Ask a Law Librarian: FAQ's about Legal Research

Traffic tickets

• The ticket will have the name and address of the court where you must appear if you want to contest your ticket.
• If you lost your ticket, you must contact the traffic violations bureau or court that issued it.
  • There are traffic violations bureaus in New York City, Nassau and Suffolk counties, and the cities of Buffalo and Rochester.
  • Traffic tickets are also handled by city courts, district courts, and town and village courts.
• If you cannot find the court that issued the ticket, the NY DMV's call center may be able to help you.
• If you were ticketed by a NY State Trooper, the trooper unit that issued the ticket may be able to help you. 
• There is a monthly installment plan option for you to pay your traffic ticket. The minimum monthly payment is $25.
• There is no statute of limitations on paying your fine for a traffic or speeding ticket once you've plead guilty or been found guilty by a judge.
  • The statute of limitations for the prosecution of a traffic offense is one year. Criminal Procedure Law 30.10 (2)(d).
  • Speed restrictions while driving are defined in Vehicle and Traffic Law, art 30

Parking violations

• Inside New York City, fines for parking tickets are handled by the NYC Department of Finance.
• Outside New York City, parking violations are handled by city or county parking bureaus (Buffalo, Peekskill, Syracuse, Yonkers, Nassau and Suffolk counties), and city courts, district courts, and town and village courts. 

General information about traffic law

• General FAQs about traffic cases from CourtHelp
• Traffic cases and criminal law
• Penalties for driving while intoxicated under Leandra's Law and ignition interlock devices (IIDs)