Polk County Red Light Ticket: $158 Fine, Deadline, and Options

A Polk County red light ticket costs $158 if you pay within 60 days of the notice date. That window also covers your other two options: requesting a hearing or filing an affidavit naming whoever was actually driving. Miss the deadline and the civil notice converts into a formal court citation with added fees, and continued inaction leads to a suspended license.

The 60-Day Deadline and Your Three Options

When a Polk County camera captures your vehicle entering an intersection after the light turned red, the county mails a Notice of Violation to the registered owner within 30 days. That notice is a civil document, not a court filing. From the date on the notice, you have 60 days to do one of three things: pay the $158 penalty, submit a sworn affidavit transferring responsibility to the actual driver, or request a hearing before a hearing officer.¹

If none of those three things happens inside the 60-day window, the county issues a Uniform Traffic Citation (UTC) by certified mail. A UTC is a court filing processed through the Polk County Clerk of Courts, and it carries court costs and administrative fees on top of the original penalty. The total can reach $262 or more depending on applicable surcharges, and a hearing officer who finds a violation at the UTC stage can set the penalty as high as $500.² The 60-day deadline is the single most important date on your notice.

Review the Footage Before You Decide

Your Notice of Violation includes a Notice Number and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) on the front. Enter those at ViolationInfo.com to see photographs and video of the alleged violation. The footage typically shows your vehicle approaching the intersection, the signal status, and the moment of entry.³

Pay particular attention if the ticket was triggered by a right turn on red. Florida law prohibits issuing a camera notice or citation when a driver made a right turn “in a careful and prudent manner” at an intersection where right turns are allowed. The statute also protects drivers who crossed the stop line before stopping and then completed the right turn. Stopping after the line but before turning is not a ticketable offense under the camera program.¹ If the video shows you came to a stop and then turned, note the exact timestamp. That’s what a hearing officer will focus on.

An unclear license plate image or a vehicle that isn’t yours is also worth flagging before you decide how to respond.

How to Pay the $158

The Polk County Clerk of Courts accepts payment four ways:

Online through the Polk County Clerk’s payment portal, using the citation details on your notice. This is the fastest option.
By phone at 863-733-8045. The Payment Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In person at the Clerk’s offices in Bartow, Lakeland, or the Northeast Government Center in Lake Alfred. Cash and credit cards are accepted; credit card payments carry a vendor convenience fee. You can also pay cash at any Amscot location for a $2.50 service fee.
By mail using the envelope included with your notice. Make the check or money order payable to “Clerk of Court,” write your Notice Number on it, and send it to Polk County Clerk & Comptroller, P.O. Box 9000, Drawer CC-10, Bartow, FL 33831-9000. Mailed payments must arrive by the due date.⁴

Requesting a Hearing

You can request a hearing within the 60-day notice period. A hearing officer reviews the photographic and video evidence and decides whether the infraction occurred. The standard of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt, which works in your favor. If the officer finds no violation, any penalty already paid is refunded. If the officer finds a violation, the penalty can be set anywhere up to $500.²

Understand that trade-off before requesting a hearing. By choosing one, you give up the fixed $158 civil penalty and accept whatever the officer decides. Hearings make the most sense when you have strong evidence on your side, like clear footage of a lawful right turn on red or proof that the camera captured the wrong vehicle.

Filing an Affidavit If Someone Else Was Driving

If someone else was behind the wheel when the camera triggered, you can shift liability by filing an affidavit. Florida law allows this when the vehicle was in another person’s care, custody, or control at the time of the violation. The affidavit must include the driver’s name, address, date of birth, and driver license number if you know it, and it must be sworn before a notary or another person authorized to administer oaths. If the vehicle was stolen, attach a copy of the police report.⁵

Once the county accepts a valid affidavit, it issues a new Notice of Violation to the person you identified, and you’re no longer on the hook. Filing a false affidavit creates its own legal problems, so this option is only for situations where someone else genuinely was driving.

Rental and leased vehicles work a little differently. If your vehicle is leased and the registration is in the lessee’s name, the leasing company isn’t responsible for the citation. For rental cars, the rental company receives the notice and uses the rental agreement to identify the driver, then submits an affidavit so a new notice goes to the renter. Many rental agreements also allow the company to charge an administrative fee for processing the ticket.¹

What Happens If You Ignore the Notice

The escalation is predictable. After the 60-day window closes without payment, a hearing request, or an affidavit, the county issues a Uniform Traffic Citation by certified mail. That UTC adds court costs and administrative fees to the original penalty.¹

Ignore the UTC, and the Clerk of Courts sends a notice giving you 30 days to comply, plus a delinquency fee of up to $25. If you still don’t respond, the Clerk notifies the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which suspends your driver’s license. The suspension takes effect 20 days after the order is mailed. Your license stays suspended until you pay every outstanding fine, court cost, and fee, then present proof of compliance at a driver licensing office.⁶

A $158 notice that ends in a suspension is the most expensive version of this situation. Between the increased UTC fine, delinquency fees, reinstatement costs, and the practical consequences of losing your license, the total impact can easily exceed $500.

Points and Insurance

Red light camera violations in Florida do not add points to your driving record. A standard red light ticket written in person by a police officer carries four points, but the camera-based enforcement program under the Mark Wandall Act is treated as a separate civil process. Paying the $158 notice keeps the matter entirely off your official driving history. A UTC also doesn’t add points, though it creates a court record that could surface in certain background checks.

Because no points attach, most Florida insurers won’t raise your rates over a camera ticket, and these violations rarely reach an insurer’s attention. If a UTC goes unpaid and results in a license suspension, however, the reinstatement process itself could affect your insurance status.

1
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.0083 – Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program; Administration; Report
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Procedures
3
City of Lakeland. Red Light Camera Program FAQs
4
Polk County Clerk, FL. Traffic Tickets
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 316.0083 – Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program; Administration; Report
6
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.245 – Suspension of License Upon Failure to Comply With Directives; Reinstatement