Uniform Traffic Citations

The following information is from the Brevard County Clerk of the Court website:

Civil Traffic Infractions

A civil traffic infraction is a non-criminal violation which usually can be disposed of by payment of a civil penalty or election to attend a defensive driving course. A court appearance is not required, except in cases where the violation involves an accident with serious bodily injury, a fatality or certain other violations.

Payment must be made within 30 days of the date the ticket was issued.
A delinquency fee will be added and your driver license suspended if a citation is not paid within 30 days.
Unpaid citations will be turned over to a collection agency after 120 days and additional fees will be assessed.
Payment can be made by mail, over the Internet, via Western Union, at any Amscot location, or in person at one of the Clerk's offices in Titusville, Merritt Island, Melbourne, Viera or Palm Bay.
The Clerk's Office will accept partial payments; however, there is a $5 fee per payment associated with this option.
A convenience fee of two dollars or 2.95% of the total charge, whichever is greater, will be assessed when paying by credit card. (The Clerk’s Office does not receive any part of this fee.)

Driver Improvement School

The option of attending school does not apply to all traffic infractions. If you hold a CDL license, you are not eligible to elect driving school. If you are charged with exceeding the speed limit by 30 mph or more, you are not eligible to elect driving school - a mandatory court appearance is required.

Successful completion of driver improvement school will keep violation points from being entered on a driver record.
You must complete school and provide proof of completion to the Clerk’s Office within 90 days of the violation date.
The school enrollment fee is charged in addition to the assessment for the infraction.
There are independent traffic schools serving this area which are listed in the telephone book yellow pages under "Driving Instruction" and "Traffic Schools." Others are listed in the Helpful Links section to the left.

Plea of No Contest & Request for Withhold of Adjudication

A Plea of No Contest permits you to ask the Court to Withhold an Adjudication of Guilt (no points) without having to go to court. You must submit your Plea to the Clerk of Courts within 30 days of the violation date. A judge or traffic hearing officer will review your past driving history and your signed request to determine whether to grant or deny your plea.

Contesting a Traffic Ticket

If you have received a civil traffic ticket and you wish to contest the ticket, you have the right to a non jury court hearing before a judge or hearing officer. You may request the hearing in person by going into one of the Clerk's offices, by submitting a request in writing to the Clerk's Office or by using their Internet website.

It is imperative that you make the request for a hearing within 30 days of receiving your ticket.

In your written request, please include your name, address, ticket number, phone number and clearly state that you want to appear in court before a judge or hearing officer to present your defense. The Clerk's Office will notify you in writing of the date and time of your hearing. If you make your request for a hearing in person, you may be given a court date at that time. The location of your hearing will be determined by the site of the violation.

Criminal Traffic Offenses

A Criminal Traffic Offense is a violation that may subject a defendant, upon conviction, to incarceration. Criminal offenses require a court appearance and can carry penalties including fines/costs, probation, and/or incarceration.

Some examples of Criminal Traffic offenses are driving under the influence, driving while license suspended/revoked, or reckless driving. Persons charged with a criminal offense will find a court date indicated at the bottom of their citation or the date can be found on their first appearance paperwork they received from the jail upon release.

Local Parking Ticket

Local parking violations are ones which are not issued on a Uniform Traffic Citation. Parking tickets must be paid within 10 days from the date the ticket was issued. Parking citations that remain unpaid for more than 90 days will be turned over to a collection agency and additional fees will be assessed.