Santa Cruz County traffic school: request routes, deadline and completion

Who this guide is for

This guide is for adults with a traffic infraction filed in Santa Cruz Superior Court. The court mails a courtesy notice to the address on your ticket once it receives the ticket; it says this can take three weeks, and that court staff cannot quote a fine until the ticket is in its system. For an infraction, the date to appear on your ticket is not a court date. If no notice arrives, search the court’s public case portal or email or call the court; not receiving a notice does not relieve you of responsibility for the ticket. Traffic Division general information.

Check the court’s eligibility list

Santa Cruz says you must hold a valid driver’s license; must not have attended traffic school within the last 18 months, counted from violation date to violation date; must not have a ticket that has defaulted to a failure to appear; must have traffic-school-eligible violations; and must have been driving a non-commercial vehicle. All correctable violations must be cleared before you elect traffic school. Eligibility requirements.

The court lists equipment offenses, non-moving offenses such as parking, misdemeanors, offenses with a mandatory court appearance, alcohol- or drug-related offenses and offenses in a commercial vehicle as ineligible, and points to statewide rule 4.104 for other reasons. Ineligible offenses.

If you hold a commercial license and were cited in a non-commercial vehicle, Santa Cruz says to contact the clerk’s office to request traffic school, and after it is approved and completed, to call the DMV Mandatory Actions Unit at (916) 657-6525 to remove the point. If you are not licensed in California, the court says to ask your home state’s DMV whether traffic school is appropriate. Commercial licenses and out-of-state drivers.

Request traffic school when you pay

In Santa Cruz, the traffic-school choice is made at payment. The court warns that once a payment is made the case is closed and traffic school is no longer an option, so if you are eligible but the online system does not offer traffic school, do not pay online; contact the clerk’s office to review your case first. Traffic School overview.

1. Online (the court’s recommended option). On the court’s payment portal, select the option for paying the fine plus the $52 traffic school fee. The court says that if you do not select traffic school and pay the additional fee, you lose the option for that ticket. A convenience fee is added to online payments. Option 1.
2. By mail. Send a check or money order payable to “Santa Cruz Superior Court” to the clerk’s office, with your case number and the additional $52 traffic school fee included. The court does not accept cash by mail. Option 2.
3. In person or drop box. Pay at the Santa Cruz or Watsonville clerk’s office. After hours, the drop box takes checks or money orders payable to “Santa Cruz Superior Court” with your case number and the $52 fee, but not cash. The court says the drop box is available until 5:00 p.m. and items must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the day they are due. Option 3 and drop box.

Separate court charges from school tuition

As checked on November 2, 2026, Santa Cruz says that to attend traffic school you pay the court the entire bail amount on the courtesy notice and, at the same time, a non-refundable $52.00 traffic school fee. The school charges its own fee when you enroll, separate from the court’s fines and fees, and the court says fees paid to it for traffic school are not refunded. If you want a traffic-school payment plan, the court says to contact it about that option. Court fees · Court-versus-school cost guide.

If you cannot afford to pay, the Traffic Division page points to the MyCitations online tool for asking the court to consider your ability to pay. Ability to pay.

Keep the 90-day date

Santa Cruz says that once you pay, you have 90 days to complete the course, and that there is no extension or grace period for the traffic-school completion date. If you do not complete it, the court says a conviction goes on your driving record and the non-refundable traffic-school fee is forfeited as payment in full. Completion period.

The court’s extension page covers a different date: if you need more time on the date to appear shown on your courtesy notice, contact the clerk’s office by email, phone or in person. To change an existing order, it uses Modification Request Form SUPTMV-056. Requesting an extension or modification.

Choose a licensed school and finish on time

The court says you may attend a class from DMV’s list in your area of residence or online, and it publishes instructions for navigating DMV’s list. 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. You must pay the court before you attend. Choosing a class · How to verify a school.

After successful completion, Santa Cruz says the court notifies DMV of a conviction that is kept confidential: it will not show on your public record and the point is not assessed. The court’s Traffic School page does not explain how completion reaches the court or how to check it, so ask your school how it reports and contact the court if you need confirmation before day 90. After completion.

Contact Santa Cruz Traffic Division

Email TrafficInfo@santacruzcourt.org or call (831) 420-2200, Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. The Santa Cruz clerk’s office, 701 Ocean Street, Room 120, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, is open Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. The Watsonville clerk’s office, 1 Second Street, Room 300, Watsonville, CA 95076, is open Tuesday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and 1:30–3:00 p.m., and closed Monday and Friday. Check current hours before visiting. Enter case details only through the court’s official services; this guide collects none. Contact information.

Frequently asked questions about Santa Cruz County traffic school

How much does Santa Cruz County charge to allow traffic school?

The court says you pay the entire bail on your courtesy notice plus a non-refundable $52.00 traffic school fee at the same time. The school’s fee is separate. Traffic School page

How long do I have to complete traffic school?

Santa Cruz says 90 days from payment, with no extension or grace period. Completion period

The online system does not show traffic school for my ticket. What should I do?

If you are eligible, the court says not to pay online and to contact the clerk’s office to review your case before paying. Traffic School overview

Can I use the drop box?

Yes, at either clerk’s office, with a check or money order, your case number and the $52 fee. Items must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the day they are due. Option 3

I hold a commercial license but was driving my own car. Can I go?

Santa Cruz says to contact the clerk’s office to request traffic school, then call the DMV Mandatory Actions Unit after completion. Commercial licenses

What this guide cannot do

This guide summarizes the court pages listed below as they read on November 2, 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 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 Santa Cruz Superior Court’s instructions for your case.