San Francisco traffic school: sign-up, Agreement due date and completion
Start with San Francisco Superior Court’s Reminder Notice and traffic-school instructions. Check eligibility before you pay, select the traffic-school option, save the due date on your Traffic School Agreement and confirm the court can see your completion. This guide covers ordinary adult traffic infractions; the court controls your case.
How do I request traffic school for a ticket in San Francisco?
San Francisco Superior Court asks you to check eligibility, then pay the full bail plus a nonrefundable $52 traffic-school administrative fee and select the traffic-school option, online, by phone, in person or by mail. You generally have three months from payment to finish; use the due date on your Traffic School Agreement, and give the school court code 38460.
| Court | Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Traffic Division, Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant Street, Room 145, San Francisco, CA 94103. |
|---|---|
| Official website | sf.courts.ca.gov — Traffic School and the court’s Pay Traffic Citations page. |
| Where to request | Pay and select the traffic-school option online through the court’s payment page, by phone at (415) 551-8550, in person at 850 Bryant St., Room 145, or by mail to that address. Questions: (415) 551-8540 or the court’s LiveChat. |
| What to verify | That you meet the court’s eligibility list; the due date on your Traffic School Agreement; that both bail and the $52 fee are paid by that date; that your school has court code 38460; and that the court received your completion. Check any school’s license with our school verification guide. |
Answer and key facts checked against the court’s Traffic School page, Traffic FAQ and Traffic School Agreement 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 San Francisco Superior Court. The court says it does not handle parking tickets, which go to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. If your Reminder Notice shows a court appearance, or you have already appeared before a judge, follow the court’s instructions for that stage. San Francisco Traffic Court.
Check eligibility and sign up
- Check eligibility first. San Francisco says traffic school may be approved only if you have a valid California driver’s license, the violation is an eligible Vehicle Code infraction carrying no more than one DMV point, you have not attended traffic school in the past 18 months, the violation is not alcohol- or drug-related, the alleged speed is not more than 25 mph over the limit and the citation is not for tank vehicles. If your citation lists an out-of-state license but you now hold a California license, the court says you must appear in court to correct it first. Eligibility list.
- Pay and select traffic school. Pay the full bail and the $52 nonrefundable administrative fee, and select the traffic-school option when paying. The court lists online, phone, in-person and mail payment. Sign-up steps.
- Read your Traffic School Agreement. The court posts a printable agreement that shows your due date to complete traffic school and pay the fine, and explains the rights you give up by choosing traffic school. Traffic School Agreement.
- Complete a licensed school by your deadline. See choosing a school below.
If your ticket does not appear when you search, the court’s FAQ says it may take about 6–8 weeks for the citation to be filed, after which the court sets a new response date, typically 21 days later. Keep checking with the court by phone, LiveChat or the payment portal. Traffic FAQ.
Separate court charges from school tuition
San Francisco lists three costs: the bail (fine), a $52 nonrefundable administrative fee, and traffic-school tuition paid separately to the school. The court says a 3.5% convenience fee is added to credit, debit or mobile phone transactions. If you enroll and turn out not to be eligible, the court says your fees will not be refunded and the conviction will be reported to DMV. Traffic school fees · Court-versus-school cost guide.
The FAQ lists accepted payment methods: cards by phone or online; cards, check, money order or cash in person; and check or money order by mail. Include your citation number on a mailed check or money order and do not send cash. Payment methods.
Use the due date on your Agreement
The court says you are generally given three months from your date of payment to complete traffic school. The Traffic School Agreement has a single line for your due date to complete traffic school and pay the fine; use that date. Completion period · Agreement.
