: 17 August 2023

Tags: Criminal Traffic

If a plea of not responsible has been entered, but the defendant is not able to appear in court for a Civil Traffic Hearing they may be able to ask for either a remote hearing via Zoom or a documentary hearing.

Documentary Hearing Process:

Ask the court if this is an option
Plead Not Responsible and request a documentary hearing
1. File a written request with the court stating why it would be a substantial hardship for your to appear in person
If approved, submit a notarized, written, statement according to the policies of the court detailing the facts of the case and situation
Along with the statement, the court may require a deposit of the FULL fine amount on the citation (this will be refunded if successful in the hearing)
You will be notified by mail after the hearing as to the outcome of the hearing

Things to Consider:

The Arizona Rules for procedure guarantees the right to hear and more importantly, cross-examine, testimony presented by the state. This usually involves being able to question the citing officer. If the defendant is not present, they will waive this right and not have the chance to ask questions.
Any evidence presented must be relevant, material, and have probative value to the facts in the hearing. If the defendant is not there they will not be able to voice any objections to any evidence that the state tries to introduce. They will also not be able to respond to any objections to any evidence you may present in your affidavit.
Someone who is present is able to answer questions and clarify any part of their testimony. You also have the advantage of having your testimony weighed equally with that of the other testimony presented by the state.

: 02 November 2023

Tags: Civil Traffic Hearing

: 21 February 2024

Tags: Civil Traffic Hearing

By requesting a civil traffic hearing you are entering a plea of "Not Responsible" and giving up your ability to attend a defensive driving program.

Note: If you are unable to attend in person the court may offer hearings over the phone or documentary hearings. You must contact the court BEFORE the date on your ticket to find out their policies and procedures.

If you are "Not Responsible":

Request a hearing by either 1 - mailing in a hearing request form (found on a fee schedule or bond card) postmarked on or before your appearance date or 2 - appear at the courthouse on or before the date on your citations
- The Clerk of the Court will then schedule a hearing date
Notify the court as soon as you can if
- There are any witnesses that you need to have subpoenaed to the hearing (requests must be received at least 14 days in advance)
- You need an interpreter on site or other, non-legal, assistance
- You will need to use any equipment to present evidence. Most courts have projectors and computer capabilities.
  - Some courts allow you to come in prior to your court date to familiarize yourself with how the equipment works - so ask
Gather all evidence that supports the facts in your case (not your feelings)
Make copies - you will need at least 2 copies (plus the original) of each piece of evidence you wish to enter 1 - for the court 1 - for the other side and 1 - for yourself
Attend the court hearing
- Be on time
- Dress neatly
- Find out if children are allowed in courtroom
- Be prepared to tell the judge why you were not responsible for what is on your ticket

*If you do not show up, you will be found responsible and a judgment will be entered in favor of the state and you will be responsible for the full cost of the traffic fine. Points may also be added to your driving record and your insurance company notified, depending on the citation.*

: 04 October 2019

Tags: Civil Traffic Hearing

How to Read Your Citation

I lost my ticket. What do I do?

Depending on where a person was pulled over, who issued the ticket, and the severity of the violation decides who a person would contact for their ticket information. For instance, if a person in Flagstaff was pulled over for running a stop sign downtown by an officer of the Flagstaff PD, they would contact the Flagstaff Municipal Court for their traffic ticket information. The majority of traffic violations are handled by municipal and justice courts in Arizona, with more severe criminal violations being heard at superior court locations. A person may have to contact more than one location until they find their ticket information. When contacting a courthouse, please have the following information available:

Date of the citation
Name on the ticket
Driver's license number

Click this link to find the correct courthouse or narrow down the possibilities

For those that are still unable to figure out what courthouse holds their ticket, they may contact their local Motor Vehicle Division to try and locate their information.