What to Expect Next
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YOU’LL BE AMAZED AT HOW SIMPLE THIS IS GOING TO BE.
This guide will answer your questions throughout the ticket fighting process. It’s everything you need to put together your GETDISMISSED Trial by Written Declaration Defense Package! It’s really quick and easy. You just Write, Sign, Verify, Assemble, and Mail. BAM! Done!
MAILING YOUR DOCUMENTS TO COURT:
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- Write a Check or Money Order for the Bail Amount.
You can find this amount on your courtesy notice from the court or on the court’s website. - Sign the “Trial by Written Declaration” Form.
This is the separate document in the written defense package that you downloaded/printed from your GETDISMISSED account. This is where you need to sign:
- Write a Check or Money Order for the Bail Amount.
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- Verify and Print Your Written Defense.
Check out the other file in your GETDISMISSED account with your name. That is your written defense statement. Make sure everything is correct before you print it out. - Please Assemble Your Defense Package in This Order:
- Check/Money Order for court-required bail (Remember: The Court refunds bail once the ticket is dismissed.)
- Trial by Written Declaration form (2 pages)
- Written Defense Statement (all pages)
- Mail Everything To The Court Via CERTIFIED Mail.
Everything must be received by the courts before your due date. - Wait To Receive the Verdict.
Check your mail. You’ll be mailed a verdict in 30-90 days.Any other questions about mailing your documents to court? The answers are in our convenient FAQ.
- Verify and Print Your Written Defense.
I’VE MAILED MY DOCUMENTS. NOW WHAT?
What happens once you have submitted your documents to court?
Once the court receives your documents, notifying the court you have requested to contest your ticket using a Trial by Written Declaration (TBD), the court will notify the officer to submit an explanation of the ticket by a given deadline. If the officer does not reply by this deadline the ticket is generally dismissed. Even if the officer replies by the deadline your case is still considered for a dismissal. The officer’s explanation of the ticket (called an officer’s declaration) is routed to the judge who will review it along with your written defense. The judge will then make his or her decision as to whether the ticket should be dismissed.
How will I know when the court receives my documents?
GETDISMISSED suggests that you mail your completed documents to the court using Certified Mail or FedEx so that your documents can be tracked and that there is confirmation that the court did in fact receive your documents.
If you chose to have your documents submitted to the court via:
- Certified Mail – You can track your item online to find out when your documents were delivered. You will receive a Return Receipt in the mail with the signature of the court employee who accepts the package.
- FedEx – You can track your item online to find out when your documents were delivered.
- Standard Postal Delivery – You will not be able to track the delivery of your documents, instead you would need to contact the court to find out when your documents were delivered.
How long until I find out if my ticket was dismissed?
The court will mail you the Notice of Decision within 30-90 days or longer. Sometimes the courts take longer than expected to reach a verdict, depending on how busy they are. If you do not receive this notice within that time frame, please contact your courthouse directly for a status update because only the courts will know the status. Some courts also make case status information available on their website.
What if I set up a court trial for my ticket?
- IF your ticket requires your appearance in court because you had previously set up a Court Trial, you can submit your TBD request to the court, but will need to follow up with the court to confirm if the court has accepted your request and no longer requires you to appear in court. The court would need to waive/ vacate your appearance and allow you to proceed with the TBD.
- IF you do not hear from the court within a couple days of the date you are to appear in court, as a reminder, you must contact the court to verify that you are not required to appear.
- IF you are still required to appear, you can use your prepared written defense to help you prepare for that court appearance.
- IF your appearance or bail is waived/vacated, then you do not need to appear and the court will mail you your Notice of Decision within 30-90 days or longer.
WHAT IF MY TICKET REQUIRES A MANDATORY COURT APPEARANCE?
- IF your ticket has a Mandatory Court Appearance (your courtesy notice does not have a bail amount listed and states your appearance is mandatory), you can submit your TBD request to the court, but will need to follow up with the court to confirm if the court has accepted your request and no longer requires you to appear in court. The court would need to waive/ vacate your appearance and allow you to proceed with the TBD.
- IF you do not hear from the court within a couple days of the date you are to appear in court, as a reminder, you must contact the court to verify that you are not required appear.
- IF you are still required to appear, you can use your prepared written defense to help you prepare for that court appearance.
- IF your appearance or bail is waived/vacated, then you do not need to appear and the court will mail you your Notice of Decision within 30-90 days or longer.
If you still have questions after reading through this, please check out the FAQs. If you still have questions even after reading through our FAQs, please feel free to email our customer service team at gethelp@GetDismissed.com.
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Summary:
Practical California traffic ticket guidance, focused on deadlines, costs, points, and the options to fight or reduce penalties.
FAQ: What should I do first? — Confirm your due date and choose an option before it expires.