Washington Traffic Tickets

You must respond to your Washington traffic ticket within 30 days

You have three options:

Pay the ticket

If you pay the fine, you are admitting guilt. The ticket will stay on your driving record for 5 years and you'll likely pay an extra $800 in insurance premiums over the next 3 years. Continue reading.

Fight the ticket

Contesting your traffic ticket is the only way to potentially keep it off of your driving record, eliminate or reduce the fine, and keep your insurance premiums low. If you book a case on Off The Record, we'll handle this process for you. Continue reading.

Admit guilt with an explanation

By requesting a mitigation hearing you'll be admitting guilt, but you'll also have a chance to explain yourself in court. The court may reduce your fine but the ticket will still go on your driving record. Continue reading.

Things You Should Know

Over 2,300 traffic tickets are issued in Washington each day
The average insurance increase after a single speeding ticket is $22/month for three years ($800 total)
Washington traffic tickets stay on your driving record for 5 years
Washington does not have a point system but if you get too many tickets your license may be suspended
Washington does take into account traffic tickets received in other states
Off The Record has a 97% success rate in keeping tickets off of driving records in Washington
If you don't respond to your traffic ticket within 30 days, you could face additional penalties such as extra fines and license suspension

Washington Counties

Traffic tickets in Washington are assigned to a court in the county where the ticket is issued. Off The Record works directly with dozens of traffic lawyers across Washington, and we keep track of all outcomes. This gives us unprecedented insight into which lawyers are successful and in which courts. When you book a case through Off The Record, you'll get matched to the lawyer most likely to get your traffic ticket dismissed or reduced to a non-moving violation.

Click on a county below to get county specific information
(list of courts, lawyers, special rules and requirements, etc.)

Types of Traffic Ticket Violations

Depending on the type of ticket you received, it may or may not make sense to fight it.

Moving Violations

A moving violation occurs whenever a traffic law is violated by a vehicle in motion. Moving violations are the ones you should be worried about. It is these violations that stay on your driving record and cause your insurance premiums to increase. In Washington, if you get too many of these, your license may be suspended.

Off The Record can help you fight any moving violation traffic ticket. It'll take you less than a minute to book a case and if we are unable to keep the ticket off your record, you'll get a full refund.

Here are some of the most common moving violations in Washington:

Speeding
HOV / Carpool Lane Violation
Negligent Driving, Second Degree
Disobey Road Signs
Failure To Stop
Failure To Yield
Improper Lane Change
Improper Passing
Driving Off Road
Improper Turn

You can also be pulled over and ticketed for more serious traffic crimes. The violations below are considered misdemeanors or gross misdemeanors. If you've been issued one of these, please email us at hello@offtherecord.com or submit a Ticket Review Request and one of our lawyers will get back to you as soon as possible with your options.

Non-Moving Violations

A non-moving violation is usually associated with faulty equipment or missing paperwork, but can also include violations that occur while the car is moving.

What separates a moving violation from a non-moving violation is the way it’s treated by the court and by the Department of Licensing (DOL). Whereas a speeding ticket is reported to the DOL, non-moving violations are not. And in fact, some infractions are specifically ordered not to be reported to the DOL or to insurance companies.

For these reasons, most drivers choose not to fight tickets that contain only non-moving violations.

If you'd still like to fight your non-moving violation on principle, we can help. Simply book a case then send your lawyer a message stating that you understand that the ticket is for a non-moving violation, but that you'd like to contest it anyways. Our money-back guarantee does not apply to non-moving violations.

Here's a list of common non-moving violations:

Parking Tickets

As frustrating as parking tickets can be, they do not go on your driving record and do not impact your insurance premiums.

At Off The Record, we do not handle parking tickets, but if you feel that your ticket is special in some way and you'd like a lawyer to review it, please submit a Ticket Review Request and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Red Light Camera Tickets

In Washington, tickets that are issued with the help of a red light camera are not allowed to be reported to the Department of Licensing, so these tickets will not go on your driving record and will not impact your insurance premiums. The unfortunate thing is that these tickets tend to have a higher than average fine.

We don't like them either, but because these tickets are considered non-moving violations, we do not handle them. If you feel that your red light camera ticket is unique in some way and you'd like to have it reviewed by a lawyer, please submit a Ticket Review Request and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Fines & penalties

Traffic fines in Washington vary by offense. If you do not pay on time, you will be charged additional late fees and your amount due will eventually be referred to a collection agency. Refer to your traffic ticket to determine your exact fine amount, deadlines, and penalties.

