Drivers who receive traffic tickets in Utah must resolve the issue by the date displayed on the ticket in order to avoid further fines and penalties. You can either choose to provide your traffic tickets payments or you can initiate the procedure to contest your ticket.

Note that drivers who do not successfully complete the process to dismiss your tickets will receive a certain amount of points on their driving records and their vehicle insurance rates may be affected. To learn how to fight traffic tickets in UT and how to pay a traffic ticket, read the following sections.

Fighting a Utah Ticket

Drivers who choose to prepare a traffic ticket defense in Utah and utilize the option to fight traffic tickets can generally initiate the procedure by scheduling a hearing date through the court that is handling their case. After the clerk sets your traffic citation trial date, you can start planning your defense by collecting any relevant evidence, contacting witnesses and preparing your testimony. Note that, prior to going to trial, drivers may also be granted an opportunity to negotiate with the prosecutor for a lesser punishment.

When contesting a traffic ticket in Utah before a judge or a jury, both the defendant and the officer that wrote the ticket are given an opportunity to recount their recollections of the incident. If you are found guilty, you will be required to pay the traffic fine in its entirety and suffer any additional penalties, which will vary based on the severity of the offense. If the conviction is reported to your driver’s record, your car liability insurance provider may also raise your insurance premiums. If the judge rules in your favor, on the other hand, you will not be subject to any fines or penalties.

Note: You may also hire a traffic lawyer to help fight your ticket for you and present your case in court.

Paying a Utah Ticket

Drivers who decide to provide their Utah traffic tickets payments instead of contesting the issue may be able to complete the procedure via several methods. Note that motorists may not be able to pay traffic ticket online in UT through certain state courts. Also, if you receive a citation marked with the “mandatory appearance” tag, you will be required to settle the issue in person by visiting the court clerk.

Lost Tickets in Utah

Since Utah traffic tickets display the information necessary to settle the citation, drivers who lose their tickets may be unable to successfully pay the traffic fine or initiate the process to plead their case in court. You can generally retrieve lost tickets in UT by contacting the law enforcement agency that issued them or the court that is processing your ticket.

Note that some cities and counties also implement traffic citation search engines. For example, if you were issued a traffic summons in Salt Lake City, you can easily recover the necessary information by providing your driver’s license number through the official Salt Lake City Justice Court website.

Utah Fines and Penalties

Drivers who fail to dismiss traffic tickets in Utah through the state court system will be required to provide the applicable fine. Traffic ticket payments in UT vary based on factors such as the court that is handling your issue, the severity of the offense and your criminal history. While state courts follow the guidelines of the uniform traffic fine schedule when setting the base fine, the total payable amount may also include other court-set costs.

As an example, motorists who fail to pay tickets on time in Murray City will be required to pay an additional delinquent fee of $50. The following list provides several examples of Utah traffic violations and their corresponding fine penalties, as outlined in the state traffic fine schedule:

• Failure to obey a police officer: $80
• Using license plates registered to another vehicle: $110
• Operating a vehicle without license plates: $170
• Transporting hazardous material: $270

Note: DUI violations or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol carry more serious penalties that may be difficult to contest.

Points in Utah

Motorists who utilize the option to pay driving tickets in Utah, and those who fail to challenge speeding tickets or other types of citations, generally incur a specific number of demerit points on their records. The state Department of Public Safety (DPS) implements the point system under its Driver Improvement Program (DIP).

Per the rules of the DI program, different types of UT traffic violations result in a different amount of penalty points. Review several offenses that lead to traffic tickets in UT and their corresponding point penalties in the following list:

• Speeding 1 to 10 mph over the posted limit: 35 points
• Running a stop sign or a red light: 50 points
• Failure to yield right-of-way: 60 points
• Driving at a speed of 21 or more mph over the limit: 75 points

Note: Drivers have the option of removing up to 50 points from their UT driving records by completing a driver improvement course.

How Tickets Affect a Utah Drivers License

Utah traffic citations can also result in certain administrative actions against your driving privileges, in addition to a specific traffic fine. Drivers who accumulate 200 demerit points within a three-year period, for instance, are at risk of a license suspension.

On the other hand, more serious violations may result in an immediate mandatory suspension or revocation of your driving license, instead of the accumulation of points.

Utah Car Insurance Fines and Violations

Another severe offense leading to traffic tickets in Utah is driving without a valid vehicle insurance coverage. Other insurance-related reasons for a traffic citation in UT are failure to provide proof of insurance and providing false insurance evidence upon request from a law enforcement officer.

The fines associated with no-insurance violations are generally higher than those that apply for standard offenses. The UT ticket violation payment for a first offense for driving without insurance, for example, is currently set at $410.

Note: Repeat recipients of tickets may also inadvertently affect their car liability insurance premiums, since citations indicate unsafe driving practices.

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