Marin County traffic school: request routes, deadline and extension
Start with the instructions on the back of your Marin Superior Court courtesy notice. Sign up and pay through a route the court lists, finish within 60 calendar days of payment and, if you need it, ask for the single 30-day extension before the due date. This guide covers ordinary adult traffic infractions; the court controls your case.
How do I request traffic school for a ticket in Marin County?
Marin Superior Court lets you sign up and pay for traffic school through its online or phone system at (415) 448-8230, by mail, or at the Traffic Clerk’s Office. Pay the bail on your courtesy notice plus a $52 administrative fee. You have 60 calendar days from payment to finish and may ask for one 30-day extension before the due date.
| Court | Superior Court of California, County of Marin, Traffic Clerk’s Office, Court Floor, Marin County Civic Center Hall of Justice, 3501 Civic Center Dr., San Rafael. Mail: Marin County Superior Court - Traffic, P.O. Box 4988, San Rafael, CA 94913-4988. |
|---|---|
| Official website | marin.courts.ca.gov — Traffic, the Traffic Court FAQs, Payment Options and the court’s online traffic system. |
| Where to request | Online or through the automated phone line, (415) 448-8230; by mail; or in person at the Traffic Clerk’s Office, including its Express Service Drop Box. To speak with a clerk, call (415) 444-7180, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00–2:00 p.m. |
| What to verify | The instructions and bail on your courtesy notice; the bail plus the $52 fee; your 60-day completion due date, which the online system shows; whether you need the one 30-day extension before that date; and, if you are on a payment plan, that every installment is on time. Check any school’s license with our school verification guide. |
Answer and key facts checked against the court’s Traffic page, Traffic Court FAQs and Payment Options page on . The court decides eligibility and sets the dates for your case.
Who this guide is for
This guide is for adults with a traffic infraction citation filed in Marin Superior Court. The court says the date at the bottom of your citation is not a court date but the date by which you should act, and that you are responsible for contacting the court by that date whether or not a courtesy notice arrives. Citations whose notice says “Mandatory Appearance” must go to court, and parking citations in Marin County are not filed with the court. Citations and notices.
Check the court’s eligibility list
Marin says you may be eligible if you have a valid California driver’s license; have not been assigned to or attended traffic school in the last 18 months; were not charged with speeding more than 25 mph over the posted limit; have an infraction that is reportable to DMV; and have no section requiring a mandatory appearance. It adds that certain serious Vehicle Code violations are not eligible, and that a commercial-license holder may qualify if not driving a commercial vehicle. Traffic school requirements.
Statewide rule 4.104 sets the clerk’s authority and its exclusions, and says that when a class A, class B or commercial class C license holder completes traffic school, the conviction is not reported as confidential. If anything about your citation is unusual, ask the court before you pay.
Request traffic school from the court
Marin says to follow the instructions on the back of your courtesy notice and register through its website, by telephone or in person at the Traffic Clerk’s Office during office hours. Its FAQ adds that payments with traffic-school requests may be made in person, by phone or by mail, without a court appearance. Registering for traffic school · Court FAQ.
- Online or automated phone. The court’s online traffic system is available 24 hours a day; the automated phone line, (415) 448-8230, answers Monday–Friday, 5:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., and Saturday, 5:00–9:00 a.m. You need a case, citation or driver’s license number and your date of birth. Both let you sign up and pay for traffic school and review your completion due date. The court accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, with a convenience fee on card transactions. Online and phone access · Card payments.
- By mail. Send a check, cashier’s check or money order payable to Marin County Superior Court, with the case number or your name written on it, to Marin County Superior Court - Traffic, P.O. Box 4988, San Rafael, CA 94913-4988. Mail payments.
- In person or Express Service Drop Box. The Traffic Clerk’s Office is on the Court Floor of the Hall of Justice. The court lists the Express Service Drop Box in the lobby of Room 113 for a traffic-school request submitted with full bail plus the $52 traffic school fee; print your name and case number on the envelope. The court’s pages refer to both Room 113 and Room C-10 for this office, so follow the posted signs or call ahead. Drop box and directions · Office location.
If your citation includes a correctable violation, Marin says proof of correction must reach the Traffic Clerk’s Office by the due date with a $25.00 transaction fee per correction, and that you must mail or bring the proof with your payment. Its Payment Options page also lets you email proof of correction to traffic@marin.courts.ca.gov and pay online after the clerk’s office replies. Correctable citations · Proof with payment · Emailing proof.
Separate court charges from school tuition
As checked on , Marin says a non-refundable $52 administrative fee is payable to the court in addition to the bail on your courtesy notice, and that the school you choose collects its own fee. The FAQ confirms you must pay full bail to attend. Use the total on your courtesy notice or in the court’s system; this guide does not calculate it. Traffic school fee · Court FAQ · Court-versus-school cost guide.
