The answer is “yes.”
If you want to contest a traffic ticket you can request a contested hearing. A judge will hear your case. A judge will hear the prosecutor’s case against you. The judge will then decide whether you committed the traffic infraction or not.
It is possible to beat a traffic ticket in WA. There are a number of reason why a traffic ticket can get dismissed. The reasons vary on a case by case basis. Getting a “no insurance” ticket dismissed may require a different process than getting an “expired registration” ticket dismissed. While getting a ticket dismissed is great, avoiding getting a speeding ticket in the first place will ensure your insurance rates do not skyrocket.
If you get a speeding ticket, an HOV ticket, a work zone or construction zone ticket, no insurance ticket, speed too fast for conditions, cell phone ticket, school bus camera ticket, fail to obey traffic signal or traffic control device, or other infraction, you should contact an attorney to try to get that ticket off your record.
A traffic ticket is not a criminal offense.
You can get on a payment plan for a traffic ticket. In most cases you can pay that traffic ticket online.
You Can Get on a Monthly Payment Plan for Traffic Tickets?
Courts should allow you to get on an agreement to pay over a period of time in a series of installments. Court fines are called legal financial obligations. Most courts will charge a small fee in order to enter into this agreement. Installments are paid in an amount determined by the court – usually between $30 and $60. The first installment is due usually within 30 days. Again, the specific numbers vary by Court. a Time pay fee of around $10 to $30 is usually added onto the total amount.
In some counties you may qualify for a single payment on several different tickets. This will limit the amount you need to pay each month. In some cases, you may be able to pay tickets in different counties and cities with a single payment. Check with the court to see whether you qualify to consolidate your tickets into a single lower payment.
Requesting Community Service to Pay Fines
You might also consider requesting to pay the court through community service in lieu of the fines. Some courts will allow you to pay your court fines through community service. By law, Washington courts need to offer you at least minimum wage to pay off your fines. Different courts will give you different value for your community service work, but most will apply each community service hour at a rate of between $10 and $15 an hour. In some courts, if you’re lucky, the court will apply your community service or work crew hours at a little more than $15.
Community service needs to be done through a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. You need authorization from the court before you can go out and start completing community service hours to pay off fines. The court needs to approve your request to pay through community service hours.
Some courts may allow you to pay through a different service called “community work crew.” You can usually arrange a time to complete this work through the local court or the probation office. Often, community work crew is used as an alternative to jail – it can be more rigorous than community service.
Getting Tickets Pulled from Collections
If you are trying to get your license back, you can ask if there are traffic tickets that you did not appear on to be pulled from collections, mitigated down, and ask for the opportunity to pay your community service, work crew, or be put on a time to pay agreement. Clearing all your tickets from collections and getting on a payment plan for traffic tickets will give you the eligibility to get your license back as long as you continue to make payments on time to those courts.
Many people ask this question because they are trying to get their license back. Yes, you can get a payment plan for traffic tickets. An attorney can help you with the process of getting tickets out of collections and onto a payment plan if need be. If you are going through that process on your own you can check with the Washington Department of Licensing which should give you the information you need to get your license back. The Washington Department of Licensing website has a section designed to help you get your license back.
Can I Get on a Payment Plan for Traffic Tickets?
Yes. You can get on a payment plan for traffic tickets in Washington. You may need to pay an additional fee to get on a time to pay agreement.
Can I Get on a Payment Plan for Multiple Traffic Tickets?
Maybe. In Washington, you may be able to consolidate your payments for outstanding traffic tickets. The court should take your ability to pay into consideration when making a decision about fine payments. Your current and future ability to pay fines includes existing payments of legal financial obligations like traffic tickets. Some counties and cities will let you consolidate your payments if you make that request at the court where you owe money.
How Do I Get My Tickets Out of Collections?
In Washington, you may be able to get your tickets out of collections by writing to the court. You may need a hearing in front of a judge to explain why the ticket fell into collections – or a judge may grant your request to pull the tickets from collections. An attorney can help you with this request which could save you a lot of money in collections fees and other fines.