Paying or Contesting a Traffic Ticket in Connecticut

Respond by the Answer Date on the ticket. Paying in full (online through the Judicial Branch's Centralized Infractions Bureau) is treated as a plea of nolo contendere (no contest) and is reported to the DMV. To contest, plead Not Guilty; eligible tickets can go through the Online Ticket Review Program, where a prosecutor reviews the case online, and otherwise the case is transferred to court, which may take several months to schedule. If you do not pay or plead by the Answer Date on a motor vehicle ticket, the DMV is notified and will suspend the license, and a $60 reopening fee is charged in addition to the amount due.

Infraction tickets are handled by the Judicial Branch's Centralized Infractions Bureau (CIB). Pay by credit card online (jud2.ct.gov/cibepay) or mail a check or money order payable to "Clerk of Superior Court," with the ticket number written on it and the ticket or Failure to Respond Notice enclosed, to Centralized Infractions Bureau, P.O. Box 5044, Hartford, CT 06102-5044. Full payment is due on or before the Answer Date on the ticket; no payment plans. Paying is a plea of nolo contendere. If you miss the deadline the case goes to court, DMV is notified and may suspend your license, and a $60 reopening fee applies. CIB: 860-263-2750.

Connecticut does not describe a traffic school that dismisses a ticket. Instead, the DMV requires an operator retraining program for drivers 24 or younger convicted of two moving violations, drivers 25 or older convicted of three, and (since Oct. 1, 2025) anyone convicted of reckless driving. Not completing it within 60 days brings an indefinite suspension and a $175 restoration fee. Drivers convicted of a work-zone violation must take a free online Work Zone Safety Course.

Suspensions include point suspensions, failing to answer a ticket by its due date or missing a court date or deadline (in Connecticut or another state), failing to complete required operator retraining, DUI and test refusal, and certain violations by 16- and 17-year-olds. Reinstatement requires completing the requirements in the suspension notice and paying a $175 reinstatement fee (plus other fees such as a $100 ignition interlock administration fee when applicable).