What are Nevada Traffic Tickets?

Traffic tickets in Nevada are official notices issued by state law enforcement officials to a road user suspected of violating state traffic laws andStatutes. Most states in the country treat traffic tickets as minor infractions; however, in Nevada, most traffic violations are prosecuted as misdemeanors. These violations are mostly moving and non-moving violations.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often make searching simpler, as they are not limited by geographic location, and search engines on these sites may help when starting a search for a specific or multiple records. To begin using such a search engine on a third-party or government website, interested parties usually must provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that person resides in or was accused in.

Third-party sites are independent from government sources, and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party sites may vary.

What Does a Traffic Citation Mean?

A traffic citation is an official summons issued by law enforcement officials to an offending road user. This document charges the individual of violating one or more traffic laws. The terms “ticket” and “citation” are usually used interchangeably; however, they could be different. While they both notify the offender of breaking the traffic laws, the citation requires the traffic offender to appear in a traffic court. The document usually contains details of the offense and a court date to appear before a judge. Meanwhile, a ticket can be resolved with a fine.

How Do I Pay a Traffic Ticket in Nevada

There are multiple ways of resolving a traffic ticket in Nevada, and these may include,

• Paying the ticket,
• Or contesting or mitigating the ticket with a hearing.

Choosing to pay the ticket means that the individual must pay the amount indicated on the document issued by the law enforcement official. In Nevada, this is an admission of guilt; that is, the individual is waiving the rights to challenge the ticket.

Road users in the state can pay traffic tickets online, via mail or in person.

Pay Online

The ticket usually has details of the county or city where the ticket was issued. The named entity will receive the payment for the ticket. Most of these counties or courts have websites where the payments are made, and the inquirer may use the Nevada judicial website to locate the right court and directions on how to pay online or use the option of paying via mail if provided.

Mail

• The tickets usually have details of how to pay by mail, if not, the court website will give more information.
• The individual may fill out the provided boxes on the ticket and plead guilty or choose the “no-contest” plea. If any other personal information is required, the individual should provide those and sign the ticket.
• Payment should be made with a check or money order and put in an envelope along with the signed ticket.
• The envelope should have the address of the entity that will be receiving the payment and also a return address to receive a receipt as proof of payment.
• It is advisable to have these documents photocopied for record-keeping.

NB: the court website usually has the right mailing address to use.

Paying in Person.

The individual may fill the ticket and include an admission of guilt and signature. The payment should be made with a check or money order made out to the Nevada Court indicated on the ticket. The court may allow the individual to make payment with a credit card, too; however, this isn’t common.

The individual may visit the court at the address indicated on the ticket or the website during business hours. After the payment is made, a receipt may be requested as proof of payment for personal records.

What Happens If I Don’t Pay My Traffic Ticket?

Nevada traffic tickets usually indicate how long the individual has to resolve the traffic ticket. The individual is advised to make payment at least 5 days before the indicated deadline. The penalties for failing to pay the ticket before the indicated date may include any of the following;

• The court first gives the individual a 30-day grace period,
• A bench warrant is then issued for the individual’s arrest
• Warrant fee
• License suspension for more serious offenses.
• Late fees being added to the original fee
• Being reported as a delinquent to credit reporting agencies.

Arrest warrants add $200.00 to the individual’s ticket by default and an extra late fee of $25.00. Also, being reported as a credit delinquent means the individual’s credit score may go down, and credit will become more costly.

Can You Pay Nevada Traffic Tickets Online?

Yes, Nevada Traffic Tickets can be paid online.

Traffic offenders may pay or contest traffic tickets online in Nevada; however, this depends on if the county of jurisdiction involved provides such services. The individual may call the appropriate court ahead by locating its contact or website information on the Nevada judicial website.

Some courts also provide phone services to traffic offenders. They allow payment with credit cards over the phone, but this also is only in selected jurisdictions. The court website will usually carry the necessary information on the services they render in that regard.

How do I Pay a Ticket online in Nevada?

