How to request traffic school for a ticket
Who you ask depends on what the course does. Where it dismisses the ticket or keeps its points off your record, you usually ask the court or its clerk before the date on the citation. Where it takes points off, you often take the course yourself and the state credits it. Rules checked October 2026.
33states run a program, each with its own way to ask
Rules checked . Updated .
Who takes a traffic school request
Start from the outcome on your state page. Three patterns cover the published rules:
- The court or its clerk. In Texas you ask the justice or municipal court on the citation by the answer date (Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 45A. Justice and Municipal Courts (Subchapter H, Art. 45A.351 to 45A.359)). In Florida you choose the course through the county clerk within 30 days of the ticket (Civil Traffic Infractions, Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, Miami-Dade County). California's courts decide, and the clerk can approve an eligible ticket (Traffic school, California Courts Self Help Guide).
- A judge or a state letter. In Kentucky a District Court judge refers you to State Traffic School, and you cannot enroll on your own. In Missouri the court decides whether to order the program. In Michigan the Department of State mails a letter to eligible drivers (Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) eligibility, Michigan Department of State).
- You take the course on your own. In most points off states you pick an approved course, finish it, and the state credits your record. Georgia, for example, takes up to 7 points off when you bring or mail the original certificate to the state's driver services office (Points and Points Reduction, Georgia Department of Driver Services).
In 14 of the 33 states where a course does something, courts set part of the steps: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. There the court on your citation has the last word on how to ask.
How to ask for traffic school in each state
14 of these states publish how to ask. For the rest the table says "Not published", and the instructions on your citation or notice apply.
Court steps and fees in California, Texas, Florida, Arizona and Nevada
Courts in these five states publish their own request methods and fees. The fee is what the court charges to allow the course; the school's price comes on top. In Los Angeles County, for example, the court charges a $64 processing fee and gives 64 days to finish after the request. Broward County asks for a driving school affidavit with a $7 fee within 30 days of the ticket.
| Court | How you ask | Court fee, in the court's words | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa County Justice Courts, Arizona | Not published | $110.00 court fee + $24.00 state fee + $45.00 state surcharge = $179.00 sub total, plus school fee (each of the 26 Maricopa justice courts, effective October 1, 2026) | Cost to Attend School, Maricopa County, Arizona Judicial Branch |
| Phoenix Municipal Court, Arizona | Not published | $145.00 court fee + $24.00 state fee + $45.00 state surcharge = $214.00 sub total, plus school fee (effective October 1, 2026) | Cost to Attend School, Maricopa County, Arizona Judicial Branch |
| Pima County Consolidated Justice Court, Arizona | Not published | $150.00 court fee + $24.00 state fee + $45.00 state surcharge = $219.00 sub total, plus school fee (effective October 1, 2026; paid to the school, not the court) | Cost to Attend School, Pima County, Arizona Judicial Branch |
| Tucson City Court, Arizona | Not published | $150.00 court fee + $24.00 state fee + $45.00 state surcharge = $219.00 sub total, plus school fee (effective October 1, 2026); a $17 DDS Extension Fee applies if you ask for more time | Cost to Attend School, Pima County, Arizona Judicial Branch |
| Contra Costa County, California | By mail, online or through the court clerk | $67.00 traffic school administrative fee | Traffic School, Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa |
| Fresno County, California | In person or by mail | Not published | Traffic, Superior Court of California, County of Fresno |
| Kern County, California | In person or by mail | Traffic School administrative fee is $69.00 | Traffic School, Superior Court of California, County of Kern |
| Los Angeles County, California | Online, by mail, by phone or in person | non-refundable traffic school processing fee of $64 | How do I request traffic school? Traffic Division, LA Court |
| Orange County, California | Online, by phone or in person | Not published | Traffic School Self-Help, Superior Court of California, County of Orange |
| San Bernardino County, California | In person, by mail or by phone | nonrefundable $55 traffic school fee | Traffic School Information, Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino |
| San Diego County, California | Online, by mail, by phone or in person | Not published | Traffic School, Superior Court of California, County of San Diego |
| San Francisco County, California | Online, by phone, in person or by mail | $52 non-refundable Traffic School administrative fee | Traffic School, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco |
| San Joaquin County, California | Not published | administrative fee of $52 | Traffic, Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin |
| San Mateo County, California | By mail or online | non-refundable $82.00 administrative fee | Traffic School, Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo |
