Traffic Violations - General
If you are issued a traffic ticket, you may be subject to fines and points on your driving record. If the infraction a misdemeanor, in addition to fines and points on your driving record, the penalty may include a jail sentence. Both civil infractions and misdemeanor tickets may be disputed in a court hearing or trial.
You may visit the Traffic Division during office hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Traffic Division is located on the 1st floor of the Court Building and the telephone number is 248-246-3600. Please carefully review all information on both the front and back of the citation/ticket.
Civil infractions, such as moving and mechanical violations are handled in the Traffic Division. Misdemeanor(drunk driving cases for instance)and felony cases are handled in the Criminal Division.
Information on Your Citation is Important, Please Read it Thoroughly!
For a non-misdemeanor vehicle code traffic ticket (civil infraction), you have 14 days to pay the ticket or contact the court to request a court date. (See "Options Regarding Responsibility" below). Failure to act within 14 days will result in a default judgment being entered against you. If your ticket is defaulted, a $45 cost is assessed against each charge on the ticket. Failing to resolve a traffic ticket in a timely manner may result in your driver's license being suspended by the Secretary of State. Driving while your license is suspended is a misdemeanor.
For misdemeanor infractions, the ticket will advise you of the date and time you must appear for arraignment. Failure to appear for arraignment on the date and time specified will result in a bench warrant being issued for your arrest.
For PARKING TICKETS, you have have 14daysfrom the date of the infraction(unless indicated otherwise on the citation) to pay or contact the courtto request a court date. Failure to act will result in a default judgment being entered against you. If your ticket is defaulted, a $45 cost is assessed.
Payment of Fines and Parking Tickets
Court payments can be made by cash, credit card, money order or personal check. Personal checks are not accepted if your license is suspended or you have had a check returned from the court for insufficient funds. Personal checks or money orders should be made payable to “44th District Court” and the ticket number(s) should be written in the memo area of the instrument. Checks must be drawn on a US bank payable in US funds.
You may make a credit/debit card payment using AllPaid Inc. atwww.allpaid.comor by calling 888-604-7888. You will need your ticket number, and the court’s pay location code;3031. This pay location code iscriticalto properly apply your payment. Using the wrong pay location code will cause a significant delay in your payment being applied. You are responsible for any additional costs that may be assessed because of a delay in applying a payment due to use of an incorrect pay location code.
You have the option to pay at the courthouse, through the US mail, by telephone or online. The courthouse is located at 400 E. 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48068 (in the same parking lot as the Farmers’ Market). Court hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays (except court holidays). There is a 24-hour secure drop box located to the right of the front doors.
Convenience fees apply to all credit/debit care payments made online, by telephone or at the courthouse.
For information regarding your ticket/case/citation number and amount owed, call 248-246-3600 during office hours.
Traffic Tickets
The 44th District Court processes all traffic and parking tickets issued in the cities of Royal Oak and Berkley.
You may pay online using Clemis, at https://payments.clemis.org/clmcitationpay for the first 14 days after a traffic ticket is issued. You will need your LAST name as it appears on the citationAND the citation number or your driver’s license number.
Clemis is not available for payment after 14 days. Thereafter, you may make a credit/debit card payment AllPaid, Inc. at www.allpaid.com or by calling 888-604-7888. You will need your ticket number, and the court’s pay location code; 3031. This pay location code is critical to properly apply your payment. Using the wrong pay location code will cause a significant delay in your payment being applied. You are responsible for any additional costs that may be assessed because of a delay in applying a payment due to use of an incorrect pay location code.
Options Regarding Responsibility for a Violation
A. You may admit responsibility, in which case you need to pay the fine before the 14 days on the ticket expire.
B. You may admit responsibility with an explanation. You are admitting you are responsible for the violation but you feel there is compelling justification. Please note that admitting responsibility with explanation does not automatically mean that you will not be held financially accountable.
C. You may deny responsibility and request a court hearing date be set. You may do so by calling the court, by writing the court or by appearing in person at the courthouse within 14 days (i.e. a letter must be received at the court within 14 days, not just postmarked). If you write a letter, it should include the statement that you intend to plead not responsible and would like a Court Hearing date. After the request is received, you will be mailed a notice of your scheduled court hearing date, usually within two weeks. The notice will be mailed to the address listed on the citation. If you have not received the notice within two weeks, you should call the court at (248)246-3600 to inquire about the date and time for your hearing. On the day of your court hearing, report to the Clerk's Office 15 minutes prior to your scheduled courtroom appearance.
Violations that may be Waived
There are some violations where the fine may be waived or the fine reduced if the officer checked on the ticket the box that says "waiv". Examples are defective equipment, no proof of insurance, no proof of registration. In each case you must correct the situation and provide proof to the 44th District Court before the due date on the ticket. For more details, see the "Traffic Fines" tab.
Failure To Appear
Failure to appear timely at the court hearing you requested will result in the entry of a default and theassessment of additional court costs. If the ticket is not resolved in a timely manner your driver's license may be suspended.
Compliance
Fines and costs are due the day assessed (MCR 1.110). The 44th District Court will utilize all legal methods available to compel timely compliance.
