An infraction ticket in California typically costs five to seven times the base fine printed on the citation once mandatory penalty assessments and court fees are added. A $35 base fine for running a stop sign lands around $238. Common tickets run from roughly $160 for a first-time seatbelt violation to more than $2,000 for driving over 100 mph. How much your infraction ticket costs in California depends on the specific violation, your speed if it’s a speeding ticket, and the county that issued the citation.
Why the Total Is So Much Higher Than the Base Fine
Every California traffic infraction begins with a base fine set by the Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule published by the Judicial Council. Those base numbers are small: $35 for going 1 to 15 mph over the limit, $35 for a stop sign, $20 for a first seatbelt violation. The number you pay looks nothing like them.
State law requires courts to stack multiple penalty assessments and fees on every base fine. The list includes a state penalty assessment, a county penalty assessment, a court operations fee, a criminal conviction assessment, a DNA identification fund contribution, and an emergency medical services surcharge, among others.1Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Traffic Fee Table For each $10 of base fine, roughly $27 to $29 in penalty assessments gets added, depending on the county. Then fixed fees pile on regardless of the base amount: a $40 court operations fee and a $35 conviction assessment apply to every infraction conviction.2Superior Court of California, County of Orange. How Is Your Fine Determined
Because those fixed fees don’t scale, tickets with tiny base fines carry the highest multiplier. A $20 seatbelt base fine becomes roughly $160. A $35 stop sign base fine becomes about $238. A $100 base fine for speeding 26 or more mph over the limit tops $490.
What Common Tickets Actually Cost
The estimates below reflect the 2025 Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule and approximate totals after all assessments and fees. Your county may vary slightly.
Speeding Tickets
California sets speeding base fines by how far over the limit you were driving:3Judicial Branch of California. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules 2025
- 1 to 15 mph over the limit: $35 base fine, roughly $230 to $250 total
- 16 to 25 mph over the limit: $70 base fine, roughly $350 to $400 total
- 26 or more mph over the limit: $100 base fine, roughly $480 to $520 total
Speeding in a school zone or construction zone often carries a higher base fine, and fines can double in certain designated safety zones. Check the base fine printed on the citation rather than assuming the standard schedule applies.
Speeding Over 100 MPH
Driving faster than 100 mph is treated separately from ordinary speeding, and license consequences enter the picture:4California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22348
- First offense: up to a $500 base fine (roughly $2,000 or more total), with a possible 30-day license suspension
- Second offense within three years: up to a $750 base fine, with a mandatory license suspension
- Third or subsequent offense within five years: up to a $1,000 base fine, with a mandatory license suspension
A conviction here also adds two points to your driving record instead of the usual one.
Stop Sign and Red Light Violations
Running a stop sign carries a $35 base fine, roughly $238 total. Red light violations carry a $100 base fine and total around $490. Red light camera tickets cost the same as officer-issued citations.
Seatbelt Violations
A first-time adult seatbelt violation has a base fine of just $20, but the total comes to approximately $160 to $165. A second or subsequent offense jumps to a $50 base fine.5California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 27315 Seatbelt tickets do not add a point to your driving record.
Child Restraint Violations
Failing to properly secure a child under 16 carries a $100 base fine for a first offense and $250 for each subsequent violation. With assessments, a first offense totals more than $500. The ticket goes to the parent if they’re in the vehicle; otherwise the driver receives it. Each unrestrained child is a separate violation, and each conviction adds a point to the driver’s record.
Correctable “Fix-It” Violations
Some infractions are marked correctable on the citation. These typically involve equipment problems like a broken taillight, expired registration, or a cracked windshield. Fix the issue, show proof to the court by your deadline, and you pay a $25 dismissal fee per ticket instead of the full fine.6California Courts. Fix-It Ticket Handling correctable violations quickly is one of the easiest ways to keep the cost down.
Traffic School Adds Fees but Can Save Money
Completing a traffic school course keeps the point from the infraction off your public DMV record, which keeps your insurance company from seeing the conviction. You still pay the full fine, plus a $52 state-mandated administrative fee, plus the cost of the course itself, which typically runs $20 to $50 from private online providers.7California Courts. Traffic School
Eligibility is limited. You can generally attend traffic school if all of these apply:8Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 4.104 – Procedures and Eligibility Criteria for Attending Traffic Violator School
- You hold a valid California driver’s license at the time of the request.
- The infraction is a standard one-point moving violation. Two-point violations and equipment-only tickets don’t qualify.
- You haven’t attended traffic school for a previous violation within the last 18 months.
- The violation is not connected to alcohol or drug use.
Even with the extra fees, traffic school often pays for itself in insurance savings.
The Second Bill: Insurance and DMV Points
The ticket itself is only part of the financial hit. Most moving violations add one point to your California driving record, and insurance companies routinely check that record when setting rates. One industry analysis estimated a 44% average rate increase following a single speeding ticket, typically lasting about three years before rates return to normal.
Points also accumulate toward a negligent operator designation. Four points within 12 months, six within 24 months, or eight within 36 months lets the DMV place you on probation or suspend your license entirely.9California DMV. Negligent Operator Actions One ticket rarely triggers this, but a second or third in a short window can.
If You Can’t Afford to Pay
California courts offer relief when the fine would create genuine financial hardship. You can request an ability-to-pay determination by filing form TR-320 or by using the MyCitations online tool, if your court offers it. Based on your income and expenses, the court may:10California Courts. If You Can’t Afford to Pay Your Traffic Ticket
- Reduce the fine
- Set up a payment plan
- Give you more time to pay
- Allow community service instead of payment
Community service credit is governed by Penal Code 1209.5, which lets courts convert fines to service hours. Each court sets its own hourly rate, so the number of hours varies by county.
What Ignoring the Ticket Actually Costs
Missing your deadline turns a manageable bill into something much worse.
Civil Assessment
The court can add a civil assessment of up to $100 on top of what you already owe when you fail to appear or fail to pay by the due date.11California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1214.1
Failure to Appear Becomes a Misdemeanor
Willfully ignoring your promise to appear in court is a misdemeanor under Vehicle Code 40508, no matter how minor the underlying infraction.12California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 40508 A misdemeanor conviction can carry up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.13California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 19
Suspension, Warrants, and Wage Garnishment
An unresolved ticket can lead to a suspension of your driving privileges, and the court may issue a bench warrant for your arrest. If the debt stays unpaid, the court can refer it to the Franchise Tax Board for collection. The FTB has authority to garnish wages and levy bank accounts to satisfy court-ordered debt.14Franchise Tax Board. Court-Ordered Debt Collections
If you got a California ticket while visiting from another state, ignoring it won’t make it disappear either. California shares traffic conviction information with other states through the Driver License Compact, and your home state will generally treat the California violation as if it happened locally.