| Santa Barbara County, California | Online, by phone, in person or by mail | $66 administrative fee | Traffic/Minor Offenses, Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara |
| Solano County, California | By mail, in person, online or by phone | Not published | Traffic School, Superior Court of California, County of Solano |
| Sonoma County, California | Online, by phone or by mail | Not published | Traffic Violator School, Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma |
| Stanislaus County, California | Online, in person or by mail | $52.00 | Sign Up for Traffic School, Superior Court of California, County of Stanislaus |
| Tulare County, California | In person, by phone or by mail | a fee in the sum of $68.00 | Traffic, Superior Court of California, County of Tulare |
| Ventura County, California | Online, by mail or in person | Not published | Traffic School Information, Superior Court of California, County of Ventura |
| Brevard County, Florida | In person, online or by mail | Not published | Traffic FAQs, Brevard County Clerk of the Court |
| Broward County, Florida | Online or through the court clerk | an additional $7.00 driving school affidavit fee | Traffic and Misdemeanor, Broward County Clerk of Courts |
| Duval County, Florida | Online, in person or by mail | Not published | Traffic, Duval County Clerk of Courts |
| Orange County, Florida | Online or through the court clerk | Not published | Traffic Ticket Options, Orange County Clerk of Courts |
| Polk County, Florida | By mail, in person or online | Not published | Traffic Tickets, Polk County Clerk, FL |
| Henderson Municipal Court, Nevada | Online, in person or by mail | The Demerit Point Reduction fee is $60 and is in addition to the total penalty/fine amount listed on your citation (paid in place of traffic safety school) | Demerit Point Reduction Options, Henderson Municipal Court (Internet Archive capture of 2026-04-17) |
| Las Vegas Justice Court, Nevada | In person | Not published | Traffic Citations, Las Vegas Justice Court |
| Austin Municipal Court, Texas | Online | $144, or $169 if the offense happened in a school zone | Austin Municipal Court: Ways to Request a Deferral for a Moving Violation |
| Arlington Municipal Court, Texas | Online, by mail or in person | administrative fee and court costs total $144.00; $169.00 if the citation occurred in a school zone | City of Arlington Municipal Court Options (Request Driving Safety Course) |
| Corpus Christi Municipal Court, Texas | Online | court costs and reimbursement fee: $144.00 moving violation, $169.00 school zone moving violation | City of Corpus Christi Municipal Court: Request Defensive Driving |
| Fort Worth Municipal Court, Texas | Online, in person or by mail | Not published | City of Fort Worth Municipal Court: Traffic and General Citations |
| Houston Municipal Courts, Texas | By mail or in person | Mandatory DSC: $144.00 moving violation, $169.00 school zone moving violation. Discretionary DSC: $184.00 moving violation, $209.00 school zone moving violation | City of Houston Municipal Courts Department: Requesting Driver Safety Course (DSC) |
| Dallas Municipal Court, Texas | Online, by mail or in person | $144.00 for offenses NOT in a school zone; $169.00 for offenses IN a school zone (State and Administrative Fees) | Dallas Municipal Court: Driving Safety Course (DSC) |
| El Paso Municipal Courts, Texas | In person, online or by mail | Not published | El Paso Municipal Courts: Driving Safety Course |
| Harris County Justice Courts, Texas | Online, by mail or in person | $144 (if the offense was committed January 1, 2020 or later) | Harris County Justice Courts: Driving Safety Course or Motorcycle Operator Training Course or Use of Child Safety Seat System Instruction Request Form |
| Travis County Justices of the Peace, Texas | By mail or in person | Court Costs (call the Court for the amount) + $10.00 non-refundable DSC Reimbursement Fee | Travis County Justices of the Peace: Traffic Ticket Fines, Court Costs, DSC Information |
Pick your court in the checker to see its fee, its deadline wording and how it takes the request under your answer.
The steps after you ask
- Ask by the deadline on the citation or notice, in the way your court or state accepts, and pay any court fee.
- Enroll in a course your state or court accepts. Each state keeps its own list, and a course that one state lists may not count in another.
- Finish the course by the completion date. Many courts give a second, longer deadline for this.
- Make sure the certificate reaches the court or the state. In some places the school files it for you: Hillsborough County has the school file the certificate electronically within 60 days of payment.
The providers page shows which state lists confirm each online course we track, and the deadline guide covers the dates.
Programs with a plea or a hearing step
A few programs run through a plea or a hearing, and the published rule describes that step. Utah's Deferred Traffic Prosecution is filed online within 21 days of the citation and includes a no contest plea (Deferred Traffic Prosecution (DTP) and Traffic Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), Utah State Courts). Washington's deferred finding is granted by a judge at a contested or mitigation hearing (RCW 46.63.070 Response to notice, contesting determination, hearing (deferred findings)). In Washington, DC you contest the ticket by mail and ask in writing for the points to be waived (Driver Point System, District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles). We describe these steps as each program publishes them. We do not advise on how to plead; for that, speak to a lawyer licensed in the state.