Los Angeles County Traffic Ticket Guide
After a traffic ticket in Los Angeles County, the Superior Court gives you a due date to pay, ask for traffic school or contest the ticket at the courthouse named on the citation. The Traffic Ticket Attorneys fight Los Angeles County tickets in the county’s courthouses from our office in Glendale, and the first consultation is free.
Courthouses That Hear Traffic Tickets in Los Angeles County
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles hears traffic cases at 17 courthouses. Your citation names the one that has your case, and the court sends payments, written declarations and hearings to that courthouse.
| Courthouse | Address |
|---|---|
| Beverly Hills Courthouse | 9355 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 |
| Chatsworth Courthouse | 9425 Penfield Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311 |
| Compton Courthouse | 200 West Compton Blvd., Compton, CA 90220 |
| Downey Courthouse | 7500 East Imperial Highway, Downey, CA 90242 |
| El Monte Courthouse | 11234 East Valley Blvd., El Monte, CA 91731 |
| Glendale Courthouse | 600 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206 |
| Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse | 275 Magnolia, Long Beach, CA 90802 |
| Inglewood Courthouse | 1 Regent Street, Inglewood, CA 90301 |
| Metropolitan Courthouse | 1945 South Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007 |
| Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse | 42011 4th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534 |
| Pasadena Courthouse | 300 East Walnut St., Pasadena, CA 91101 |
| San Fernando Courthouse | 900 Third Street, San Fernando, CA 91340 |
| Santa Clarita Courthouse | 23747 West Valencia Blvd, Santa Clarita, CA 91355 |
| Santa Monica Courthouse | 1725 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 |
| Torrance Courthouse | 825 Maple Ave., Torrance, CA 90503 |
| Van Nuys Courthouse West | 14400 Erwin Street Mall, Van Nuys, CA 91401 |
| West Covina Courthouse | 1427 West Covina Parkway, West Covina, CA 91790 |
Source: Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, List of Traffic Courthouses, read October 6, 2026. The court’s Traffic Call Center is (213) 633-6300, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, except holidays (the court’s Traffic page).
Long Beach tickets have their own page: our Long Beach traffic ticket guide.
What Happens After a Ticket in Los Angeles County
The Courtesy Notice and the Due Date
The court mails a courtesy notice three to four weeks after the ticket, as a service it is not required to provide. The due date on the citation applies whether or not that notice arrives. A ticket usually appears in the court’s online search about 30 days after it is written.
Paying the Ticket
The court takes payment online, by phone, by mail to the courthouse on the ticket, or in person at any traffic courthouse, on or before the due date or any scheduled hearing. The court states that some violations, such as excessive speed, require a mandatory court appearance and cannot simply be paid.
Traffic School
The court allows traffic school when the driver has a valid license, the violation carries only one point, the speed was not more than 25 mph over the limit, the driver was not in a commercial vehicle or carrying hazardous material, and the driver has not attended traffic school for a violation within the previous 18 months, counted violation date to violation date. The driver then has 60 days to finish the course.
Contesting the Ticket
A driver who contests the ticket asks for a court trial or a trial by written declaration before the due date.
- Court trial. The court sets a trial once the bail amount is deposited. A driver who cannot post bail first schedules an arraignment, where a judicial officer can be asked to set a trial without bail.
- Trial by written declaration. Available when the ticket is not delinquent, every charge is an infraction and the full bail is posted. The driver has 30 days from the payment to file form TR-205. After a guilty ruling, the driver can ask for a new trial (trial de novo) on form TR-220 within 20 days.
Appearing Remotely
The Los Angeles court lets people appear by audio or video through LACourtConnect for traffic hearings, except appeals and red light camera trials, and except where documents will be shown to the judicial officer or identity is in question. The hearing has to be scheduled first.
Extensions
The court allows one extension each for the appearance date, the traffic school completion date and the community service date. Eligible citations can get a one-time 90-day extension online.
Sources: LA Superior Court, Search My Ticket, Pay My Ticket, Traffic School, Contest My Ticket, Court Trial, Trial by Written Declaration, Hearings and Appointments and Request an Extension, all read October 6, 2026.
What Is Different About Tickets in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles City Tickets Go to the County Court
The city of Los Angeles has no traffic court of its own. Its tickets are heard by the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, whose jurisdiction covers 88 cities and 140 unincorporated areas. Downtown, that is the Metropolitan Courthouse at 1945 South Hill Street. Our page for Los Angeles drivers covers city tickets in more detail.
Red Light Cameras Depend on the City
Red light camera programs in Los Angeles County are run city by city.
- Los Angeles city shut its program down: its last camera violations were captured on July 31, 2011, when all 63 cameras at 32 intersections were switched off (Los Angeles Police Commission, document 11-0372, September 15, 2011).
- Culver City operates cameras at twelve intersections with twenty approaches, and its camera tickets name the Santa Monica Courthouse (Culver City Police, Photo Enforcement).
