Civil and Traffic

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Upon Receiving Your Civil or Traffic Ticket (Complaint):

The civil or traffic complaint you received includes a Court date and time. You must decide how you want to address the violation(s) by the Court date. If you received a civil traffic ticket, options 1 through 3 are available to you for addressing the complaint.

For traffic violations involving vehicle registration, insurance, child passenger restraints, and red light violations click here for additional information.

If you were cited with a civil ticket such as: neighbor code violations or other city code violations, options #2 and #3 below are available for addressing the complaint.

Option #1: Defensive Driving Program

By attending a Defensive Driving School you will receive a dismissal for one "moving" violation. However, not all violations are eligible for this program; see the Fine Payment and Sanction Schedule Webpage for eligible violations.
For more information, please see the Defensive Driving School Webpage.
To enroll in the Defensive Driving Program, log on to http://www.azdrive.com or call 1-888-334-5565.

Option #2: Plea of Responsible (Guilty)

Option #3: Plea of Not Responsible (Not Guilty)

This plea means that you are denying that you committed the violation. If you received a complaint with more than one violation, you will need to enter a plea for each violation. You are not required to enter the same plea for all violations. To request a hearing, see the Request a Trial/Hearing form.

If you request a hearing, it will be scheduled approximately 14 to 21 days from the date your request was received. See the Civil Hearing Information PDF for more information.

If you fail to appear on your assigned Court date, or fail to comply with the Judicial Officer's sentencing requirements, a default judgment of responsible will be imposed. For civil traffic violations, the Court will notify the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) that you are in default. MVD may place a hold on the renewal of your vehicle registration, and you will be required to pay the fine and additional fees to satisfy the judgment.

In addition, for all civil violations for which a default judgment has been imposed, the Court will notify a collection agency of any outstanding and delinquent balances, notify the Arizona Department of Revenue to attach your tax refunds, and take any other legally appropriate collection action against you, your income, or your property. If the Court refers your account to a collection agency or the Arizona Department of Revenue, additional collection fees will be added to your account balance.

Right to Appeal

You have the right to appeal a final decision of this Court by filing a Notice of Appeal within fourteen (14) calendar days of the judgment of responsible. You are not required to pay the fine or post the bond to exercise your right to appeal. However, if you choose not to pay the fine or post the bond on the day the final judgment is entered or make arrangements to pay with the Court, the Court will enter a default judgment against you and additional fees will be assessed. If you are successful on appeal, your case will be returned to this Court for further action.

An appeal is a legal process in which a higher court (Maricopa County Superior Court) reviews the decision of a lower court (Tempe Municipal Court) based on the audio record of your hearing. An appeal is not a retrial of your case and you cannot present new evidence or testimony. You are responsible for all appeal charges/fees.

For more information, see Civil Appeals PDF and Civil Traffic Appeals PDF.