A Glendale Superior Court traffic ticket is handled through the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Glendale Courthouse at 600 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206, and you have until the “Notice to Appear” date printed at the bottom of your citation to act. Acting means one of four things: paying the fine, requesting an extension, electing traffic school if you qualify, or entering a not-guilty plea to contest the charge. Do nothing, and the court adds penalties, sends a hold to the DMV, and can refer the balance to collections.
The Notice to Appear date is a deadline, not a court appearance. You don’t have to walk into the courthouse on that date; you have to have taken some action by then.
Looking Up Your Case
You can find your citation online through the LA Superior Court’s traffic portal using either your citation number or your California driver’s license number.1Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles. Search My Ticket The paper ticket has what you need: the citation number, the violation date, the Vehicle Code section cited, and the issuing agency (usually the Glendale Police Department or California Highway Patrol).
The Glendale Courthouse building is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Clerk’s Office window is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding court holidays.2Los Angeles Superior Court. Glendale Courthouse – Contacts and Locations
What You Actually Owe
The number on your ticket is not what you pay. California layers mandatory penalty assessments and surcharges on top of every base fine, and the total is usually several times larger than the base.
A $25 base fine breaks down like this under the current Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules:3Judicial Branch of California. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules
- Penalty assessments of $29 for every $10 (or fraction) of base fine
- A 20% state surcharge on the base fine
- A $40 court operations assessment per convicted violation
- A $35 conviction assessment per infraction
- A $1 night court fee
- A $4 emergency medical/air transport fee per convicted violation
Added up, a $25 base fine hits $244 before any late charges. Miss the payment deadline and a late charge equal to 50% of the initial penalty attaches, pushing the total past $319. Most moving violations carry base fines well above $25, so a routine speeding ticket in Glendale usually totals somewhere between $230 and $500. The LA Superior Court publishes a full traffic fee table listing the assessments applied in Los Angeles County.4Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Traffic Fee Table
If You Need More Time or Can’t Afford It
Before your due date, you can request an extension through the court’s online traffic portal.5Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Request an Extension You do not need to appear before a judge. Once the original deadline passes, the extension option disappears and late penalties start attaching, so make the request early rather than late.
If the total is more than you can pay, California law requires the court to consider your financial situation when you ask.6California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 42003 Depending on your circumstances, the court can reduce the amount owed, extend the deadline, set up a monthly payment plan, or convert the fine to community service.7Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Can’t Afford to Pay You start the process through the court’s online Ability to Pay tool, and you’ll need documentation: proof of public benefits, pay stubs, bank statements, or records of fixed expenses.8Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Court to Launch Online Ability to Pay Tool for Traffic and Non-Traffic Infractions Even after a judgment has been entered, you can petition the court to modify the terms if your circumstances change.
Fix-It Tickets (Correctable Violations)
If the “correctable violation” box is checked on the front of your citation, the process is cheaper and simpler. Common examples are expired registration, a broken tail light, or driving without your license in hand.
Fix the problem, then take your vehicle and citation to a law enforcement agency (police department, CHP office, or sheriff’s office) or an authorized inspection station. For registration and license issues, the DMV can verify the correction. The officer or agent signs the Certificate of Correction section on the back of the citation. Mail the signed citation to the court with a $25 fee per corrected violation.9California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 40611 Handle this before your due date, or the ticket converts to a standard fine with full penalty assessments.
Traffic School
Completing traffic school keeps the conviction confidential on your driving record, which means no point on your license and no rate hike from your insurer. But eligibility is limited. Under the California Rules of Court, the clerk can approve traffic school for any reportable moving violation unless one of these applies:10Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court 2026 – Rule 4.104 Procedures and Eligibility Criteria for Attending Traffic Violator School
- You were cited for going more than 25 mph over the posted limit
- The violation involved alcohol or drug use or possession
- The charge is hit-and-run, reckless driving, or DUI
- You were driving a commercial motor vehicle at the time
- You attended traffic school for another violation within the past 18 months
The 18-month clock runs violation date to violation date, not from when you finished the previous course.11California Courts. Traffic School You must hold a valid noncommercial class C or class M license. Commercial license holders can still request traffic school if the vehicle they were driving only required a class C or M license, but the conviction won’t be kept confidential in that case; it just won’t add to their violation point count.12California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 42005
If you elect traffic school, you pay the full bail on the ticket, an administrative fee of up to $52, and the course fee (typically $20 to $60, paid to the school directly).13California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 42007 Elect it and then fail to complete it, and the confidentiality protection disappears; the conviction lands on your record.
Contesting the Ticket
You have two ways to fight the citation, and both require action before your due date (or extended due date).
Trial by Written Declaration
You argue the case on paper. File form TR-205 and deposit the full bail amount with the court before your appearance date.14Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court 2026 – Rule 4.210 Traffic Court Trial by Written Declaration The court then gives you a deadline to submit a written statement of the facts and your defense. The citing officer also submits a written statement, and a judge decides based on both.
Lose, and you have 20 calendar days from the date the decision is mailed to request a brand-new trial (called a “trial de novo”) using form TR-220. That second trial is a fresh start in front of a judge. Win at any stage and your bail is refunded. Miss the 20-day window and the original decision stands.
Fail to post the full bail, sign every required form, or hit a procedural deadline, and the court can deny the request outright.
In-Person Trial
Plead not guilty and request a court trial. You have the right to a speedy trial, meaning the hearing must be scheduled within 45 days if you demand it. The citing officer must appear. You can cross-examine the officer, present witnesses, introduce photos or diagrams, and testify yourself. The court provides free subpoena services to compel your witnesses.15Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Advisement of Rights – Traffic Department
If you promise to appear and don’t show up, the court can hold the trial in your absence based on the officer’s written declaration. A decision gets mailed to you, and you have 20 days to post bail and request a new trial. Miss that window and the ruling becomes final.
What Happens If You Ignore the Ticket
The consequences stack quickly. First, the court can impose a civil assessment of up to $100 on top of what you already owe,16California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1214.1 and a late charge of 50% of the initial penalty applies under the bail schedule. A $244 fine can grow past $400 in short order.
Second, the court notifies the DMV, which places a hold on your license. Before that notification goes out, the court is required to mail you a courtesy warning at least 10 days in advance, so you get one last chance to act.17California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 40509.5 Once the hold is in place, you cannot renew your license or get a new one until you resolve the case and the court files a clearance certificate with the DMV.
Third, the unpaid amount can go to collections, which adds costs and can hit your credit. If you realize you’ve already missed a deadline, contact the court right away. Resolving the underlying case is the only way to clear the DMV hold.
Paying Your Ticket
The LA Superior Court accepts payment four ways:18Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Pay My Ticket
- Online through the traffic portal at lacourt.ca.gov, using your citation or case number. A processing fee applies.
- By phone through the court’s traffic division automated system.
- By mail with a check or money order sent to the Clerk’s Office at 600 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206. Write the citation number on the payment.
- In person at the Glendale Courthouse Clerk’s Office during its 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. window. An after-hours drop box at the courthouse entrance takes payments outside those hours.
Once payment is processed, the case status updates to closed, though online records can take several business days to catch up. Keep the receipt or confirmation number. If a DMV hold has already been placed because of a missed deadline, paying alone does not restore your driving privileges; the court still has to file a clearance certificate with the DMV.