Marin says you may attend traffic school while on a payment plan or doing community service work, but you still pay the $52 fee and the school’s fee. Its payment plans run up to 12 months with a minimum of $50 a month. If you complete traffic school but do not make your payments on time, the court says DMV will not accept your proof of completion and the conviction will be reported on your driving record. Payment plans and traffic school · Installments.
Keep the 60-day date and extension rule
Marin says that when you register with the court, you have 60 calendar days from the date your payment is received to complete traffic school. If you do not finish by the due date provided, the citation is reported to DMV as a conviction and all fines and fees posted with the court are forfeited. Completion period.
The court may grant one 30-day extension of time to complete traffic school if you request it before the certificate’s due date; no further extensions are approved. The FAQ says you can request that one-time extension through the court’s automated system. This is separate from the one-time 30-day extension to pay the fine or appear in court. Extension rule · Automated extension request.
If payment becomes delinquent, Marin says it may add a $100 civil assessment and other monetary sanctions and send the account to its collections vendor. Delinquent payments.
| Requirement | Assigned date | Court-confirmed change, if any |
|---|---|---|
| Due date on the courtesy notice | ______ | ______ |
| Bail and $52 fee received by the court (starts the 60 days) | ______ | ______ |
| Traffic school completed (60 days, or one 30-day extension) | ______ | ______ |
Choose a licensed school and confirm completion
Marin directs you to DMV’s website to find a classroom or online school and says the schools listed there are licensed and regulated by DMV. Check a provider’s license and type of instruction on DMV’s traffic school list; DMV says you register with the school, not through DMV. Finding a school · How to verify a school.
The court says the school notifies DMV that you completed the course, and the court then accesses that information from DMV through a secure website. Use the court’s online system to review your traffic-school completion due date, and contact the clerk’s office if your completion does not appear before that date. Completion reporting.
Contact Marin Traffic Court
The Traffic Clerk’s Office, Marin County Civic Center Hall of Justice, 3501 Civic Center Dr., San Rafael, is open Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00–4:00 p.m., except holidays. From the middle arch lobby, the court says to take the elevator to the “C” floor and, after security screening, go left to the end of the hall. Clerk phone: (415) 444-7180, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00–2:00 p.m. Mailing address: P.O. Box 4988, San Rafael, CA 94913-4988. Check current hours before visiting. Enter case details only through the court’s official services; this guide collects none. Office location and hours.
Frequently asked questions about Marin County traffic school
- How much does Marin County charge to allow traffic school?
- The court says a non-refundable $52 administrative fee is due in addition to the bail. The school’s fee is separate. Traffic Court FAQ
- Can I sign up for Marin County traffic school online?
- Yes. The court says its automated online and phone system lets you sign up and pay for traffic school. Court FAQ
- How long do I have to complete traffic school?
- Marin says 60 calendar days from the date your payment is received. Traffic page
- Can I get more time?
- The court may grant one 30-day extension if you ask before the certificate’s due date, including through its automated system; no further extensions are approved. Extension rule · Court FAQ
- Can I go to traffic school while on a payment plan?
- Yes, if eligible, but you still pay the $52 fee, and the court says late payments mean DMV will not accept your proof of completion. Court FAQ
What this guide cannot do
This guide summarizes the court pages listed below as they read on . 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 will be affected. Where a court page does not state a fee, a deadline or a procedure, this guide does not state one either. If this guide and the court disagree, follow the court.
California Courts explains statewide how traffic school works; read its traffic-school page for general background, and use Marin Superior Court’s instructions for your case.
Common misconceptions about Marin County traffic school
- “Traffic school erases the violation from my DMV record.”
- Marin says the violation remains on your DMV record; DMV suppresses it from your public driving record. Traffic Court FAQ
- “Once I finish the course, late plan payments don’t matter.”
- The court says that if you complete traffic school but do not make payments on time, DMV will not accept your proof of completion and the conviction is reported. Traffic Court FAQ
- “I can keep extending my completion date.”
- Marin allows one 30-day extension, requested before the due date, and says no further extensions will be approved. Traffic page
Official sources and next steps
- Marin Superior Court — Traffic
- Marin Superior Court — Traffic Court Frequently Asked Questions
- Marin Superior Court — Payment Options
- Marin Superior Court — Online traffic system
- California Rules of Court — rule 4.104
- California Courts Self-Help — Traffic school
- California DMV — Traffic School List
Each source above was checked on . 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. To complete traffic school now, choose a licensed school from DMV’s traffic school list after the court gives you permission.