Traffic Court

Traffic Division hears cases in which a person is charged with a traffic offense.

  • Many traffic offenses can be prepaid.
  • For those cases, the court appearance can be waived; that is the defendant may choose to pay his/her fine and court costs in person or by mail prior to the court date and does not need to appear in court.

The following charges require a mandatory court appearance and are NOT prepayable:

  • Driving under the influence
  • Driving with a suspended or revoked license
  • Reckless driving
  • Reckless driving to wit speeding
  • Hit and run
  • Texting while driving

NOTE: For a listing of prepayable traffic offenses go to www.courts.state.va.us

For more serious traffic offenses

  • Court appearance may not be waived
    • Must be in court on your assigned court date
  • Prepayment of the fine is not an option

Some examples of these offenses include

  • no insurance
  • DUI/refusals
  • suspended permit
  • no permit
  • reckless driving
  • altered or improper use of decals/tags
  • littering
  • speeding in a work zone
  • habitual offender
  • any drug violation

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

  • If you are convicted of certain traffic violations, DMV will assess points against your driver's license.
    • This is an administrative action by DMV and is in addition to any sentence imposed by the Judge.
  • After conviction, DMV determines the amount of demerit points to be assessed according to the severity of the offense.

NOTE: The Judge does not have the authority to adjust or reduce points.

For more information on points, you can contact DMV.