Featured Resources

DMV Guide

Insurance Center

Car Insurance

Tickets & Driving Schools

Paying Your Traffic Ticket

NEW YORK DEFENSIVE DRIVING ONLINE SPONSORS

The Point and Insurance Reduction Program

When you enroll in an approved defensive driving class, you:

1. Refresh your driving knowledge.
2. Can be eligible to reduce as many as 4 points off your New York driving record.
3. Receive a 10% reduction in the base rate of your auto and motorcycle insurance premiums.

Find approved New York Defensive Driving Courses:

Pay Traffic Ticket Online or By Mail

So you've been ticketed and decided to take your lumps (read about pleading innocent at Traffic Tickets on this site). As long as the citation won't result in your license being suspended―in which case you need to attend a hearing anyway―the easiest option is to pay online. Another option is to mail in your payment; follow these instructions within 15 days of receiving your citation:

Check the "Guilty" box on the back of your ticket.
Make a check out to "Commissioner of Motor Vehicles" for the amount of the fine.
Mail your ticket and the check to the Albany address shown on your ticket.

Traffic Bureau Offices in New York City, Buffalo, Suffolk County and Rochester only take care of traffic violations. If you have questions, you can contact any of these by phone.

Pleading Not Guilty

To plead not guilty to a traffic citation, read the instructions on the back of the ticket, check "Not guilty," fill in the requested information, and send it to the address given within 15 days of the citation. The DMV will send you information about your scheduled court hearing where you may argue your case.

Pleading Guilty

To plead guilty and pay your fine in person, bring your ticket and payment to any Traffic Violations Bureau office. Paying in person gives you the option to use other methods of payment: Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order. The DMV's Traffic Violations Bureau Brochure contains further information about how to respond to a traffic ticket.

When you plead guilty, points will be added to your driving record for many infractions. While the traffic convictions themselves remain on your record for at least three years, the points are automatically removed from your total 18 months after you're found guilty of an offense. In the meantime, it's important not to accumulate more than 11 points in any 18-month period, or the DMV may suspend your license. Hiring a traffic attorney may be helpful if you have accumulated a lot of points.

Filing an Appeal

Perhaps you decided to fight the ticket and still were found guilty and fined. You may appeal the verdict using the appeal forms found at the DMV Traffic Violations Bureau offices. A fee is required to file an appeal. Include a check or money order for the amount indicated on the form made out to "Commissioner of Motor Vehicles" and send the form within 30 days of the conviction to:

Appeals Processing Unit

P.O. Box 2935

Albany, NY 12220-0935

Reducing Points with an Accident-Prevention Course

For those who are really trying to avoid trouble on the roads, there is a small reprieve. To trim points off your driving record, you may enroll in a DMV-approved accident-prevention course designed to help you brush up on your skills and avoid repeating the driving behavior that got you ticketed in the first place.

Completion of such a course can get four points subtracted from your point total, and it also has the added benefit of reducing your auto insurance premiums by 10%. You may choose a course from a list of approved providers.

Read more about the program, its effects, and its rules in this informative brochure: The Point and Insurance Reduction Program.