Traffic Division

The Court will mail a Notice to the address listed on your ticket. Court employees cannot quote a fine amount or provide information to you until your ticket has been entered into our system. If you have not received a notice from the Court within 30 days of the violation date, please contact the Court.

Is the date to appear on my ticket a court date?

If the citing officer issued you a ticket for an infraction violation, then the date to appear is not a court date. Your ticket should state that you are to respond within 30 days.

Some Photo “Red Light” tickets contain a date at the bottom of the ticket but that date is not a court date. That is the deadline for contacting the court if you have not received a courtesy notice.

What is a Courtesy Notice?

A courtesy notice contains general information about the violations charged against you and the options available to resolve them. The notice is sent to the address listed on the ticket once the court receives the ticket from the issuing law enforcement agency. Make sure to carefully read both sides of the courtesy notice.

What should I do if I haven't received my Courtesy Notice?

It can take three weeks for the court to process and mail a courtesy notice. The court must first receive the ticket from the law enforcement agency before it is mailed to you. Please use one of the following options when attempting to follow up on a ticket:

1. Contact the Court. Please provide your ticket number when calling or emailing the court.
2. Go to either the Santa Cruz or Watsonville Clerk’s Office and ask if your ticket is entered. Please bring your ticket with you. Location and hours information is listed here.

The Court is not required to mail a notice when a traffic case is filed. However, a notice will be mailed by the Court to the address on your ticket as a courtesy. If the address on your ticket is not correct, you must contact the Court. Not receiving a notice does not relieve you of responsibility to resolve your ticket.