Contra Costa County traffic school: eligibility, the court fee and certificates

Start with the reminder notice from Contra Costa Superior Court. It says whether you can go to traffic school and when you must act. Pay the fine and the court’s fee by the due date, then make sure the court receives your certificate. This guide covers ordinary adult traffic infractions; the court controls your case.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for adults with an ordinary traffic infraction in the Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa, who want to request traffic school. For example, a driver whose reminder notice says traffic school is available might use it to choose a payment route and track the certificate. It does not cover misdemeanors, required court appearances, juvenile matters or tickets from another county; see the county court directory for other courts.

How do I request traffic school for a ticket in Contra Costa County?

If your Contra Costa Superior Court reminder notice says you can attend traffic school, pay your fine plus the court’s administrative fee of $67.00 online, by mail or at the clerk’s office for the court on your ticket, by the due date. Then choose a licensed school, and make sure the court receives your completion certificate.

Contra Costa County traffic school: key facts
Court	Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa, Traffic.
Official website	contracosta.courts.ca.gov — Traffic School and the court’s online traffic payment site.
Where to request	Online or by mail, paying the fine and the $67.00 fee; or at the clerk’s office for the court location at the bottom of your ticket. If traffic school cannot be selected online and you think you qualify, mail the payment as your notice indicates.
What to verify	That your reminder notice says you are eligible; the due date and amount on that notice; the completion date the court gives you; and that the court received your certificate. Check any school’s license with our school verification guide.

Answer and key facts checked against the court’s Traffic School page, Traffic page and online payment site on November 1, 2026. The court decides eligibility and sets the dates for your case.

Check eligibility on your reminder notice

Contra Costa Superior Court says that, in general, you may attend traffic school if you have a valid California license and have not attended traffic school in California in the past 18 months, counted from violation date to violation date. It says your courtesy notice will tell you whether you are eligible. Court eligibility statement.

The court mails a reminder notice to the address on the citation. The court says it lists your due date and time, how much you owe, whether you can go to traffic school, any proof of correction you need and your options. You must take care of the ticket on time even if the notice does not arrive. Reminder notice.

Statewide, California Rules of Court, rule 4.104 lets a court clerk grant traffic school for many ordinary infractions, but not for others. Examples the rule lists as outside routine clerk authority include a violation within 18 months of a previous violation for which you attended or elected to attend traffic school, alcohol- or drug-related violations, speeding alleged at more than 25 mph over the limit, and a violation in a commercial vehicle. A judicial officer can still use discretion in an individual case; that is not a promise of approval.

The same rule says pleading not guilty or going to trial does not, by itself, make an otherwise eligible driver ineligible. If you hold a class A, class B or commercial class C license and were driving a vehicle that needed only a noncommercial license, you may ask for traffic school, but the rule says the conviction is not reported as confidential. If anything about your case is unusual, ask the court before you choose a school.

Request traffic school: the court’s routes

If you qualify, the court says to pay your fine and the court’s traffic school administrative fee of $67.00 in one of these ways: Traffic School page.

Online. Use the court’s online traffic payment site. That site says that if you cannot select traffic school when paying online and believe you are eligible, you should mail your payment as your notice indicates.
By mail. Follow the mailing instructions on your notice.
In person. Go to the clerk’s office at the court location shown at the bottom of your ticket. The court says clerks accept traffic fines and fees between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. For example, the Walnut Creek Juvenile and Traffic Center is at 640 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, phone (925) 608-1000; its page says a document placed in its drop box between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. is deemed filed that day. Check the court locations page for the courthouse on your ticket. Walnut Creek location.

Do not use the court’s MyCitations ability-to-pay tool to request traffic school; the court’s financial hardship page says not to use it if you want to attend traffic school, contest the citation or get a correction dismissal. Financial hardship page.

Separate court charges from school tuition

As checked on November 1, 2026, the court lists your fine plus a traffic school administrative fee of $67.00. The traffic school charges its own fee separately. Use the amount on your reminder notice or the court’s payment site; this guide does not calculate your total. Court traffic school fee · Court-versus-school cost guide.

