Civil traffic citations filed in the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court may be issued
by any law enforcement agency. The most common civil traffic violations
include speeding, failure to show proof of insurance, no proof of registration, not
wearing a seatbelt, parking violations, texting and driving, as well as vehicle repair
violations.
Your first court date is an arraignment. This appearance will take place with a window
clerk where you will be provided your options and the opportunity to make your decision
on how your
case will be resolved.
You may:
Failure to appear at the arraignment or to satisfy the charge(s) with the Court will place your case in default status, which will impose full fines and additional fees. This may result in the suspension of your driver's license by the Motor Vehicle Division.
Please note that a police report is not filed with the Court. To obtain a copy of the
police report,
please make a request with the citing law enforcement agency.
Citations are filed with the
Court by the following most common law enforcement agencies:
***Please note that this is not a complete list of citing agencies***
Arraignment - A date where the court informs a defendant of his or her
charges and asks him/her how he or she is going to plead (responsible or not
responsible).
Citation - A police issued order to appear before a judge on a given
date to defend against a stated charge.
Civil Traffic Hearing - A judicial session held for the purpose of
deciding issues of facts to decide whether it is more
probable than not that the civil traffic violation(s) were committed.
Civil Traffic Hearing Officer - An appointed judicial officer who has
the authority to preside over civil traffic violation cases.
Default - Failure to fulfill an obligation such as appearing in court
or paying a fine.
Juvenile - A person who has not reached the age of 18.
Motion - A motion is a formal written request to a hearing officer for
purposes of obtaining an order in favor of the individual making the
request.
Plea - An accused person's formal response of "responsible" or "not
responsible".
TTEAP Hold - Means the Traffic Ticket Enforcement Assistance Program
established by A.R.S. §§ 28-1630 et seq.,
where a hold is placed on the registration of all vehicles registered to the defendant
until all delinquent restitution fines,
fees, and surcharges have been paid or a waiver has been issued.
After the conclusion of a civil traffic hearing, the State or the defendant may appeal
the hearing officer's ruling. The appeal procedure is set forth in
Rules
of Court Procedure for Civil Traffic and Civil Boating Violations and in the
Arizona Revised
Statutes.
To start an appeal, a Notice of Appeal must be filed with the
originating court within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of the final order.
If a Notice of Appeal is not
filed within 14 calendar days, the final order can no longer be appealed.
There are two stages to the appeal process. The first stage begins in the Justice Court;
the second stage takes place in the Superior Court. All steps must be completed at both
stages to avoid possible dismissal of the appeal.
The person who files the appeal is the Appellant. The opposing party is the Appellee.
The Justice Court is the trial court.
The defendant must pay the ordered fine amount to prevent his or her
case entering default status and possible collection action. A case in
default status may result in a suspension of the defendant's driver's
license by the Motor Vehicle Division. The payment may be held as a bond throughout the
appeal
process. If the option of a payment plan is provided by the hearing officer, the
defendant must remain compliant with the agreed upon terms during the appeal process.
***For a complete appeal packet and instructions please view form: JP401 Civil Traffic Appeal Packet***
Pima County Consolidated Justice Court seeks to improve access to the Court. Below you
will find some helpful links to assist you in submitting a civil traffic motion,
proof(s),
requesting a hearing date, and researching other information to help you make an
informed decision.
Helpful Links: