  • Infraction: This covers all the basic California traffic violations, from speeding to running a red light.
  • Misdemeanor: This is a more serious driving offense, like driving without a license, driving under the influence, excessive speeding, etc.

When you receive a traffic ticket, the officer will have you sign and date it and you’ll receive a copy for your records. Please make sure to keep the ticket since that piece of paper contains some valuable information, like your court date and citation number. Signing the ticket means you agree to appear in court (in person or by filing a plea) and pay your fine by the court date. Remember, you are not admitting guilt by signing your ticket.

Your court date, as well as court contact information, will be located on your ticket. Do not rely on the traffic court to notify you about anything related to your citation(Courtesy Notice) — the court is not required to do so.

Submitting a Plea for your California traffic ticket

There are 3 possible plea options: guilty, no contest, or not guilty.

If you plead guilty or no contest: Once you receive the Courtesy Notice, you can simply send in a payment for your fine along with the payment coupon to the court. When your fee is received, your case will be considered closed and the citation as well as the point(s) will be added to your driving record at the DMV. You may have the option to take traffic school to avoid getting a moving violation point on your record.

If you plead not guilty: You can choose to fight your ticket by court trial, or through written “trial by declaration” to the court. Trial by declaration is the best way to fight California traffic tickets.  In fact, California is one of the few states that allows this convenient process that gives you two chances to beat your ticket.

How much do traffic tickets cost in California?

Most California traffic ticket amounts are in three broad categories:

  • $238 for most types of violations, including sign violations, lane violations, speeding violations for going 1 to 15 mph over the speed limit.
  • $367 for speeding tickets for going 16 to 25 mph over the speed limit.
  • $490 for carpool lane violations, red light tickets, and speeding tickets for going more than 25 mph over the speed limit.
  • Speeding over 100 mph, reckless driving, and DUI are in a different fine category.

Can you get a ticket without being pulled over in California?

Yes, you can get a ticket in the mail for red light camera tickets, and for not stopping at a stop sign in certain Parks and Recreation areas.

How do I find my California traffic ticket online?

  1.  If you intend to fight your ticket, NEVER make an online payment at the court website.  If you do, you will be pleading guilty automatically!
  2.  The easiest way to locate your ticket is to PRETEND that you want to make a payment on your ticket.  DO NOT actually make a payment on your ticket!
  3.  Extension requests are usually available, once you locate your ticket online.  You can usually get 1 extension.

#1 in Customer Service

At Ticket Ninja, we are serious about providing the best customer service experience possible.  We are easy to reach by phone, email, or through our website.  Our friendly Ninjas will answer any questions you may have about our process.

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Click on the above seal for our full Refund Policy

Timeline FAQ

From submission of the trial by declaration paperwork to Notice of Decision : 2 to 3 months average

From dismissal of the ticket to refund check:  45 days average

If trial by declaration was not successful: Send out New trial request within 20 days

Trial by declaration for California traffic tickets

You have 2 chances to win with TBD

Why Use Trial by Declaration(TBD)?

  • You do not have to go to court.
  • Officers do not receive extra pay to do the extra paperwork required for Trial by Declaration, and when they do not submit the declaration on time, the court automatically dismisses your case.
  • It is easier to fully present your defense in writing compared to a court trial.
  • You have 2 chances to win(Trial by Declaration and New Trial).
  • Even if you lose the TBD, you may still request traffic school and it will usually be allowed by the court.

More information on why Trial by Declaration is so effective.

 Trial by Declaration(TBD) FAQ

Traffic School FAQ

With TBD, you do not have to go to court. Officers do not receive extra pay to do the extra paperwork required for Trial by Declaration, and when they do not submit the declaration on time, the court automatically dismisses your case. It is also easier to fully present your defense compared to a court trial. Additionally, with TBD you have 2 chances to win, instead of just one, in a court trial. You can still request for traffic school even if you lose the TBD, and the court will usually allow it.
Ticket Ninja prepares each TBD defense by hand and we do not use any automated software to generate the TBD defense. Each TBD defense is custom made based on the information you provide to us. If anything is not clear, we will contact you personally and get additional information from you, before we finalize the defense paperwork.
Once we have finished preparing your TBD paperwork, we will send it to you by email attachment, with full instructions on how to send the paperwork to the court. We will also send you a text message to your phone, to remind you to check your email.
You just need to print it out, sign it, and mail to the court with the bail payment.
On the average, it will take about 2 to 3 months, for the court to send you a Notice of Decision letter.
Once you have received the Not Guilty verdict on the TBD, there is nothing more you need to do. The court will send out a refund check for the full bail amount to you in about 60 days and you will have no points on your record and no need to do traffic school.
Many courtesy notices will not mention TBD, or they are written in such a way that many people will think that they are not eligible to use TBD. As long as your ticket is not a midemeanor ticket(DUI, wreckless driving, etc), by California law you may use TBD. Even for over 100 mph tickets, you can still use TBD, as long as you ask for TBD at the mandatory appearance.
You are eligible for traffic school once every 18 months.
Even if you lose the Trial by Declaration(TBD), you may still request traffic school, and usually the court will allow it.
The judges will have discretionary powers to allow you to take traffic school and they will often do that, if you make a request. The judges can also have you do an 8 hour traffic school, instead of the usual 6 hour traffic school.
The court fee for traffic school will be around $60, payable to the court.
Online traffic schools typically charge around $10 to $20. They are very easy to find on the internet.

