Traffic Tickets in Nassau County
Table of Contents
- Nassau County Traffic Ticket Information
- Nassau County Traffic Ticket Costs
- About Nassau County Traffic Court
- Nassau County Traffic Court Process
- Frequently Asked Questions
Nassau County Traffic Ticket Information
Traffic tickets in Nassau County are relatively the same as they are elsewhere in the state, with the exception of New York City. The most notable difference between Nassau County traffic tickets and New York City traffic tickets is the fact that the Traffic Violations Bureau does not have jurisdiction in Nassau County.
That means you won't have to worry about the dreaded TVB ticket unless you travel into one of the five boroughs. Granted, you may still have to deal with any of the other state and local ticketable offenses.
According to the Nassau County Government's webpage on traffic violations (updated January 2, 2017), there are more than 380 ticketable offenses. Each offense has a "typical" fine and surcharge. However, the court may add additional fines if certain circumstances are met. For example, second-time offenders will likely be required to pay higher fines. Late fees and other penalties may apply as well.
Parking Violations Versus Traffic Violations in Nassau County
It is important to note that parking violations are not considered traffic violations. As of May 29, 2020, there were a total of 54 different ticketable parking violations in Nassau County. Here are a few examples:
- Leaving an unattended vehicle running.
- Illegally parking in a designated handicap parking zone.
- Illegally stopping on a parkway.
- Double parking.
- Blocking a roadway with a parked vehicle.
To make things more complicated, there are several traffic tickets that look like parking tickets and several parking tickets that look like traffic tickets. For example, illegal stopping is a traffic ticket but illegal stopping on a parkway is a parking ticket.
Part of the reason why the ticket system in the Nassau County area is so confusing is because there are two kinds of traffic violations: moving and non-moving. Moving violations occur when the vehicle is in motion. Non-moving violations occur when the vehicle is not in motion.
Be sure to ask the ticketing officer and your attorney whether your ticket is for a parking or a non-moving violation. The answer should also be written on the ticket itself.
Nassau County Traffic Ticket Costs
Every traffic and parking violation in Nassau County allows the court to levy some kind of fee, surcharge, or other penalty. The standard penalties are the same for a number of violations. However, there is significant wiggle room for the court to alter those penalties to better reflect the court system.
Traffic Ticket Fines
Nassau County traffic ticket fines tend to fall into one of several "brackets." The Nassau County Traffic Court website lists most traffic violation fines as one of the following costs: $150, $175, $200, $225, $250, or $300. Keep in mind that these are only the "typical" fines associated with each violation. The real value may be higher or lower depending on the circumstances.
Some traffic violations, such as having improper plates or overweight dual axles do not list an official fine. Instead, they list a mandatory court appearance. Failure to appear in court may result in additional fees. For misdemeanor or felony traffic violations, failing to appear in court may result in additional charges and the issuance of a bench warrant.
Traffic Ticket Surcharges
In addition to the official fine, Nassau County traffic tickets almost always come with surcharges. Surcharges are additional sums of money that you must pay if you are convicted when contesting your ticket in Nassau County Traffic Court or when paying your ticket and pleading guilty.
For the most part, these surcharges seldom change. There are three different prices that are most common in the Nassau County court system: $0, $55, and $88. The nature of these surcharges may vary given your particular circumstances.