Washington's Department of Licensing (DOL) does not operate under a driving record point system. However, there are penalties, including driver's license suspension and revocation, for repeat speeding tickets or other violations that exhibit a pattern of unsafe driving. Too many traffic violations on your driving record, or committing a major violation, will lead to your driver's license being suspended.

Responding to your ticket

There are three ways to respond to your traffic ticket:

Plea guilty and pay the fine
Plea guilty and request a mitigation hearing
Plea not guilty and request a contested hearing

Regardless of your plea, it must be entered before the ticket's due date. In Washington you have 30 days from the infraction date.

If you are past the 30 day window and you still want to contest your ticket, we may be able to help you. Book a case as soon as possible.

Pay the ticket

Paying a WA traffic ticket is an admission of guilt.

This means:

You are waiving your right to challenge the traffic ticket in court.
Depending on your WA driving record, the Department of Licensing (DOL) may suspend your Washington driver's license.
The traffic violation may cause an increase in your car insurance rates.

Request a mitigation hearing

If you're guilty of the traffic violation, you have the option to request a mitigation hearing and have your fine reduced. Follow the instructions on your traffic ticket to request this hearing. Your mitigation hearing may result in, any of the following in lieu of paying the full original ticket fine:

Fine reduction
Monthly payment plan
Community service

You CANNOT appeal the judge's decision in a mitigation hearing.

Fight the ticket

If you want to fight the ticket, you need to request a contested hearing. There are three ways to do this:

Let OTR Handle Everything For You

OTR will match you with a lawyer who will take care of the whole process for you. You wont need to mail in the ticket or appear in court. You can book a case right from this website or by using our iPhone app or Android app.

Here's how it works.

One in four tickets is issued in error, yet only 5% of drivers contest their traffic tickets.
Off The Record has a 97% success rate in keeping tickets off of driving records.

Do It Yourself

Follow the instructions on the ticket. You'll need to check the appropriate check box on your ticket and then mail it in to the relevant court. The court will then send you a Court Appearance Notice with a court date (this takes 2 - 4 weeks). You'll need to appear in court on that date and argue your case in front of the judge and/or prosecutor.

Find And Hire a Traffic Lawyer

You can find and hire a traffic lawyer yourself. The legal fees and service level of traffic lawyers in Washington vary greatly.

Ticket deferral

In Washington, you may take advantage of the option to defer your ticket, which essentially removes the ticket from your driving record.

Learn more about traffic ticket deferrals in our deferrals guide.

Hiring a Washington Traffic Ticket Lawyer

Fighting your traffic ticket can help you avoid fines, license suspension, and increased insurance premiums. A traffic ticket lawyer is a major asset in that fight. Typically, you can expect a lawyer to:

Request a contested hearing
Request discovery for your case
Represent you in court
Negotiate with the prosecutor to have your charges dropped or reduced

The hardest question to answer is "Which traffic lawyer should I hire?" At OTR, we keep track of all case results, so we know which lawyers are successful in each Washington court. When you fight a ticket with OTR, you can expect to be matched with a lawyer that has a great track record in the court where your ticket will be contested.

What questions should I ask before hiring a traffic lawyer?

If you'd prefer to find and hire a lawyer yourself, here are some questions you should ask.

How much of your practice is dedicated to traffic matters? Some lawyers focus exclusively on traffic tickets and traffic law. Others do it once in a blue moon. Probably best to go with a lawyer who does it on a regular basis. All OTR network lawyers have extensive experience contesting traffic tickets.
Will you actually contest my ticket in court and/or negotiate directly with the court prosecutor?
Some lawyers like to take shortcuts. One such shortcut is automatically using your deferral if you have one available. Instead, the lawyer you hire should file for a contested hearing and try to get your ticket dismissed or reduced to a non-moving violation. If your lawyer is unsuccessful in getting your ticket dismissed or reduced at the hearing, then it is common practice for your lawyer to use your deferral as a last resort (if you have one available).
What happens if the ticket is found committed?
If the ticket is found committed it means the lawyer has lost the case. The ticket will go on your driving record and you'll have to pay the fine. This happens from time to time, regardless of how good your lawyer is. Fortunately, some lawyers offer a full refund when a traffic ticket case is lost. This only applies to civil traffic infractions, and never to criminal matters (i.e. something like Reckless Driving). Ask your lawyer whether you'll be entitled to a refund if your ticket is found committed. At OTR, we always offer a full refund if your lawyer is not able to keep the ticket off of your driving record and the ticket is found committed.

Fight your Washington traffic ticket

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