Traffic School

Effective September 20, 2005, pursuant to Vehicle Code 42005, drivers with a commercial drivers license or drivers driving a commercial vehicle as defined in subdivision (b) of the Vehicle Code section 15210 are prohibited from attending traffic school and having the violation dismissed.

If you have a valid driver's license and the alleged violation is a vehicle code infraction, you may be eligible to attend traffic school. Traffic school is an 8-hour course that makes defendants more aware of California laws and improves their driving skills. DMV will only suppress one moving violation from your record within an 18-month period. This 18-month period is calculated from violation date to violation date and not from the date of traffic school attendance. If you are eligible and decide not to attend traffic school, your automobile insurance may be adversely affected.

To attend traffic school, you must pay a non-refundable traffic school fee equal to the citation bail amount plus an additional $24.00 to the Court. The schools are private businesses and will also charge an additional fee for the course. If one of the criteria listed below applies, YOU DO NOT QUALIFY AND THE COURT CLERK CANNOT GRANT PRETRIAL DIVERSION TRAFFIC SCHOOL:
  • You have previously attended traffic school within the last 18 months of the alleged violation date.
  • The alleged violation involves alcohol or drug possession.
  • You have failed to appear pursuant to Vehicle Code section 40508(a) or Penal Code section 1214.1.
  • The alleged violation carries more than one point count pursuant to Vehicle Code section 12810.
If the citation has correctable violations, you must file the corrections with the court (see your Courtesy Notice to determine which court) along with traffic school fee as indicated above. Upon completion of the class, you must file with the court the original certificate of completion by the due date assigned by the court. Certificates may be filed in person or by mail. Failure to complete traffic school will result in the conviction being placed on your driver's license.

Click here to obtain a list of DMV approved Traffic Schools

Home Study Traffic School
Home Study is offered as an option for Traffic School. However, you must attend one of the home study providers approved by Butte County. Certificates from a school that has not been pre-approved by the Butte County Superior Court will not be accepted.

Click here for a list of approved Butte County home study and Online Traffic Schools

Certificates
When you have completed Traffic School, you must return the original Traffic School certificate to the Court by the completion date (see your Courtesy Notice to determine which court). No extensions of time to complete Traffic School will be authorized. If you mail the certificate, please allow time for the post office to make delivery by the completion date. You are advised to keep a copy of the certificate for yourself for future reference.

When requesting Traffic School information be mailed to you, please be sure to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with your request.

YOU MUST RETURN YOUR BAIL PLUS THE COURT ADMINISTRATIVE TRAFFIC SCHOOL FEE WITH YOUR DOCKET/CASE NUMBER NO LATER THAN THE DATE SPECIFIED ON THE FRONT OF THE COURTESY NOTICE.

If you do not satisfy the above requirements, the clerk cannot grant a Traffic School request and you must appear in court to make your request.