Fresno County traffic school: court request, deadline and completion

Who this guide is for

This guide is for adults with a traffic infraction citation filed in Fresno Superior Court who want to know how the court handles traffic-school requests. Check the court named at the bottom of your citation or on your courtesy notice first. Fresno says a clerk cannot grant traffic school for a misdemeanor, and some citations require a court appearance; for those, or for a juvenile citation, follow the court’s specific instructions. Fresno traffic instructions.

Request traffic school from the court

Fresno lists the steps in this order. Paying a school first does not give you court permission. Court process.

1. Check that you qualify. Fresno’s page says a clerk may grant a request when a driver with a valid license asks to attend for a reportable rules-of-the-road or equipment infraction, and you have not attended traffic school for a prior citation issued within 18 months of the current one. Read the exclusions under eligibility.
2. Make the request. The traffic page says to ask in person at the “M” Street Courthouse or by mail to Fresno Superior Court, “M” Street Courthouse, 2317 Tuolumne Street, Fresno, CA 93721-1220. The court’s handout says you can request traffic school by mail or the drop box. Court handout.
3. Pay the bail and the administrative fee. The traffic page says these amounts are listed on your courtesy notice and can be paid in person or by mail, by check or money order payable to Fresno Superior Court. It gives 1100 Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA 93724 as the mailing address for payments. If you are unsure where to send a combined request and payment, ask the Call Center.
4. Wait for the court’s response. Fresno says that after it receives your payment and request, it provides a list of DMV-licensed schools in your area. Then choose a school and arrange to attend.

Fresno’s general traffic overview says many tasks, including signing up for traffic school, can be handled without coming to court, but its traffic-school section says the court cannot accept online payment for traffic school at this time. The court’s Pay Traffic Fines page covers citation payments and extensions. Follow the traffic-school instructions or ask the court before relying on an online route.

Separate court charges from school tuition

The court’s handout says signing up for traffic school requires the bail amount plus a $67.00 administrative fee. The traffic page says both amounts appear on your courtesy notice, and that the school charges its own fee in addition to the court’s. Use the total on your notice; do not add a fee again if it is already included. Court handout · Court-versus-school cost guide.

The same handout describes a traffic-school payment plan that you can request by mail, email, fax or the drop box: an initial payment of 10% of the total balance, then 90 days to pay the rest unless the court orders otherwise. Ask the court how a plan affects your traffic-school due date before relying on it. For financial hardship, Fresno points to a written request with form TR-320/CR-320 or the statewide MyCitations tool; read those instructions before using them, and ask the court how a hardship request affects a traffic-school request. Ability-to-pay instructions.

Keep the completion date and extension rules

Fresno says it allows 90 days from the sign-up date to complete traffic school. Use the exact due date the court gives you, not a date you calculate from this guide. Completion period.

The clerk may give one 90-day extension to complete traffic school if you ask before the original traffic-school due date; the court says no further extensions are given after that period. Listed routes include telephone (559) 457-1700, fax (559) 457-1710, the court’s Traffic & Criminal Contact Form, the online Pay Traffic Fines page and the drop box. Keep the court’s confirmation of any new date. Extension instructions.

Your citation’s original due date is a separate requirement. Fresno warns that if you do not address your citation by the due date, you may be deemed to have elected a trial by written declaration under Vehicle Code section 40903. Court warning.

Choose a licensed school and confirm completion

After the court accepts your request, check a provider’s license and type of instruction on DMV’s traffic school list. DMV says you cannot register through its website; you contact the school. Confirm the school’s price, current enrollment and reporting availability directly with it. How to verify a school.

Fresno says the traffic school electronically informs the court when you complete. Another part of the same page says you must turn in proof of completion to the court before the deadline, and that if you do, the citation is reported to DMV as a confidential conviction. Treat on-time receipt by the court as your responsibility: keep your completion record and check your case in the Case Information Portal or with the Call Center. Completion and record instructions.

Ask the court about eligibility

Fresno lists infractions a clerk cannot approve, including misdemeanors; violations carrying more than one point; a violation within 18 months after a previous violation for which you attended or elected to attend traffic school; tank-vehicle violations; alcohol- or drug-related violations; certain unresolved failures to appear; and a violation by a commercial-license holder driving a commercial vehicle. Fresno eligibility list.

Statewide rule 4.104 also places alleged speed more than 25 mph over the limit outside routine clerk authority, and lets a judicial officer use discretion in an individual case. That is not a promise of approval. If you are otherwise eligible, pleading not guilty or going to trial does not by itself make you ineligible (rule 4.104(c)(2)).

Fresno’s eligibility bullet measures 18 months between citation issue dates, while rule 4.104 measures from the previous violation and includes having elected to attend. If an earlier ticket is close to that window, ask the court to confirm. A commercial-license holder cited in a vehicle requiring only a noncommercial license may request school under rule 4.104(c)(1), but the conviction is not confidential. Rule 4.104.

Contact Fresno Traffic Court

The Traffic Department Call Center is (559) 457-1700, Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. The traffic clerk’s office is at the “M” Street Courthouse, 2317 Tuolumne Street, Fresno, CA 93721. The court also lists fax (559) 457-1710, its online contact form and the drop box, plus Court ACCESS locations in Orange Cove, Mendota and Coalinga. Check current hours before visiting. Enter case details only through the court’s official services; this guide collects none. Court contact information.

Frequently asked questions about Fresno County traffic school

Can I sign up for Fresno County traffic school online?

Fresno’s traffic-school section says the court cannot accept online payment for traffic school at this time, so you pay in person or by mail; its handout also lists the drop box for requests. The court’s online payment service covers citation payments and extensions. Ask the court if your notice shows a different option. Traffic school process.

How long do I have to finish?

Fresno says 90 days from the sign-up date. The clerk may grant one 90-day extension if you ask before the original traffic-school due date, and no further extensions after that. Completion and extension rules.

Will the court give me a list of schools?

Fresno says that after it receives your payment and request, it gives you a list of DMV-licensed schools in your area. You can also check any school on DMV’s traffic school list. Court process.

Can I pay the traffic-school amount in installments?

The court’s handout describes a traffic-school payment plan: 10% of the total balance first, then 90 days to pay the rest unless the court orders otherwise, requested by mail, email, fax or the drop box. Court handout.

Does traffic school remove the ticket from my record?

Fresno says that if you qualify, attend and get proof of completion to the court before the deadline, the citation is reported to DMV as a confidential conviction. California Courts explains that the point is hidden from your DMV record for a noncommercial license; commercial-license rules differ. Fresno record information · California Courts · Points guide.

What this guide cannot do

This guide summarizes the court pages listed below as they read on November 1, 2026. Court procedures, fees and hours change, and your courtesy notice, case record or a court order controls your case. It cannot decide eligibility, look up your citation, extend a deadline, submit anything to the court or predict how your driving record or insurance will be affected. If this guide and the court disagree, follow the court.