What is a Citation / Ticket

A citation or ticket is a legal notice to a person charged with a violation of law, especially a minor violation. The cited person is the defendant. A citation can be a civil infraction or a misdemeanor depending on the seriousness of the traffic violation. All defendants who receive a citation must respond to the allegations in the citation.

Note: The following policies apply only to the 60th District Court. If your citation is from a court other than the 60th District, you must contact the court listed on your citation for processing instructions.

Defendant's Options

The defendant has these options when a civil infraction is issued:

  • Admit responsibility without explanation for the civil infraction and make an appearance in person, by representation, or by mail.
  • Admit responsibility with explanation for the civil infraction and make an appearance by mail.
  • Deny responsibility for the civil infraction and request an informal or formal hearing in person, by mail, or by phone.
  • If a defendant fails to respond to a traffic civil infraction citation, or fails to appear for a scheduled hearing, the court may enter a default judgment of responsibility and impose appropriate sanctions.