Superior Court of California, County of Humboldt
Traffic Division
Frequently Asked Questions
The Traffic Division office is on the ground floor of the courthouse at 421 I Street in downtown Eureka. Our mailing address is: Superior Court of California, County of Humboldt, Attn: Traffic Division, 825 Fifth Street, Eureka, California 95501. You may call us toll free at 866-608-1804.
Click here for directions and a map.
I have received a citation. What options do I have?
I want to pay my fine in full. How do I pay?
I would like to set up a payment plan. Can I pay my fine over time?
I don't want to contest my ticket, I just want to talk to somebody about it!
I have received a citation. What options do I have?
You may pay your fine, request a payment plan, request traffic school, or contest your citation.
How much is my fine?
To determine the total dollar amount for your fine, call the superior court's Traffic Division toll-free at 866-608-1804. The clerk will ask for the information on your citation and calculate your total fine.
I want to pay my fine in full. How do I pay?
- First you will need to know your court docket number and the total amount of the fine. Find out by calling the superior court's Traffic Division at 866-608-1804. For verification, you will be required to give your name and your birth date. Be sure to write down the docket number and fine amount when they are given to you.
- Call Official Payments Corporation at 888-367-4669. The system is automated. You will need to know your docket number and your total fine amount, as well as your credit card information. Official Payments Corporation will charge an additional fee of $12.95.
Mail your payment
You may mail your payment in full. Please write your citation number on the check or money order and make it payable to Superior Court of California. Send it to:
Superior Court of California,
County of Humboldt
Attn.: Traffic Division
825 Fifth Street
Eureka, California 95501
Pay over the telephone
You can make a payment by credit card on the telephone, via Official Payments Corporation.
Once you have completed your transaction with Official Payments Corporation, please call the court again to give us your receipt number. This will enable us to match your payment to your citation.
I would like to set up a payment plan. Can I pay my fine over time?
The superior court cannot accept partial payments. We can, however, assign your debt to the Humboldt County Revenue Recovery Office 
for a payment plan.
You will first need to ask the court for the forms that must be filled out to arrange a payment plan. Click here for the Superior Court Traffic Division address and phone number.
Humboldt County Revenue Recovery charges a $35 fee for setting up a payment plan for you. If you miss a payment, an additional fee of $250 may be added to your account.
Can traffic school help?
Traffic school does not remove the citation from your record or reduce your fine amount. Traffic school can remove the point value from your Department of Motor Vehicles record and may help with your insurance. You will have to call your insurance company to find out for sure how this will affect your rates.
- You have not attended within the last 18 months - you can contact the Department of Motor Vehicles to get this information;
- Your speed was not more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit; and
- There was no accident involved.
Am I eligible for traffic school?
You are eligible to attend traffic school if:
How do I sign up to attend traffic school?
Before signing up with any traffic school, you must pay a nonrefundable administrative fee of $24 to the superior court. This fee is in addition to your total fine amount. You may pay the administrative fee in the same ways you pay fines, either in person or by mail. Please be aware that each Traffic School also charges additional enrollment fees.
Before you enroll in any traffic school, please check and make sure that the school is approved by us. We will not process a traffic school certificate from a school that has not been approved.
Currently, the following approved traffic schools are available in this area:
Classes in Eureka
Eureka Driving School
1307 Union Street
Eureka, California 95501
707-442-1355
Eureka Adult School
674 Allard Avenue
Eureka, California 95501
707- 441-2448
Classes in Eureka and Arcata
Pacific Seminar Traffic Safety, Inc.
800-448-4140
Can I take traffic school online?
Yes. Online traffic schools are a popular and convenient method for completing your traffic school obligation. If you live outside the state of California, your only option is an online school. At this writing, we are accepting completion certificates from nearly all the online schools. However, you should verify that your particular school is acceptable.
How do I contest my ticket?
There are two ways to contest a citation: with a court trial, or with a trial by written declaration.
- You must post with the superior court the total amount of the bail. You may do this either in person or by mail.
- The traffic clerk will then set a court trial date.
- If you are unable to attend, you must give us at least a couple of days' notice so that we can vacate your court date. If you contact us too late, we will be unable to change your court date, and the judge will probably issue a bench warrant when you don't appear.
- Sometimes cases are not entirely finished on the date of the hearing. The judge may continue the matter on another day. If the judge sets a new date, the traffic clerk cannot vacate or change it. If you have a good reason for not making the court date, you can write the judge and ask that the date be vacated or changed. Your letter must be submitted early enough that the judge can look it over and return a decision before the court date in question.
- If you are found not guilty, the bail amount will be returned to you (please allow a couple of weeks for processing).
- Once a case goes before the judge, we need the judge's permission to approve traffic school. Please remember to make that request at your hearing.
- You may live out of the area.
- This process is not available if you have been given a "mandatory court" appearance.
- If the judge finds you not guilty, we will return your bail amount. Please allow a couple of weeks for processing.
- You may want to include a note in your trial by written declaration stating that you wish to attend traffic school if you are found guilty. Once a case goes before the judge, we need the judge's permission to approve traffic school.
Court trial
In a court trial, both you and the officer go to the court to present your versions of what occurred.
Trial by written declaration
If you wish to contest your ticket without appearing before the court, you may request a trial by written declaration.
Mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope with a request for a trial by written declaration to the Superior Court of California, County of Humboldt, Traffic Division. Be sure to refer to your citation number. We will mail the appropriate forms both to you and to the officer.
When you mail your forms back to the court, you must include the total bail amount for your citation. If you want to attend traffic school, you may wish to include the $24 administrative fee in your bail amount, in case you are found guilty. The bail amount will be placed in a trust account, held by the court, until the judge's decision.
When we receive your forms and the officer's forms, they will be sent to the judge, who will render a decision.
I don't want to contest my ticket, I just want to talk to somebody about it!
If you do not wish to contest your citation but you have an issue with your citation, please give us a call. We will let you know what we can or cannot do for you and whether it would be best to take the matter up with the judge.
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