How to respond to a New Paltz traffic ticket

Did you get a traffic ticket in New Paltz, or another Hudson Valley or upstate New York town? Even though it’s usually no more than two pages for a speeding ticket or other traffic infraction, the paperwork can look complicated. Here’s a simple guide to the process of what to do.

Example New York traffic ticket

1. Call Selby Legal. You may not need an attorney, but you can still benefit from some free legal advice.

2. Take a look at this example ticket, and find the section near the bottom left with the court information. It is below the phrase, “THIS MATTER IS SCHEDULE TO BE HANDLED ON THE APPEARANCE DATE BELOW”. The date there (highlighted in this example) is your deadline for sending in your plea of “not guilty.”

3. Next, look at section B, on the right-hand side of the ticket. This is what you’ll need to fill out to plead “not guilty” to your traffic ticket.

   1. Check “yes” in response to the question, “Do you request a supporting deposition?”

   2. Sign and date the form, and fill in your current address. (If you don’t fill in your address, the court notice will be sent to the address on your license.)

   3. There is a note below this about sending in your ticket within 48 hours if you’re pleading guilty. Practically speaking, if you send it before before the due date you found in step 2, it will be accepted.

4. Take a picture or make a copy of this before you send it to court.

5. Mail the signed ticket to the court, using the address you found in step 2. For New Paltz tickets, you’ll probably get a notice of a court date in a couple of months. In other courts that time varies, and sometimes can be a year or more.

For most traffic violations, you don’t have to manage the paperwork yourself appear in court at all if you have an attorney. Upload your traffic ticket here for a free consultation.