If you have a financial hardship, the court’s hardship page describes requesting a fine reduction, payment plan, more time or community service through MyCitations or form TR-320, and says you must enter a plea of guilty or no contest before the court can give an answer. Ask the court how any hardship request would affect traffic school before you file one. Financial hardship page.

Deadlines and what happens if you miss them

Your due date is on your reminder notice. If you do not take care of the ticket by the date shown, the court says you may be charged a civil assessment of up to $100 and your case may be sent to its collection agency. Failure to appear or pay.

The court’s traffic school page does not state how long you have to finish the course after paying, and it does not describe extensions. Use the completion date the court gives you, and contact the clerk’s office before that date if you think you will need more time. Do not calculate a deadline from this guide. Traffic School page.

Choose a school and make sure the court gets the certificate

The court links DMV’s list of traffic schools from its traffic school page. Court school instructions.

Only choose a school after the court has allowed traffic school for your citation. Use the California DMV’s traffic school list to check a school’s license and its type of instruction; DMV says you cannot register for a school through its website and must contact the school directly. Confirm the school’s total price, that it is currently enrolling and that it can report completion to your court. Our online course is not yet available. To complete traffic school now, choose a school from the California DMV’s traffic school list. How to verify a licensed school.

The court says it is your responsibility to make sure the court receives your completed traffic school certificate, and that an online school sends the court an electronic certificate. DMV’s driver handbook says the school reports your course completion to the court and that you also get a completion receipt. Keep your receipt, and contact the clerk’s office if you are unsure whether the court has the certificate. Completion certificate.

Frequently asked questions about Contra Costa traffic school

What is Contra Costa County’s traffic school fee?: The court lists a traffic school administrative fee of $67.00 in addition to your fine. The school’s course fee is separate. Traffic School page
Can I request traffic school online?: The court says you can pay the fine and the $67.00 fee online or by mail. Its payment site adds that if you cannot select traffic school online and believe you are eligible, you should mail your payment as your notice indicates. Traffic School page · Online payment site
How do I know if I am eligible?: The court says your courtesy notice will say whether you are eligible. In general you need a valid California license and no traffic school in California in the past 18 months, counted from violation date to violation date. Traffic School page
Who sends my completion certificate to the court?: The court says an online school sends an electronic certificate, but that making sure the court receives it is your responsibility. Traffic School page
What if I miss the due date?: The court says you may be charged a civil assessment of up to $100 and your case may be referred to collections. Traffic page

Common misconceptions about Contra Costa traffic school

“The school is responsible if the court never gets my certificate.”: The court says it is your responsibility to make sure the court receives your completed certificate. Traffic School page
“I can ask for traffic school through MyCitations.”: The court’s financial hardship page says not to use the online tool if you want to attend traffic school. Financial hardship page
“No reminder notice means no deadline.”: The court says you must take care of your ticket on time even if you do not get a reminder notice. Traffic page

What this guide cannot do

This guide summarizes public pages; it is not legal advice and it does not change anything in your case. Contra Costa Superior Court decides eligibility, deadlines, fees and whether your completion is credited.
Court pages change. If your courtesy notice, reminder notice or the court’s current website says something different from this guide, follow the court.
Where a court page does not state a fee, a deadline or a procedure, this guide does not state one either. Check your court notice or ask the clerk.
This guide does not cover misdemeanors, mandatory appearances, juvenile matters, parking tickets or tickets from another county.
California Licensing Education cannot look up your case, request traffic school for you, extend a date or send a completion record. Our online course is not yet available.
The court’s traffic school page does not state a completion period or an extension procedure, so this guide does not give one.

Official sources and next steps

Each source above was checked on November 1, 2026. Follow current court instructions and any order for your own case.

California Licensing Education is a private provider. Our online course is not yet available; enrollment, payment and official completion reporting remain closed. Our public guides earn no court credit. This guide cannot decide eligibility, inspect your case, extend a deadline or submit a court record.