Paying or Contesting a Traffic Ticket in Arkansas

Tickets are handled by the court in the county where the ticket was issued. Participating courts accept online payment at pay.arcourts.gov; some offenses, such as DWI, require a court appearance and cannot be paid online. Paying the full amount online waives appearance and trial and is accepted as a plea of guilty or no contest. If you do not pay before the court date and do not appear, the court may issue a failure-to-appear warrant, the driver's license will be suspended, and additional fines and costs apply. To contest a ticket, contact the court listed on the citation.

Pay traffic citations online at the Arkansas Online Court Payment site (pay.arcourts.gov) if the citation is payable to a participating district court: choose the court, enter your name plus the citation number or driver's license/State ID number and date of birth, and pay the full amount plus an online service charge by Visa, Discover or MasterCard. Paying the full amount waives your appearance and trial and is treated as a guilty or no-contest plea. Not paying and not appearing can lead to a failure-to-appear warrant, license suspension, and extra fines and costs. A payment plan option is available on the site.

Suspensions include point suspensions after a hearing, failure to appear or pay on a citation, DWI and test refusal, and underage alcohol offenses (for example, 60 days for a first minor-in-possession or ID-misrepresentation offense). Reinstatement after a DWI requires an alcohol education or treatment program, a Victim Impact Panel, an ignition interlock for a period equal to the suspension, and a $150 fee; a revoked license requires passing the full driver's license exam.