no hidden fees

For all California Traffic Tickets

Our service fee is only $99 with no hidden fees

  • We are very good with what we do with proven results
  • We never have ANY hidden fees
  • Hand-made Trial by Written Declaration Defense package ready for your signature
  • We deliver in 4 business days by email(we also have 1-day or 2-day rush delivery for extra fee)
  • Additional violations on a single citation – No extra-charge
  • Trial De Novo Form – No extra-charge
  • 100% money back guarantee

We offer GOOD VALUE, and you can count on the Ninja to help you beat your ticket!

Get Started Now and Receive:

  • All of the above
  • Personalized Service
  • Get the Ninja on your side!
  • Service fee of only $99, and NO EXTRA FEES!

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How to get California traffic tickets dismissed

Sign up now and you could be one of our satisfied customers who got their California traffic ticket dismissed!

How to fight California traffic ticket fine amounts

Most Common California traffic tickets

22350 : Basic Speed Law

22349 b : 55 MPH Maximum Speed Limit

22349 a : 65 MPH Maximum Speed Limit

22356 b : 70 MPH Maximum Speed

22348 b : Speeding over 100 mph

21453 a : Circular Red or Red Arrow(c)

21453 b : No right turn on red

22450 a :  Stop Sign

21655.5 b : Carpool lane violation

21655.8 a : Driving Over Double Lines of Preferential Lanes

22406 a : Truck or tractor over 55 mph

22348 c : Failure to use designated lanes

22108 : Failure to signal

21461 a : Failure to obey signes

16028 a : Proof of Insurance

22101 d : Illegal Turns

22102 : Illegal U-Turn in Business District

22103: Illegal U-Turn in Residential District

22107: Unsafe Turn or Lane Change

21460 a : Improper Turns Over Double Lines

21460.5 c : Improper Turns From Two-Way Left-Turn Lane

21950 a : Failure to Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalk

21951 : Overtaking Vehicles Stopped for Pedestrians

21802 a : Failure to Yield Right of Way

21806 a : Failure to Yield to Emergency Vehicles

38300 : Failure to obey traffic control devices

23123 a : Cell Phone Violation

21651 a : Crossing Double Yellow Lines

For additional useful information, please see our Client Resources page.

Ticket Ninja Can help you beat California traffic tickets handled by these courts:

Quick Tips:

  1.  If you intend to fight your ticket, NEVER make an online payment at the court website.  If you do, many court websites are set up so that you will be pleading guilty automatically!
  2.  The easiest way to locate your ticket is to PRETEND that you want to make a payment on your ticket.  DO NOT actually make a payment ONLINE on your ticket!
  3.  Extension requests are usually available, once you locate your ticket online.  You can usually get one 30-day extension.
  4.  On Many court websites, it is possible to track the progress of your Trial by Declaration status.
  5.  You can click on the name of the courts below to access the court website.

Alameda County Superior Court, Alpine County Superior Court, Amador County Superior Court, Butte County Superior Court, Calaveras County Superior Court, Colusa County Superior Court, Contra Costa County Superior Court, Del Norte County Superior Court. El Dorado County Superior Court, Fresno County Superior Court, Glenn County Superior Court, Humboldt County Superior Court, Imperial County Superior Court, Inyo County Superior Court, Kern County Superior Court, Kings County Superior Court, Lake County Superior Court, Lassen County Superior Court, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Madera County Superior Court, Marin County Superior Court, Mariposa County Superior Court, Mendocino County Superior Court, Merced County Superior Court, Modoc County Superior Court, Mono County Superior Court, Monterey County Superior Court, Napa County Superior Court, Nevada County Superior Court, Orange County Superior Court, Placer County Superior Court, Plumas County Superior Court, Riverside County Superior Court, Sacramento County Superior Court, San Benito County Superior Court, San Bernardino County Superior Court, San Diego County Superior Court, San Francisco County Superior Court, San Joaquin County Superior Court, San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, San Mateo County Superior Court, Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Santa Clara County Superior Court, Santa Cruz County Superior Court, Shasta County Superior Court, Sierra County Superior Court, Siskiyou County Superior Court, Solano County Superior Court, Sonoma County Superior Court, Stanislaus County Superior Court, Sutter County Superior Court, Tehama County Superior Court, Trinity County Superior Court, Tulare County Superior Court, Tuolumne County Superior Court, Ventura County Superior Court, Yolo County Superior Court, Yuba County Superior Court