The Nevada supreme court has made an online platform compiling all Justice of Peace and Municipal courts that allow online traffic ticket payments. If the court indicated on the traffic ticket is on this list, the individual may proceed to do the following:

• Locate the right court,
• Wait for a few days for the citation number to show up in the system if it has not. The court website will usually share this information. For example, if the Nevada Highway Patrol issued the ticket, it will take 2 weeks for the citation number to appear in the system.
• The individual should fill out the provided online form with the appropriate information, including an admission of guilt or no-contest plea. The “no-contest” plea means acceptance of the charges and penalty but no admission of guilt to avoid further lawsuits.
• The individual should also provide a citation number, driver’s license number, payment amount, and credit card details.
• To validate the process, the individual’s electronic signature will be required; this means to click Submit.

NB; The procedure may vary with each court.

What is the Nevada Traffic Ticketing System?

The Nevada traffic Ticketing System is the “Demerit Point System.” If an individual is convicted of a traffic violation, the State DMV is notified of the conviction, and the violation is recorded on the individual’s driving record, and he/she receives demerit points for it.

The demerit points indicate the severity of the offense; that is, the more severe the offense, the higher the points assigned. If the individual gets 12 points within 1 year, the driver’s license will be suspended automatically.

The Demerit Point System shows;

1 point

• Speeding (up to 10 mph over limit)

2 points

• Driving too slowly: 2 points
• Speeding (11–15 mph over limit)

3 points

• Speeding (16–20 mph over limit)

4 points

• Following too closely
• Failing to yield the right-of-way
• Failing to yield to a pedestrian
• Disregarding traffic light or stop sign
• Speeding (21 mph or more over limit)
• Speeding (1–15 mph over the limit in a school zone)

6 points

• Speeding (16 mph or more over the limit in a school zone)
• Careless driving

8 points

• Reckless driving

These demerit points are not permanent. After 12 months from the day of the conviction, the points will be deleted from the offender’s driving record. Also, taking the Nevada Traffic Safety course will remove 3 demerit points from an individual’s record. However, the conviction will remain on the permanent driving record.

How Do I Know if I Have a Traffic Ticket in Nevada?

A Nevada road user can find out if he/she has a traffic ticket by;

• Asking the issuing officer if what was issued is a ticket or a written warning and by making sure to read the document to confirm what it really is.
• Requesting the information from the local DMV office in person or over the phone. The individual may have the driver’s license number checked in the system to see if there are any tickets against him/her.
• Finally, the individual may request a driver history abstract from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles for a fee. This request cannot be processed by mail or over the phone due to the state’s strict privacy laws. If there are any pending tickets, it will be indicated in the driving record.

How Can I Find a Lost Traffic Ticket in Nevada?

Municipal or Justice of peace courts handle Nevada traffic cases; hence, when a traffic ticket is missing, these are the best places to find relevant information.

Municipal courts handle traffic cases on a state level and the Justice of peace courts, county level. The inquirer may simply visit either of these courts in the city or county where the traffic ticket was originally issued to find the details of the missing traffic ticket. Personal information, including driver’s license number, will be required for this search.

The inquire may locate the right court by using the state’s find your court tool.

In addition, if the inquirer can afford to, he/she may employ the services of an attorney to locate a missing traffic ticket in Nevada.

How Long Does a Traffic Ticket Stay on Your Record in Nevada?

In Nevada, a traffic violation stays on an individual’s driving record between 3 - 10 years, depending on the severity of the offense. Most traffic violations and convictions stay for 3 years, but serious offenses such as license suspensions may be on the individual’s record for up to 10 years. Demerit points, however, aren’t permanent. They are deleted from an individual’s driving record after 12 months.

Is a Summons Worse Than a Ticket in Nevada?

A summons is usually worse than a traffic ticket in Nevada because, in contrast with a traffic ticket that can be resolved by paying a fine, a summons requires an appearance in a traffic court. This significantly increases the tendency to get worse penalties for a traffic violation than paying a fine, especially because traffic violations are treated as misdemeanors in Nevada.