Traffic Amnesty Program to End June 30

Time is running out to take advantage of the 50 percent reduction on qualifying old unpaid traffic infraction tickets. The Traffic Amnesty Program ends June 30, 2012.

Superior Courts throughout California report that they’ve already resolved thousands of cases and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid fees and fines. 

Here are the rules:

1. You have an outstanding traffic/minor violation case that was due to be paid prior to January 1, 2009.
2. You either failed to appear or failed to pay prior to January 1, 2009.
3. There has been no activity on your case (i.e. civil assessment fee added, court appearances, fine payments, modifications) after January 1, 2009.
4. You don’t owe restitution to a victim on any case and you have no outstanding misdemeanor or felony warrants in this county.

The program began January 1, 2012. In the first three months, the Superior Court in Fresno County had collected about $92,000, the Tulare Court about $266,000, the Kings Court about $64,000, the Madera Court about $17,000, and the Stanislaus Court generated approximately $194,000 in revenue.

“The amnesty program is a golden opportunity for drivers with old unpaid traffic tickets to clear their records at a reduced amount,” said Margie Borjon-Miller, Administrative Office of the Courts. “And it helps the courts, the state, and local governments to generate revenues that would have otherwise gone uncollected.”

While no specific number will be available until after the program concludes, state finance officials estimate that millions of dollars could be collected. A final report to the legislature on the amnesty program is due this fall.

Parking tickets, DUIs, and reckless driving citations are not eligible. Drivers should contact the court in the county where the citation occurred to verify eligibility for the amnesty program. For more information, watch a 2-minute video or go to the California Courts website.

In Santa Clara County, people can contact the Traffic Court where their case was filed, in-person or by phone, or submit a completed Eligibility Affidavit form by mail. The Eligibility Affidavit is available on the Court’s website.

They can also contact Traffic Court:

• Santa Clara Courthouse 1095 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95050 (408) 556-3000 (Press 1, 5, then 8)

• Palo Alto Courthouse 270 Grant Avenue, Palo Alto, CA

Note: Friday, June 29th is the last court day of the month. Individuals should check with their local court to learn if their court offers Saturday payment processing.

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