Traffic Violator School
Traffic Court Clerk's Office Information
The clerk's offices in both branches are open Monday through Friday, excluding judicial holidays.
Public Counter Hours: 8:30am to 3:30pm
Telephone Hours: 8:30am to 3:30pm
Telephone Number: (707) 463-4660
Locations and mailing addresses:
Mendocino County Courthouse, 100 North State Street, Room 108, Ukiah CA 95482
Ten Mile Branch, 700 South Franklin Street, Fort Bragg CA 95437
Pay by Visa, Mastercard, or Discover using the Court’s Online Payment website. Search for your case by citation number, case number or your name and birthdate. Convenience fee automatically added.
Traffic Violator School Benefits
If you are eligible for traffic violator school, you will see this on your courtesy notice. By completing traffic violator school, the DMV will not make your citation publicaly available, so your insurance company and other members of the public will not be able to see your violations. Since your insurance rate is tied to your driving record, this can save you money. Traffic violator school also provides information that every driver should know so it is a good refresher course on the rules of the road.
You must contact the court in person or use the link below, if you want to go to traffic violator school, as the court will need to add the $54 fee to your citation balance due. You cannot set up a payment plan if you plan to attend traffic violator school. You must pay the fine and the $54 fee before the court can make your violation confidential on your driving record.
Request to Attend Traffic Violator School
Traffic Violator School with a Fine Reduction
If you have a financial hardship and can show that you are unable to pay the full amount of a fine for a traffic school eligible offense , you may ask the Court to consider your ability to pay this fine and grant your request for traffic school. Please go to the link below and submit your request for a fine reduction and traffic school to the court. A judge will review your request and you will be notified by mail of the judge’s ruling.
MTR-500 Declaration and Request for Fine Reduction and Traffic Violator School
Traffic Violator School Eligibility
To be eligible for the Traffic Violator School Confidential Conviction Program, you must meet certain requirements established in California Rules of Court 4.104. Your courtesy notice will tell you if you are qualified to attend traffic violator school. Please note that you do not qualify if you have attended traffic violator school for a violation that occurred less than 18 months earlier than your current violation. You may not be eligible for traffic violator school for other reasons as well, such as in cases where your violation is not one that can be addressed by attending traffic violator school.
Traffic Violator School Fee Payments
If you plan to attend traffic violator school, you must pay the $54.00 state-mandated administrative fee at the same time you pay the fine. If you plan to pay by credit card on-line, you must click the button below to request to attend traffic violator school or contact the court so that your balance due can be adjusted to include the $54 traffic school fee. Clicking the button below Your attendance at traffic violator school is automatically approved upon payment of this fee, as long as you are eligible for traffic violator school.
If the traffic violator school fee is not paid, traffic violator school is not considered authorized by the court and your Certificate of Completion of Traffic Violator School will be invalid. The violation will be reported to DMV as a conviction.
Use the button below and complete the form to request to attend traffic violator school. Within 2 business days, the court will add the $54 fee to your case, and you will be able to pay the court fees for traffic violator school.
Request to Attend Traffic Violator School
How to Attend Traffic Violator School
Prior to attending traffic violator school, you must pay the non-refundable Traffic Violator School administrative fee of $54.00 plus the amount of bail to the court by the due date either in person, by phone, through our website, or by mail. If you pay the $54.00 traffic violator school fee, and it is determined that you are ineligible to attend traffic violator school, this fee cannot be refunded.
Upon receipt of bail plus the $54.00 traffic violator school fee, the due date on your case will automatically be extended by the clerk to 60 days from the original due date to allow for the completion of traffic violator school.
Find a Traffic Violator School
Traffic violator schools are private businesses and will charge an additional fee that is paid directly to them. To find a DMV-licensed traffic violator school, use the On-line Locator service operated by DMV:
www.dmv.ca.gov - California Department of Motor Vehicles
You may also call the Department of Motor Vehicles at (800) 777-0133 and request a list of traffic violator schools be sent to you via mail or fax.
The traffic violator school will need your Court Code, which is a five-digit number printed as part of the return address of your courtesy notice, along with the docket number printed on your courtesy notice.
What Happens After You Complete Traffic Violator School?
You must complete traffic violator school no later than 60 days after the original due date on your courtesy notice.
The traffic violator school you attend will notify the DMV once you have completed the course. The court is notified of your completion the following day. Upon notification of your completion of traffic violator school, the court will report a "confidential conviction" to DMV, which will not be visible on your public driving record.
Use the link below to confirm the court has received notification:
Please allow up to 10 days after you complete traffic violator school for your case to appear on the list.
If you do not complete traffic violator school by the due date, the Court will order your $54.00 fee converted to fine, and your violation will be reported as a conviction to the DMV.
Out of State Residents
If you hold a valid driver license from a state other than California, you may complete an on-line traffic violator school course from a course provider licensed by the California DMV. The steps to follow are the same as above, however you must submit three additional items to the court by the due date shown on your citation in order to request approval to take a course when you have an out-of-state driver's license:
- A copy of your driving record from your state's motor vehicle department
- The required fine/bail, including the $54.00 non-refundable traffic violator school fee
- Form MTR-290, a declaration stating that you have not attended traffic violator school anywhere in the United States for a citation received within 18 months prior to your current citation.
MTR-290 - Declaration re: No Traffic School Attendance (PDF)
Once your request has been granted, you will have 60 days from your original due date to complete the course.