Applicable Traffic Ticket Fees
The court may levy additional fees if certain circumstances arise. The following chart includes the applicable fees that Nassau County Traffic Court judges may ask you to pay:
| Title | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Public Safety Fee | $55 | Applicable to all traffic and camera violations. |
| Driver Responsibility Fee | $45 | Applicable to all traffic and camera violations. |
| Initial Deferred Payment Fee | $15 | Applies to each ticket when upon approval for deferred payment. |
| Subsequent Deferred Payment Fee | $10 | Applies per ticket each time a deferral is granted. Multiple deferrals for the same ticket can result in multiple accounts of this fee. |
| Scofflaw or Default Judgement Administrative Processing Fee | $15 | Applicable to any scofflaw or default judgement. |
| Default Conviction Administrative Processing Fee | $75 | Applicable to any default conviction. A default conviction occurs when you fail to appear in court for a scheduled trial or hearing. |
| Motion to Vacate Disposition Fee — Written Application Fee | $125 | Applicable to any written application for a motion to vacate a disposition. |
| Motion to Vacate Disposition Fee — Oral Application Fee | $50 | Applicable to any verbal request for a motion to vacate a disposition. |
| Transfer of Notice of Liability Fee | $30 | Applicable when reassigning the Notice of Liability for a red light camera of speed camera violation. |
| Credit Card Chargeback Processing Fee | $50 | Applicable when reversing any credit card transaction. May also result in additional Motion to Vacate Disposition Fees. |
| Bounced Check Fee | $25 | Applicable when your check bounces during processing. |
| Convenience Fee | $2 | Applicable when using a credit card to pay a ticket over the phone or at 16 Cooper Street. This is per ticket. |
| Suspension Lift Fee | $70 (or $400) | Applicable when lifting a suspension. |
Traffic Ticket Penalties
In addition to fines, surcharges, and applicable fees, there are a number of penalties that may come from a traffic conviction in Nassau County Traffic Court. The severity of the motor vehicle violation has the most influence over what penalties the court will dish out, although there are other legal considerations.
- License Suspension
Nassau County Traffic Court may suspend your license for a number of reasons. Examples include obtaining more than 11 points on your license in an 18 month period, committing an alcohol-related traffic violation, or failing to appear in court.
A suspended license is not a valid license. Instead, a suspended license functions similarly to driving without a license, though driving on a suspended license tends to carry more severe penalties. The reason for this being that a suspended license implies that you have a series of other motor vehicle violations.
Repeat offenders often suffer more severe penalties in traffic court. You may even be arrested and face up to 30 days in jail.
There are two kinds of license suspensions in Nassau County and in many other jurisdictions elsewhere in the United States: definite and indefinite suspensions.
A definite suspension is a suspension that lasts only for a scheduled period of time. An indefinite suspension lasts either for the foreseeable future or until a specific set of circumstances are met. What those circumstances are depends on the nature of your traffic violation.
- License Revocation
Nassau County Traffic Court reserves the right to revoke your driver license if you commit a series of traffic violations or a single severe violation. Examples of traffic violations that can result in the revocation of your driver license are being convicted of three speeding tickets within an 18-month period or being convicted of driving without insurance.
When a license is revoked, it is completely taken away. Unlike with a suspended license, there is no way to regain a revoked driver license. Sometimes, the court will decide that you will never again be able to qualify for a new driver license. Other times, the court will decide that you can attempt to qualify for a new driver license after a set period of time.
Either way, you must go through all of the same channels as somebody who is attempting to get a license for the first time. Your driving history may cause additional problems during this process.
- Jail Time
Typically, Nassau County Traffic Court only applies jail time to the most severe violations. Examples include reckless driving, hit and run, and driving on a suspended license. However, jail time can apply to almost any violation, if the circumstances warrant such a harsh punishment.
- Collections
If you fail to pay your traffic ticket in a timely manner, the court can send it off to a collections agency. That means that you may incur additional late fees and other applicable fees in addition to whatever attorneys' fees and court costs the collections agency paid to obtain the debt. All of these additional costs are added on to the value of your ticket.
In order to protect your credit score, you must pay the account down to zero as soon as possible. The same goes for parking tickets. A single unpaid traffic or parking ticket can reduce your credit score by over 100 points.
About Nassau County Traffic Court
Nassau County Traffic Court is a court dedicated to the resolution of traffic and parking violations. Do not confuse Nassau County Traffic Court with Nassau County Court. These are two entirely separate legal entities with little to no overlap in subject matter. Under normal conditions, Nassau County Court does not handle non-criminal traffic violations.