The Agreement says that if payment is not made by the traffic-school due date, you get no credit for completing the course, a $100 civil assessment may be added, and the conviction is reported to DMV. If you do not complete the course by the due date, it says the fee you paid reverts to bail and is forfeited and a conviction is reported. If you cannot meet a date, contact the court before it passes. Agreement consequences.
| Requirement | Assigned date | Court-confirmed change, if any |
|---|---|---|
| Reminder Notice or citation due date | ______ | ______ |
| Bail and $52 fee paid | ______ | ______ |
| Traffic school completed (Agreement due date) | ______ | ______ |
Choose a licensed school and confirm completion
The court links to DMV’s traffic school list, where you can check a provider’s license and type of instruction (online or classroom). DMV says you register with the school, not through DMV. Confirm price, enrollment and reporting availability with the school. How to verify a school.
The Agreement asks you to give the school the court’s information, San Francisco Hall of Justice, court code 38460, so your completion goes to the correct court. The Traffic School page says the school notifies DMV and the court accesses completion electronically, and that completion cannot be accepted unless the bail and administrative fee have been paid. If you are unsure whether the court has your completion, call the court or use LiveChat. Court code · Completion.
Ask the court about eligibility
San Francisco’s Agreement describes the 18-month window as 18 months and one day, counted between the issue dates of the previous and current citations. Statewide rule 4.104 measures from the previous violation and includes having elected to attend. If a prior ticket is close to that window, ask the court to confirm before you pay. Agreement eligibility.
The court says that if you appeared before a judge and were not granted traffic school, you cannot sign up for it later. Under rule 4.104(c)(2), pleading not guilty or going to trial does not by itself make an otherwise eligible driver ineligible, but approval is at the court’s discretion. A commercial-license holder cited in a vehicle requiring only a noncommercial license may request school, but the conviction is not confidential. Court rule · Rule 4.104.
Contact San Francisco Traffic Court
For citation information, the court lists (415) 551-8540 and a LiveChat clerk during business hours; phone payments use (415) 551-8550. The Traffic Division window is at the Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant Street, Room 145, and the court also lists the Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister St., Room 103. The court’s pages show different window hours, so check current hours before you go. Enter case details only through the court’s official services; this guide collects none. Locations and contact information.
Frequently asked questions about San Francisco traffic school
- Can I sign up for San Francisco traffic school online?
- Yes. The court’s FAQ says you can sign up and pay online; the Traffic School page says to select the traffic-school option when paying. Phone, in-person and mail payment are also listed. Traffic FAQ · Traffic School page.
- How long do I have to finish?
- The court says you are generally given three months from your payment date. Use the due date on your Traffic School Agreement. Completion period.
- Is the $52 fee refundable?
- No. The court calls it nonrefundable and says it will not be refunded if you are not eligible; the Agreement says it is not refunded if you fail to complete. Traffic School page · Agreement.
- Who reports my completion?
- The court says most schools report completion electronically to DMV and the court, and that the court accesses completion electronically. Give the school court code 38460. Completion · Agreement.
- My ticket isn’t in the system yet. What should I do?
- The FAQ says filing can take about 6–8 weeks; once filed, the court sets a new response date, typically 21 days later, and mails a reminder. It suggests checking at least every week or two by phone, LiveChat or the payment portal. Traffic 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 or insurance will be affected. 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 San Francisco’s instructions for your case.
Common misconceptions about San Francisco traffic school
- “If a judge denies traffic school, I can sign up for it afterward.”
- San Francisco says that if you appeared before a judge and were not granted traffic school, you cannot sign up for it later. Traffic School page
- “Finishing the course is enough even if I haven’t paid the court.”
- The court says completion cannot be accepted unless the bail and administrative fee have been paid, and the Agreement says late payment means no credit for the course. Traffic School Certificates · Agreement
- “If I wasn’t eligible, finishing the course still hides the point.”
- The Agreement says that if you are not eligible and complete traffic school anyway, DMV will assess the point and the conviction will not be kept confidential. Traffic School Agreement
Official sources and next steps
- San Francisco Superior Court — Traffic School
- San Francisco Superior Court — Traffic School Agreement (Rev. 3/17/26)
- San Francisco Superior Court — Traffic FAQ
- San Francisco Superior Court — Pay Traffic Citations
- San Francisco Superior Court — Traffic
- 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.