A traffic citation has been issued for you to appear before the Limestone County District Court. If you fail to pay or otherwise dispose of your case prior to the court date or fail to appear on your court date, a warrant may be issued for your arrest, your driver’s license may be suspended by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the fine may be increased, and any bond posted may be forfeited. The Court date on your copy of the ticket is NOT A TRIAL DATE; if you desire to plead NOT GUILTY and want a TRIAL, you must appear in court on your court date to request a TRIAL.
Tickets listed in the chart on the next page may be paid by entering a guilty plea without a required court appearance, provided you have not been convicted of two or more traffic offenses in the preceding 12 months. If you wish to avoid a court appearance and enter a plea of guilty, sign the Defendant’s plea of guilty on the back of your copy of the ticket and attach your money order or cashier’s check for the amount of fine and costs indicated and mail it to:
District Court Clerk
200 Washington Street
Athens, AL 35611
You may also pay online at: Alapay.com
NO PERSONAL CHECKS. Personal checks will be returned causing a delay.
For questions or payment please contact the Alabama Traffic Service Center at traffic.alacourt.gov or by calling toll free (866) 954-9399. Cases may be paid on or before your court date with a credit or debit card by calling (877) 252-7294 or by accessing the following website: Alapay.com.
HELPFUL INFORMATION:
To avoid further court appearances, Defendant should bring to court all relevant documents at the first court appearance. For example, if the Defendant did not have insurance at the time the ticket was written, but has obtained insurance, proof of the new insurance may result in a lower fine. Also, if the Defendant had insurance coverage on another vehicle and the vehicle driven at the time of citation was newly purchased, the Defendant may bring proof of insurance on the other vehicle, proof of purchase of the newly purchased vehicle described in the ticket and a statement from the insurance provider that the newly purchased vehicle was covered at the time of citation, although the Defendant had not received the insurance card.
Tickets which may be paid without a court appearance.
| Driving on the wrong side of the road |
$225.00 |
| Failure to dim headlights |
$205.00 |
| Failure to stop at railroad crossing |
$205.00 |
| Failure to use child restraint |
$220.00 |
| Failure to wear safety belt |
$46.00** |
| Failure to yield right-of-way |
$215.00 |
| Following too closely |
$215.00 |
| Improper brakes/backing |
$215.00 |
| Improper lights |
$215.00 |
| Improper muffler |
$205.00 |
| Improper or no rearview mirror |
$215.00 |
| Improper passing |
$215.00 |
| Improper signal |
$205.00 |
| Improper tag/No tag |
$225.00 |
| Improper tires |
$215.00 |
| Improper turn |
$215.00 |
| Improper window tinting |
$215.00 |
| No helmet (motorcycle) |
$205.00 |
| Operating a motor vehicle without a driver's license |
$270.00* |
| Running red light or Stop sign |
$215.00 |
| Speeding (less than 25 mph over limit) |
$215.00 |
| Speeding (25 mph or more over limit) |
$235.00 |
| Stopping/blocking the highway |
$225.00 |
| Violating driver's license restriction or endorsement |
$255.00* |
* Pursuant to Act 98-671, effective 5-6-98, an additional $50 (reflected in totals above) shall be collected for these.
** Pursuant to Act 99-397, effective 6-9-99, no court costs shall apply to this offense.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO REQUEST DRIVING SCHOOL DO NOT PAY THE TICKET BEFORE YOUR COURT DATE, OR IF YOU ARE REQUESTING THROUGH THE ON-LINE TRAFFIC RESOLUTION SYSTEM.
Driving School Disqualifications
Ticket has to be for a moving violation
Two or more tickets
Speeding in excess of 26 mph
Speeding in excess of 20mph on Interstate
Speeding in Construction Zone / workers present
Driving School attendance in the past calendar year
Moving violation conviction in the past calendar year
Must have a non-CDL current driver's license to apply
Other Tickets automatically disqualified
Reckless Driving
DUI
Driving while suspended or revoked
No child restraint
Interstate / Left lane
Move over Law violation
Passing stopped school bus
Speeding in school zone
RESOLVE YOUR TICKET ONLINE (MAKE SURE YOUR TICKET IS NOT LISTED ABOVE IN THE DISQUALIFIED TICKETS)
To resolve your ticket on-line without appearing before the Judge via the On-Line Traffic Resolution (OTR) System
Visit https://resolve.alacourt.gov
Please allow up to ten (10) business days for your traffic citation to enter the court system.
IF YOU ARE APPROVED FOR DRIVING SCHOOL PLEASE SEE THE DEFENSIVE DRIVING SCHOOL OPTIONS AND GUIDELINES BELOW
You may choose to take a class in ANY county, provided it is a 4-HOUR NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL APPROVED COURSE TAUGHT BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. It will be your responsibility to find another class to attend. We do not have a list of driving school locations. You will have to contact the Sheriff's Office or Police Department in your preferred county to register for class.
The Limestone County Defensive Driving Course is held at the Sheriff's Rodeo Arena located at 18118 AL Hwy 99, Athens, AL 35614. Please call 256-232-0111 as soon as possible to register for driving school. The cost of the class is $50.00 payable in cash or check on the night of class. You must have permission form from the Judge and your identification. You will receive a certificate of completion before you leave class. This must be submitted in person at the Clerk's Office or via the On-Line Resolution System after completing the course. Limestone County offers classes twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month, from 6-10pm.
Traffic School Alabama is now offering classes from 10-2pm on preset Saturdays at the Athens-Limestone Library located at 603 Jefferson Street, Athens, AL. The schedule of dates can be found on their website. The class fee is $40.00, and registration is made online at https://trafficschoolalabama.com.
Traffic School Alabama also offers a virtual driving school class via Zoom WHICH IS THE ONLY ONLINE COURSE ACCEPTED / APPROVED BY THE DISTRICT COURT OF LIMESTONE COUNTY. Payment is due at the time of registration. For more information call 877-350-2221 or email trafficschoolalabama@gmail.com When registering online, choose the LEVEL 1 COURSE. REGISTRATION FOR ZOOM IS ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE AT www.trafficschoolalabama.com