Nassau County Traffic Court is where you'll go in order to resolve disputes that you may have regarding a traffic ticket, pay any outstanding tickets, and potentially take your ticket to trial.
Attorneys and judges often refer to the Nassau County Traffic Court as "the Agency." This nickname is short for the Traffic and Parking Violations Agency. This agency is what handles almost every aspect of day-to-day work inside of the Nassau County Traffic Court.
Nassau County Traffic Court Location
Nassau County Traffic Court (and the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violation Agency) is located just a couple blocks south of the Nassau County District Court. The official address of the court is 16 Cooper Street, which places it right in the middle of Hempstead. Directions to Nassau County Traffic Court can be found here. If you would prefer to use Google Maps or another GPS software, type in "Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violation Agency." This is the best way to ensure that you are headed to the correct location. Typing in "Nassau County Court" may lead you to the wrong location.
There are a number of key landmarks that may help you find the court's location. The court is sandwiched right in between Fulton Avenue and Front Street to the North and South. To the East and West are Washington Street and Main Street. Directly across Main Street is a large parking lot that typically has at least a few available spaces.
If your hearing is for driving without a valid license, do not drive yourself to your hearing. Two blocks North of the Traffic and Parking Violation Agency are a Greyhound station and the Long Island Railroad, two common ways that people commute to court.
Nassau County Traffic Court Contact Information and Additional Resources
The executive director of the Nassau County Traffic and Violations Agency is David Rich. The best way to directly contact him or any of the judges is to hire an attorney to represent you and handle your case. Courthouses like this one often have a number of important mannerisms and protocols that can make contacting them without an attorney incredibly challenging.
Obtaining standard information, however, couldn't be easier. The Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency has set up two phone lines to enable people easy access to information regarding their cases.
The Photo Enforcement line is +1 (855) 571-5134. This covers camera tickets. That includes tickets issued as a result of a traffic camera, speed camera, or red light camera. Here's a helpful chart that shows where many (but not all) of these cameras are located: America's 4,150 Traffic Cameras in One Map.
The Traffic and Parking line is +1 (516) 572-2700. This is the number that you'll want to call with any questions or concerns related to Nassau County traffic or parking tickets.
Both of these lines operate on the same standard hours as the rest of the courthouse: Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Note that payments are only accepted after 9:00 a.m.
There are also only two set times each day during which you may enter your assigned courtroom: 9:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. That said, the court also opens with late hours on the second Wednesday of each month. Those hours are 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., though court appearances are only available between 6:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
Always keep in mind that exigent circumstances may cause the court to close early or reschedule docketed cases for a future date. An example of this is COVID-19. On March 13, 2020, the Agency shut down all activity at its physical location "until further notice."
Here is a list of related links that you may find helpful.
Nassau County Traffic Court Process
Nassau County Traffic Court functions similarly to most other traffic courts in the United States. Once you've received a ticket, you will be assigned a court date. More on how to read a traffic ticket in the next section.
The traffic court process begins when the clerk of court calls your case. A sample case title will likely look similar to "the State of New York versus [your name]." You will then take your position in the courtroom in the location selected by the judge. This could be behind the defense table, in the witness box, or even standing in the middle of the room with a microphone.
Then comes the time for motions. Motions are specific kinds of legal requests made in court, such as a motion for continuance, motion for summary judgment, or motion for dismissal. Making the wrong motion can set your case up for failure. It is important to have a lawyer at your side to ensure everything goes according to plan.
The prosecution (the state) then makes opening statements. In reality, the prosecution might decide to waive their statement in order to simply speed the case along. Your opening statement is your chance to lay out the facts as they truly are and explain your side of the story in detail. Think of this as a three-to-five-minute speech.
From there, the court moves on to testimony. This is where witnesses may be called and "cross-examined." At the very end of all of this are the closing statements and finally the verdict, which is the court's final decision, and sentencing.
