If you got a ticket in San Bernardino County, traffic school lets you keep the violation off your public driving record so it won’t raise your insurance. You pay the full bail amount for your citation plus a $55 court processing fee, finish a DMV-licensed course by the deadline the court gives you, and the conviction is reported as confidential under California law. The Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino handles the request through its online portal, by phone, by mail, or at any courthouse window.
Does Your Ticket Qualify
Not every citation is eligible. To use traffic school in San Bernardino County, your ticket has to clear all of these conditions:
- It’s a moving violation of the California Vehicle Code, not a parking ticket or a fix-it ticket.
- The violation carries only one point. Two-point offenses like reckless driving are out.
- You have not attended traffic school for another violation in the previous 18 months, measured from the date of that earlier violation to the date of this one.
- If you were cited for speeding, the alleged speed is not more than 25 mph over the posted limit.
- Your citation does not require a mandatory court appearance.
- It’s not a DUI, drug, or alcohol-related charge.
- You were not driving a commercial vehicle when you were cited.
These rules come from California Rule of Court 4.104 and Vehicle Code Sections 41501 and 42005.1Judicial Branch of California. Rule 4.104 Procedures and Eligibility Criteria for Attending Traffic Violator School2California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 41501 Eligibility is confirmed when you process your citation through the court.
What It Costs
You are paying three separate things: the full bail amount for your violation, a nonrefundable $55 traffic school processing fee to the court, and tuition to the school itself.3Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Traffic School Information Vehicle Code Section 42007 requires the court to collect the bail-based fee and makes clear it does not include what the school charges for instruction.4California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 42007
Bail depends on the violation. Under the 2026 Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule, most standard infractions like running a stop sign or an unsafe lane change fall into Category 2 at $233 total bail. More serious infractions fall into Category 3 at $362. Speeding tickets follow a separate chart that scales with how many miles over the limit you were cited at.5Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules 2026 Edition For a common Category 2 violation, plan on roughly $233 in bail, $55 to the court, and $20 to $45 for an online course — somewhere around $310 to $335 all in.
Can’t pay it all at once? You can request an installment plan. The court charges up to $35 to set that up.
How to Pay and Request Traffic School
You will need your case number or citation number from the ticket. San Bernardino County lets you pay and request traffic school at the same time through any of these channels:
- Online at cap.sb-court.org. A convenience fee may apply.6Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Pay a Traffic Ticket
- By phone at (909) 481-4228 or (760) 241-9529, available 24 hours.
- By mail, with a check or money order for bail plus the $55 fee, sent to the courthouse on your citation.
- In person at any San Bernardino Superior Courthouse. Express drop boxes are available 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but never put cash in a drop box.
The court accepts cash, checks, money orders, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and debit cards for in-person and phone payments.6Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Pay a Traffic Ticket Watch the due date printed on your citation. If you miss it without requesting an extension, you lose the traffic school option.
Choosing and Finishing an Approved Course
Once the court processes your payment and confirms eligibility, you can enroll in any DMV-licensed traffic school. The California DMV publishes a searchable list of approved providers.7California Department of Motor Vehicles. Traffic School List Most drivers pick an online course for the lower price and self-paced format, with tuition typically running $20 to $45.
Classroom courses require at least eight hours of instruction. Online courses end with a final exam of at least 60 minutes. Either format covers defensive driving, right-of-way rules, and current Vehicle Code provisions, and you need at least 70% on the multiple-choice final to pass.
When you pass, confirm your completion certificate shows your name and citation number exactly as they appear in your court records. A small mismatch can delay processing.
Deadline and Extensions
The court assigns a completion deadline when it processes your request. The electronic report from the school has to reach the court and be processed as a confidential conviction by that date, not just submitted by the school.3Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Traffic School Information Don’t cut it close in the final days.
Need more time? The court offers a one-time 60-day extension or two separate 30-day extensions on infraction citations.8Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Traffic FAQs You have to request the extension before your original due date, not after. Extensions can be requested online, by phone, by mail, or in person.
How Your Record Gets Updated After You Finish
The school electronically transmits your completion certificate to the court. You don’t need to file anything.3Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Traffic School Information The court processes the report and notifies the DMV, which marks the conviction as confidential.
Under Vehicle Code Section 1808.7, a confidential conviction does not appear on your public driving record, and no point is added.9California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 1808.7 Because the point never appears on a public record check, insurance companies cannot see the violation or use it to raise your rates.10California Courts. Traffic School Preserving California’s Good Driver Discount, which can reduce premiums by up to 25%, is the main reason most drivers go through this.
Check cap.sb-court.org after your school submits the certificate to confirm your case reflects completion. If the status hasn’t updated after a couple of weeks, call the court’s traffic clerk to follow up.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Miss the deadline and you forfeit the bail and the $55 fee you already paid. The court does not refund them. The case closes, the violation is reported to the DMV as a standard conviction, the point goes on your public driving record, and insurance companies can see it. The traffic school option disappears for that citation; there is no second chance. A single point can cost you the Good Driver Discount at your next renewal. If there’s any doubt you’ll finish on time, request an extension before the due date.
If You Hold a Commercial Driver’s License
CDL holders are treated differently. Under Vehicle Code Section 42005, a court can let you attend traffic school if you were driving a non-commercial vehicle when cited, but it cannot order the conviction kept confidential.11California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 42005 The conviction still shows up on your record.
Federal law requires this. Under 49 CFR 384.226, states cannot mask, defer, or divert any traffic conviction for a CDL holder, regardless of the vehicle driven.12eCFR. 49 CFR 384.226 Prohibition on Masking Convictions Attending can still keep points from counting toward the negligent operator threshold, but it will not hide the conviction from your employer or your commercial driving record.