- Beverly Hills, Covina, Baldwin Park and Hawthorne describe red light camera enforcement on their own city or police pages.
A red light camera trial in Los Angeles County is heard in the courtroom: the court’s remote-appearance option does not cover it. Our red light camera ticket page explains how these tickets are defended.
The Court’s CourtHelp Service
On August 17, 2026, the court launched CourtHelp, which handles ticket lookup, payment, payment plans, traffic school, due-date and payment extensions and booking an arraignment (the court’s news release of August 17, 2026).
All sources in this section read October 6, 2026.
Our Record in Los Angeles County Courts
The Victory List is our published list of dismissed cases, by date, court and code section. As of 2026-10-06, it lists 95 cases at Glendale, 57 at L.A. Metro and 53 at Chatsworth as dismissed. A recent case from each of ten courts:
| Date | Court (as listed) | Code section | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/12/25 | L.A. Metro | 22349 (a) | Dismissed |
| 6/12/25 | Glendale | 22450 (a) | Dismissed |
| 6/12/25 | Pasadena | 22348 (b) | Dismissed - 104 MPH |
| 6/10/25 | Santa Monica | 22450 (a) | Dismissed |
| 6/10/25 | Beverly Hills | 22350 | Dismissed |
| 6/10/25 | Chatsworth | 22450 (a) | Dismissed |
| 6/9/25 | Lancaster | 22349 (a) | Dismissed |
| 6/4/25 | Van Nuys | 22350 | Dismissed |
| 6/3/25 | Santa Clarita | 22350 | Dismissed |
| 5/22/25 | Downey | 21655.5 (b) | Dismissed |
Past results do not guarantee a future outcome. Every case turns on its own facts. See the full Victory List.
Questions About Los Angeles County Tickets
Which Courthouse Is on My Ticket?
The citation names it, and the court’s courtesy notice repeats it. The court’s online ticket search finds the case by citation number, usually about 30 days after the ticket is written. The 17 traffic courthouses are listed above.
Can I Go to Traffic School for This Ticket?
The court’s rules decide it: a valid license, a one-point moving violation, no more than 25 mph over the limit, not in a commercial vehicle or carrying hazardous material, and no traffic school for a violation in the previous 18 months. A ticket received while driving a commercial vehicle does not qualify. Our CDL ticket page explains what that means for a commercial driver.
Do I Have to Appear in Person?
Not always. The court requires an appearance for some violations, such as excessive speed. It offers remote appearances by audio or video for most traffic hearings, though not for appeals or red light camera trials, and a trial by written declaration is decided on paper. The court also states that you may have a lawyer represent you.
What Happens If I Miss My Court Date?
The Los Angeles court can issue a bench warrant or send the case to its collection vendor. Missing a trial can bring a civil assessment, or the court can hold the trial without you. Under Vehicle Code § 40508, failing to appear can also be charged as a separate misdemeanor, whatever happens to the original ticket (Judicial Council of California, Traffic Program FAQs). Our failure to appear page explains how these cases are defended.
Can a Lawyer From Glendale Handle a Ticket Here?
Yes. Our attorneys appear in courthouses across Los Angeles County from our Glendale office. An attorney reviews the citation, appears in court for you and keeps track of each court date. The consultation is free, and it tells you how your case would run at your courthouse.
Sources for the answers: LA Superior Court, Traffic FAQs and Court Trial, plus the court pages cited above, read October 6, 2026.
Fight Your Los Angeles County Ticket With an Experienced Attorney
The Traffic Ticket Attorneys fight tickets in Los Angeles County courts from our office in Glendale, with over 45 years of combined experience in fighting traffic tickets. We defend speeding tickets, red light camera tickets, CDL tickets and failure to appear charges, and we take cases across California. Call (310) 455-6810 or ask for your Free Consultation.
Sources
Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
- List of Traffic Courthouses(opens in a new tab)
- Traffic(opens in a new tab)
- Search My Ticket(opens in a new tab)
- Pay My Ticket(opens in a new tab)
- Traffic School(opens in a new tab)
- Contest My Ticket(opens in a new tab)
- Court Trial(opens in a new tab)
- Trial by Written Declaration(opens in a new tab)
- Hearings and Appointments(opens in a new tab)
- Request an Extension(opens in a new tab)
- news release(opens in a new tab), CourtHelp, August 17, 2026
- online ticket search(opens in a new tab)
- Traffic FAQs(opens in a new tab)
Los Angeles Police Commission
Culver City Police Department
City of Beverly Hills
- Beverly Hills(opens in a new tab), Police Divisions
Covina Police Department
- Covina(opens in a new tab), Operations Division
City of Baldwin Park
- Baldwin Park(opens in a new tab), Traffic
Hawthorne Police Department
- Hawthorne(opens in a new tab), Red Light Camera Citations
Judicial Council of California