* This information is provided by the State Court of DeKalb County Division A and is current and accurate but is not intended or meant as legal advice. It is your responsibility to confirm independently the information provided on this website. Policies of the court are subject to change. Legal questions can be explained by an attorney, independent research into the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) or the DeKalb County Code of Ordinances. State Court of DeKalb County Division A employees are not allowed to give legal advice or to help anyone fill out any forms or pleadings. Anyone who wants legal advice should contact an attorney.
You can only pay certain citations on-line. If the system permits you to pay your fine on your citation, you are no longer required to appear personally in court. Your payment of the fine will be accepted as a guilty plea. If points are associated with the citation, it will be reported to the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
There are certain offenses for which Georgia Law requires you to appear in court. Additionally, there are other offenses which the Court has determined that an appearance is mandatory. Therefore, you must appear in person on the date and in the location that is listed on your citation. If you fail to appear on your court date, you may lose your bond, a warrant may be issued for your arrest, and your license may be suspended.
You must come to the 2nd floor of the Bobby Burgess Building where the Warrant Division is located for information on payment, re-reinstatement of your license, and FTA Court.
You must come to the 2nd floor of the Bobby Burgess Building where the Warrant Division is located for information on payment, re-reinstatement of your license and re-scheduling of your court appearance.
Yes. Under Georgia law, there are legal excuses for failure to appear.
- You were incarcerated at the time of the hearing (must bring proof of incarceration to court to get a reset).
- You were hospitalized or institutionalized at the time of the hearing (must bring proof of this). Routine doctor’s appointments or an emergency room visit on the date of the hearing will not satisfy this requirement.
- You were active in the military stationed elsewhere at the time of the hearing (please bring in documents showing you were not free to leave the base and come to court).
- The person receiving the ticket has been deported (ICE documentation is required).
- The person receiving the ticket died or was terminally ill at the time of the court date and has since died. Please bring in a death certificate or program from the funeral service.
- You did not get notice of the hearing. This can happen if you were injured in an accident or arrested and were not given the ticket by the officer. Your case will be reset.
Please allow up to 14 days for your citation to appear in the system. If you are unable to locate your citation in our system, you must appear on your court date listed on your citation.
No. The first court date is an “Arraignment.” Your constitutional rights will be explained to you by a judge, and then you may enter a plea of “Guilty,” “Not Guilty,” and in some cases, at the discretion of the judge, a plea of “Nolo.” You will also have the opportunity to fill out an application with the Office of the Public Defender to see if you qualify for their services. If you already have an attorney, or want to hire an attorney on your own, please tell the judge or the Solicitor General.
Officers and witnesses are not required to attend an Arraignment. They must be subpoenaed to attend trials. If you enter a Not Guilty plea, your case will be reset for a future trial date and officers and any witnesses listed in the accident report will be subpoenaed by the Clerk’s Office. Both parties (the defendant and the prosecution) also have the right to subpoena any additional witnesses they wish to be present at trial.
If you enter a plea of guilty, you may be immediately sentenced, and a report may be sent to the Georgia Department of Driver Services where points to your driver’s license may be assessed and a fine immediately imposed. However, if you are placed on deferred sentencing, your sentencing, any DDS reporting and assessment of fines will be deferred to a later date. In that case, the Court will inform you of the fine it is considering imposing for your conviction and give you a date by which you can pay your fine or re-appear in court for formal sentencing.
You have a right to request a Nolo (contender) or no contest plea, but it is completely in the discretion of the judge to grant or deny your request. A Nolo may prevent your license from being suspended or prevent points being assessed to your driving history. There are many limitations to this general rule. For example, if you are under 21 years of age, a Nolo will not keep you from getting points or from being suspended.
For information regarding points and their effect on your license, please refer to the Georgia Department of Driver Services by clicking here: www.dds.ga.gov
You will have to fill out an application provided by the Office of the Public Defender for DeKalb County to see if you qualify. Qualification is based on your family income and assets. If you do not qualify, you will have to hire an attorney on your own. Please refer to the links provided on the “Other Related Links” tab for information on local Bar Associations.
If you decide to represent yourself, you will be held to the same standards as an attorney. Neither the court, nor the clerks are allowed to give you legal advice, make any calls for you, or obtain evidence for you.
Yes. You can get subpoenas for witnesses from the Clerk of Court.
Yes, depending on the offense, you have the right to request a jury trial. A jury trial can be requested for any misdemeanor traffic offense, including but not limited to: driving without a license, driving on a suspended license, reckless driving and driving on a suspended registration.
If a jury trial is requested, your case will be transferred to the DeKalb County State Court Division A located in the downtown Decatur courthouse at 556 N. McDonough St, Decatur GA 30030.
In general, the maximum punishment which can be imposed on a state law misdemeanor is 12 months in jail and $1000 in fines per citation. For some offenses, such as first-time speeding charges, the maximum fees are less. Most traffic citations are State law misdemeanors. Some offenses also carry with it a mandatory suspension of your license. If a suspension of your license is required by law, or if the court for any reason feels a court or medical license suspension is necessary, your license can also be suspended.
Further, a person who is convicted of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $5,000.00 or by confinement in jail for up to 12 months.
Yes. For state law cases, you can appeal within 30 days of the date of the conviction by filing a Notice of Appeal with the State Court Division B Clerk’s office and pay the mandatory fee of $25.00. The appeal will be either to the Georgia Supreme Court or the Georgia Court of Appeals. An appeal will not automatically delay or defer any suspension of your license that may be required by law. You may also want to consider seeking the aid of an attorney to help with any post-conviction filings.
Once the officer files the citation with the court, you must appear on the date shown on the citation. If the officer wants to make it a warning, the officer may recommend that to the prosecutor. This takes place at trial, not on the first court date, which is the date listed on your citation. If you do not appear on that first date, known as an “Arraignment,” your license will be suspended by the Department of Driver Services and the court will issue a warrant for your arrest.
For the purposes of registration and insurance, Georgia law does not distinguish between the owner and the operator of the vehicle. You are responsible for knowing the registration and insurance status of any vehicle you drive.
If this was the only ticket you received at the time you were stopped, you may be able to have your citation administratively reduced and the fine reduced. You must come to court no sooner than 10 days after the ticket was issued and no later than 10 days before your Arraignment (court date on the ticket) and ask about the “Standing Order.” A minimal fine will be imposed.
If this was the only ticket you received at the time you were stopped, you may be able to have your citation administratively reduced or dismissed. If the charge is dismissed, no fine will be assessed. If the charge is reduced a minimal fine will be imposed. You must come to court no sooner than 10 days after the ticket was issued and no later than 10 days before your Arraignment (court date on the ticket) and ask about the “Standing Order.”
You are expected to pay your fine upon a plea or conviction. While there may be other options, it is up to the judge who handles your case.
Please click on this link for information on your citation(s).
Each court assesses a base fine. Added to the base fine are all of the State surcharges required by acts of the Georgia Legislature. We are legally required to assess and remit the add-on surcharges approved by your State Legislators. These surcharges add to the amount you are required to pay.
You may pay by credit/debit cards, cash, money order or certified check in person at the court. Your citation may also be payable online.
Unless the class was ordered by a judge of this court, there is no guarantee that it will result in any reduction of fine or consideration on sentencing. It is completely in the discretion of the judge you see on your court date.