Seattle’s Declaration of Non-Responsibility lets you challenge a camera ticket by swearing, under penalty of perjury, that your vehicle was not in your care, custody, or control when the violation was recorded. File it with Seattle Municipal Court by the due date on your Notice of Infraction, and in a straightforward case the ticket is canceled without a payment or a hearing.1Seattle Municipal Court. Camera Tickets
When the Declaration Applies
The declaration is only for infractions captured by automated traffic safety cameras: red-light violations, school zone speeding, general speed cameras, and blocking, crosswalk, intersection, restricted-lane, and bike-lane cameras.2Seattle City Clerk. Seattle City Council Bills and Ordinances – Ordinance 126892 Cameras photograph the rear of the vehicle, so the city knows the plate but not the driver. That gap is the whole reason the declaration exists.
If a police officer pulled you over and handed you a citation, the declaration does not apply. Officer-issued tickets identify the driver on the spot. The declaration is also unavailable to companies, organizations, and employers. If a business owns the vehicle, Seattle Municipal Court treats a vehicle driven by an employee as being in the care, custody, and control of the registered owner, and the employer must either pay or request a hearing.1Seattle Municipal Court. Camera Tickets
What You Are Swearing To
The declaration is a sworn statement, signed under penalty of perjury, certifying that the vehicle was not in your care, custody, or control at the time of the violation.1Seattle Municipal Court. Camera Tickets To fill it out, you need the notice number printed in the upper right corner of your Notice of Infraction, the license plate number, and the date of the violation.
Do You Have to Name the Driver?
Yes, if you know who it was. Seattle’s form asks you to swear the vehicle was not in your care, custody, or control and the court’s own page does not stress the driver-identification piece.1Seattle Municipal Court. Camera Tickets Washington statute goes further. RCW 46.63.170 requires the written statement to include the name and address of the person who had care, custody, or control of the vehicle at the time of the infraction.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.63.170 – Automated Traffic Safety Cameras RCW 46.63.220 likewise requires the declaration to include the name and address of the person operating the vehicle.4Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.63.220 – Failure to Respond to Notice of Infraction – Vehicle Owner Liability
The practical takeaway: if you loaned your car to a friend, a family member, or anyone else, state law expects you to name them. A stolen-vehicle situation is handled separately, and it is covered below.
How and Where to File
Seattle Municipal Court accepts the declaration four ways:
- Online, through the court’s website form.
- Email to SMC_DNR@seattle.gov.
- Fax to (206) 684-8726.
- Mail to PO Box 34987, Seattle, WA 98124-4987.
Keep your confirmation. The online system generates a receipt. If you email or fax, save the sent message or the fax confirmation page. If you mail the form, allow enough time for it to arrive before the due date, and consider a delivery method that gives you tracking.
The Deadline
The declaration must reach the court by the due date printed on the front of your Notice of Infraction.1Seattle Municipal Court. Camera Tickets Do not assume a set number of days. The date is calculated from when the notice was mailed and can vary by violation type. Read the notice, put the date on your calendar, and file before it.
What Happens After You File
Filing is not automatic dismissal. The court reviews your sworn statement and either cancels the ticket or sets a hearing, depending on the facts and any history of camera violations tied to the vehicle or the owner.1Seattle Municipal Court. Camera Tickets A first-time filing without complications is typically canceled. Repeated declarations that keep shifting responsibility on the same plate will draw scrutiny.
If a hearing is scheduled, appear and bring supporting evidence. Travel records showing you were out of town, a loan or sale record for the vehicle, or anything else that supports what you swore to.
If the Vehicle or Plates Were Stolen
Under RCW 46.63.170, a sworn statement that the vehicle was stolen at the time of the infraction rebuts the presumption that the registered owner was driving.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.63.170 – Automated Traffic Safety Cameras Back the claim with a police report. Stolen vehicles and stolen plates cannot be reported through Seattle Police Department’s online system; call the non-emergency line at 206-625-5011 to file.5Seattle.gov. Online Crime Reporting
If you already have the police report, you can request a contested hearing and submit documentation through the court’s public portal or by email to CourtCalendar.SMC@seattle.gov.6Seattle Municipal Court. Dispute My Ticket File promptly. Waiting past the due date closes off options.
What Missing the Deadline Costs You
Ignoring a camera ticket is worse than it looks on paper. If the deadline passes without a response:
- The court adds a $25 late fee to the fine.
- You lose the right to request a hearing or contest the ticket.
- The unpaid balance can go to a collection agency.
- The Washington Department of Licensing can place a hold on your vehicle registration, blocking your tab renewal.
- With four or more overdue parking-type tickets, Seattle Police can boot, tow, and impound the vehicle.
The registration hold is the one that surprises people. You may not notice the unpaid ticket until the tab renewal system blocks you, and by then you owe the fine, the late fee, and any collection charges before the hold comes off. If the declaration applies to your situation, filing it on time is the cheapest and simplest way to end the matter.