Traffic ticket amnesty program begins Thursday, Stanislaus court says

A one-time amnesty program for unpaid traffic and non-traffic infraction tickets was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown this summer and takes effect Thursday, according to a news release from Stanislaus Superior Court.

The program, which runs through March 31, 2017, offers substantial discounts on qualifying fines and eases reinstatement of driver’s licenses.

According to the California Courts website, two groups of people can participate in the amnesty program:

▪ Those with unpaid tickets whose fines were originally due to be on or before Jan. 1, 2013, who have not made a payment after June 24, 2015, may be eligible to have their debt reduced by 50 or 80 percent depending on income, Drivers whose licenses have been suspended also may be able to get the license reinstated.

▪ Those who made a payment after June 24, 2015, on a ticket are not eligible for a reduction for that ticket but may be eligible to have their driver’s license reinstated if they are in good standing on a payment plan with a comprehensive collection program.

Parking tickets, driving under the influence and reckless-driving cases are ineligible.

A driver must not owe restitution to a victim on any case within the county where the traffic case was filed. Also, a driver must not have any outstanding misdemeanor or felony warrants within the county where the traffic case was filed.

Contact the court on or after Thursday to apply for a reduction and/or driver’s license release. For more information on eligibility and qualification requirements, go to Stanislaus Superior Court’s website, www.stanct.org.

Frequently asked questions regarding the state’s amnesty program can also be found on the California Amnesty Program partner website at www.courts.ca.gov/trafficamnesty.htm.

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Traffic ticket amnesty program begins Thursday, Stanislaus court says."