Reading a Traffic Ticket
The question of how to read a traffic ticket is one that many people find themselves asking each day. Although it may seem complicated, the answer is pretty easy to understand. There are four primary sections of any New York DMV traffic ticket.
The first section is located in the top left of the ticket. This contains your personal information. Make sure to check every single inch of this section to see if the ticketing officer made any mistakes when writing the ticket. The same goes for each of the other sections as well.
The second section is located just underneath the first. This section contains the nature of the charges, such as speeding 5-11 miles per hour over the posted limit. In order to beat the ticket, you'll want to do meticulous research on the cited law. This is another time when a lawyer would come in handy.
The third section, in the bottom left, contains the court information. Traffic tickets written within the jurisdiction of Nassau County will likely list the address of the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, but always be sure to double check.
The fourth section is along the right hand side of the ticket. This is where you decide how to plead to the ticke t. More on that in the next section.
Traffic Ticket Plea Options in Nassau County
Unlike many other cities in states around the country, Nassau County Traffic Court does not allow plea-bargaining or no contest pleas. That means that you have one of two options when deciding what to do with your ticket.
You can plead guilty, accept the conviction, and shoulder the entirety of the penalties. Or you can plead not guilty, fight the ticket in court, and hopefully have the entirety of the ticket dismissed. Having your ticket dismissed means no fines, no penalties, no points on your license, and no insurance premium increases from a traffic conviction.
Furthermore, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) does not allow you to plead guilty via mail if the pursuant conviction would result in the suspension or revocation of your driver license.
Paying a Traffic Ticket
The Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency allows several ways to pay your traffic ticket. Those methods are paying by phone, paying online, paying at the courthouse, and paying through mail. If you are planning to fight your ticket, do not pay it before receiving the verdict. Paying your ticket is an admission of guilt. That is, paying your ticket is the same as pleading guilty.
There are three different phone numbers that you can use to pay your ticket:
- Photo Enforcement: +1 (855) 571-5134
- Traffic and Parking: +1 (516) 572-2389
- Booted and/or Towed Vehicles: +1 (844) 338-6301
Paying online is a much simpler process than any of the other payment methods, if you have access to the Internet. Nassau County's Traffic and Parking Violations Agency offers one consolidated webpage through which you can pay your Nassau County tickets.
Paying at the courthouse involves taking time off work or out of your daily routine and traveling to the courthouse to manually process payment with the court. Remember, the Agency is only open for payments between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
The instructions to pay by mail are less time-consuming than paying in person but significantly riskier. A check sent by mail is always at risk of being delayed or lost, which could result in you being saddled with additional late fees and other penalties. The Agency only accepts the following payment types when paying via mail: certified check, personal check, and money order.
Disputing a Traffic Ticket
The traffic ticket dispute process in Nassau County Traffic Court is just about the same as it is everywhere else in New York. It all starts with a plea of not guilty. Pleading not guilty is the only way that your case will go to trial. Pleading guilty will end your case and stick you with the full weight of the fines, fees, penalties, surcharges, and other negative consequences.
After pleading not guilty, check the date of your trial. That marks the date when you will have to appear in court to contest the ticket. Doing so means knowing the proper courtroom procedures. A few examples are as follow:
- Wear business formal attire.
- Be polite.
- Address the judge as "Judge" or "Your Honor."
- Be direct and to the point. Use "yes" and "no." Do not use "maybe."
- Be early and be prepared to wait.
There are simply too many courtroom procedures to list in any one table. That's one of the reasons why hiring an attorney is such a critical part of winning your case. Fortunately, WinIt can help you obtain the legal help that you deserve without breaking the bank.
The WinIt app helps you to network with attorneys who can take your case, apply their years of legal practice and expertise, and help you win it. Every step of the way, from the initial plea of not guilty through the trial and to the verdict, WinIt's vetted attorneys will be there for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
This article provides just about everything you need to know about Nassau County traffic tickets, but it's by no means an exhaustive discussion. There are so many laws and regulations on the books that it's impossible to mention all of them in one sitting. But we at WinIt hope that the information in this article is enough to help you fight your case and win it!
