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 and Statutes. Most states in the country treat traffic tickets as minor infractions; however, in Nevada, traffic violations are often prosecuted as misdemeanors. These violations are categorized as either moving or non-moving violations.

Public traffic records are also managed and disseminated by third-party aggregate sites.These sites aggregate public information from several jurisdictions, offering a convenient, remote alternative to querying local custodians for records. To use these sites, inquirers are usually expected to furnish the search engine with:

• 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 not affiliated with government sources nor sponsored by these government agencies. Consequently, record availability, accuracy and validity may not be guaranteed.

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 outlines the charges ascribed to the individual found violating one or more traffic laws. The terms “ticket” and “citation” are usually used interchangeably; however, they are different. While they both notify the alleged offender of their traffic violations, 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. On the other hand, 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. These include:

• Paying the ticket
• Contesting or mitigating the ticket with a hearing.

By choosing to pay a ticket, the offender opts to pay the amount indicated on the document issued by the law enforcement official. In Nevada, this may be considered an admission of guilt; Consequently, the individual waives their right to challenge the ticket.

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

Pay Online

The ticket usually contains details of the county or city where the ticket was issued as well as where the payment should be made. The named entity typically receives the payment for the ticket. Most Nevada counties or courts have websites where the payments can be made, and the inquirer may use the Nevada judicial website to locate the right court and obtain directions on how to pay online. Alternatively, offenders can opt to make their ticket payments via mail.

Mail

Nevada traffic tickets usually outline details of how to pay by mail. Otherwise, the court website provides the required directions. To pay via mail:

• 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; either may be enclosed in an envelope along with the signed ticket.
• The envelope should have the address of the entity receiving the payment and also a return address to receive a receipt as proof of payment.
• Offenders are advised to have these documents photocopied for record-keeping.

NB: The court website usually specifies the mailing address to use.

Paying in Person.

The individual may fill the ticket and include an admission of guilt and their 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 always the case.

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 offenders have 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 (and after a 30-day grace period) may include the following:

• A bench warrant 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 may add up to $200.00 to the individual’s ticket by default and an additional late fee of $25.00. Also, being reported as a credit delinquent means the individual’s credit score may go down, making credit 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 whether the county of jurisdiction involved provides such services. The individual may call the appropriate court ahead by retrieving its contact or website information from the Nevada judicial website.

Some courts also provide phone services to traffic offenders. They allow payments to be made by credit cards over the phone; however, this only occurs in selected jurisdictions. The court website typically specifies relevant information on the services that they render in that regard.

How Do I Pay a Ticket Online in Nevada?

The Nevada supreme court provides an online platform that features 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 may share this information. For example, if the Nevada Highway Patrol issued the ticket, it may 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 is 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 their driving record and they receive 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 may 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 typically temporal. 12 months from the day of the conviction, the points may be deleted from the offender’s driving record. Also, taking the Nevada Traffic Safety course might remove 3 demerit points from an offender’s record. However, the conviction is likely to 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 they has a traffic ticket by:

• Asking the issuing officer if what was issued is a ticket or a written warning; Also reading 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 them.
• 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 is typically 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 should be the first port of call for finding relevant information.

Municipal courts handle traffic cases on a state level and the Justice of peace courts, at county level. The inquirer may 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, may be required for this search.

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

In addition, if the inquirer can afford to, they 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 may stay 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, unlike a traffic ticket that can be resolved by paying a fine, a summons typically requires an appearance in a traffic court. This significantly increases the likelihood for severe penalties for a traffic violation as opposed to paying a fine; especially because traffic violations are treated as misdemeanors in Nevada.