Do you have any additional questions? We know how time-sensitive and stressful legal matters can be. Feel free to reach out and our lawyers will provide detailed answers as soon as possible. Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions.
- Where do I go for Nassau County traffic court?
The official address of the court is:
16 Cooper Street Hempstead, NY 11550-4063
If you are having difficulty Google-searching for the court, try searching instead for "Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency." These are two names for the same location. Whatever you do, be sure NOT to confuse Nassau County Traffic Court with Nassau County Court. Nassau County Traffic Court is NOT the same thing as Nassau County Court.
Once you arrive, speak with the attendants just past security and they should be able to point you in the right direction.
- Can I reschedule my hearing for Nassau County traffic court?
Yes. The Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency offers the chance for you to defer your hearing until a later date for a number of circumstances. For example, if the prosecution has not been returning your requests for contact in a timely manner, you may request a motion for continuance.
- What do I do if I get a Nassau County traffic ticket but live out of the area?
Hire a lawyer to attend court on your behalf.
If that is not possible, then citizens who do not live in Long Island or any of the Five Boroughs may request an "Out of Area Waiver." To do so, you must write a letter explaining where you currently reside and if/when you intend to come back to Nassau County. Along with the letter, you must send a copy of your current driver license and a copy of the summons.
Lastly, address the letter in the following manner:
NCTPVA – Out of Area Waiver of Appearance Request
16 Cooper Street West
Hempstead, NY 11550
4. What happens if I don't pay my traffic ticket?
Failure to pay a traffic ticket in Nassau County can result in additional fees being added to the total value of the ticket. If a sufficiently long period of time has gone by without any attempts at repayment, the court may send your ticket to a collections agency. This may result in further increased costs and significant decreases in your credit score.
You may also have your license suspended or revoked, depending on the specifics of the circumstances surrounding your failure to pay.
- What do I do if I lost or misplaced my ticket?
If you lost, misplaced, or otherwise cannot find your traffic ticket, you will still be liable to pay it in full. In order to find a lost ticket, you can use WinIt's traffic ticket lookup system. This can provide you with your ticket number, court address, and other important information.
- Can parking tickets affect my insurance?
No. Parking tickets will not appear on your driving record. Since parking tickets do not appear on your driving record, there is little chance that your insurer will ever even find out about them.
- What if I have a schedule conflict and can't make it to court on the day of my trial?
If you are unable to attend your scheduled trial date due to a conflict, you can request a postponement. To do so, you must draft a letter explaining the conflict in great detail, provide written documentation in support of your claim, sign the letter, have the letter notarized, and send it to the following address via certified mail:
Clerk of Court – Trial Postponement Request
16 Cooper Street
Hempstead, NY 11550
8. Can I bring my phone to court?
No. You are not allowed to use your phone for any reason while inside the courtroom. Unauthorized use of a cell phone will result in you being removed from the Agency's grounds. It is best to keep your phone turned off at all times while inside the courtroom.
- How can I look up my driving record?
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles offers a MyDMV service that enables you to see your driving record. You can view whether your license is valid, the number of points currently on your license, and when your driver license is set to expire.
You can even download or print a full-length, certified copy of your driving record through the MyDMV's "Get My Driving Record Now" function.
- Is having a traffic ticket dismissed a good thing?
Yes. Although a dismissal may sound like a bad thing, it is the best possible outcome of any traffic or parking ticket case. What a traffic ticket dismissal means is that the court has dismissed your ticket as invalid for one reason or another. That means you've won!
- Can somebody else go to court for me?
Sometimes. Only a person with full power of attorney (POA) can attend hearings or trial in your place. Most often, that means hiring an attorney to represent you in a court of law. However, it is possible to have somebody else appear on your behalf if you have granted them full power of attorney and filed the POA document with the state in time for it to have been processed prior to the appearance.
