Fight Your San Diego Traffic Ticket
Got pulled over on I-5 or I-805? Cited on SR-94 through downtown or on I-15 north of Miramar? School zones in Chula Vista and National City see stepped-up enforcement at the start of every semester.
Contest remotely — no lawyer, no court appearance, no rate hike.
Fight My Ticket — $89 Money-back if your ticket isn't dismissed or reduced.
4
County courthouses we serve
71%
San Diego dismissal rate
$89
Flat fee — no hidden costs
Which of 4 San Diego County Courthouses Handles Your Ticket?
Your citation shows a courthouse code. TDismiss reads it automatically and files to the correct location — you never leave home.
- San Diego Superior Court — Kearny Mesa Traffic Division (8950 Clairemont Mesa Blvd)
- San Diego Superior Court — El Cajon Traffic Division (250 E Main St)
- San Diego Superior Court — Vista Traffic Division (325 S Melrose Dr)
- San Diego Superior Court — Chula Vista Traffic Division (500 Third Ave)
How It Works
1
Submit your ticket info
Enter your citation details on our secure intake page. Takes under 5 minutes.
2
We prepare your declaration
We draft a Trial by Written Declaration tailored to your citation and San Diego court.
3
We file — you stay home
We handle filing and delivery. No court appearance required at any point.
Common Traffic Tickets in San Diego
These are the most frequently cited violations in San Diego, CA. Click any to learn about fines, points, and defense options.
TDismiss in San Diego — By the Numbers
1,842
Cases Handled in San Diego
38 days
Avg. Time to Decision
71%
Dismissal Rate (when officer doesn't respond)
Data from cases filed in San Diego over the past 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
San Diego County has 4 traffic courts and which one handles your case depends on where you were cited. Central San Diego tickets typically go to Kearny Mesa (8950 Clairemont Mesa Blvd) — this is the main traffic court. East County citations go to El Cajon (250 E Main St). North County goes to Vista (325 S Melrose Dr). South Bay citations go to Chula Vista (500 Third Ave). Your citation lists the court near the bottom. With TDismiss, you don't visit any of them — your defense is filed by mail directly to the correct location.
The number on your citation is just the base fine. California adds mandatory penalty assessments that typically double or triple it. Rough totals: 1–15 mph over = $234 base, roughly $490 out-of-pocket; 16–25 mph over = $363 base, roughly $700+; 25+ mph over = $490 base, roughly $950+; 100+ mph = $1,310 base plus a 30-day license suspension. San Diego County adds its own surcharges on top of state fees. Always expect to pay significantly more than the base fine listed.
Missing the due date (printed near the bottom of your citation) triggers a $300 civil assessment added to your original fine, plus the court notifies the DMV to place a hold on your license renewal. Your balance can be sent to a collection agency, and the Franchise Tax Board can intercept tax refunds and garnish wages. If a bench warrant is issued, you'll need an additional court appearance to clear it. The due date is not automatically extended — you must act before it passes.
Yes. San Diego Superior Court allows one 30-day extension, which you can request online, by phone, or by mail before your due date. You cannot request an extension after the due date has passed without risking the civil assessment and license hold. The "appear-by date" on your citation is the action deadline — not a hearing date. If you need more time, request the extension first, then decide how to handle the ticket.
You may be eligible if you haven't attended traffic school in the past 18 months, you hold a non-commercial license, and the violation is not one of the ineligible offenses (speeding 25+ mph over, or certain other serious violations). Important: traffic school does NOT dismiss the ticket — you still pay the full fine. It only asks the DMV to keep the conviction confidential from your public record. Your insurer may still access it depending on your policy. Contesting the ticket is the only path to avoiding a conviction entirely.
Paying is a guilty plea. A moving violation conviction adds 1 DMV point that stays for 36 months. California suspends licenses at 4 points in 12 months, 6 in 24 months, or 8 in 36 months. Insurance companies check your record at renewal and typically raise premiums 20–40% per point — that can add up to $500 or more per year for three to five years. For a single ticket, contesting costs $89 with TDismiss and gives you a real shot at dismissal, which means no conviction, no point, and no insurance impact.
Yes, if you're convicted. A moving violation adds 1 DMV point to your record. Insurers check your record at renewal and a single point typically raises premiums 20–40%. Over three to five years, that's often $500–$1,500 in additional costs — far more than the ticket itself. A cell phone ticket (VC 23123) is an exception: a first offense adds no DMV point, though the fine still applies. For all other moving violations, avoiding the conviction is the only way to protect your rate.
For a first offense, no. A VC 23123 or VC 23123.5 violation does not add a DMV point on the first citation. The base fine is $20 for first offense and $50 for subsequent, but with San Diego County assessments the total comes to roughly $158. However, a second distracted driving violation within 36 months does add 1 point. Cell phone tickets are still worth contesting — if dismissed, you avoid the fine and any future point risk.
Most cities in San Diego, including the City of San Diego itself, have shut down their red light camera programs. However, some jurisdictions still operate them. If you received a camera ticket, check the citation for the issuing agency. For active camera programs, common defenses include: photos don't clearly identify the driver, yellow light duration was below the state minimum, you were already committed to the intersection when the light changed, or camera calibration records are incomplete. A 2025 state law (SB 720) is also transitioning red light camera fines to a civil penalty system, which may affect your ticket depending on when and where it was issued.
You can submit a declaration identifying who was actually driving at the time. The court or citing agency will then pursue the actual driver. If you don't identify the driver, you can contest the ticket on the grounds that the prosecution cannot prove you were the driver — camera tickets must establish identity beyond a reasonable doubt. Do not simply ignore the ticket; if it's in your name, it's your legal responsibility to respond.
The I-15 Express Lanes switch between HOV-only and toll modes based on overhead electronic signs. When "HOV ONLY" is displayed, solo drivers must not enter regardless of FasTrak. Doing so is a VC 21655.5(b) violation. Common defenses: overhead sign was not visible or malfunctioning at the time of entry, lane marking transition was ambiguous, or the officer misidentified your passenger count from a distance. San Diego County recorded over 4,500 HOV violations in one year, so enforcement is active and consistent.
Yes. The I-5/I-805 junction near Old Town is a known enforcement point — the lanes merge and split at high speed with late overhead signage. Unsafe lane change (VC 22107) and following too closely (VC 21703) are the most common citations here. Key arguments: the split requires last-minute lane decisions, signage is insufficient for safe advance positioning, and officer's position behind you makes it impossible to accurately assess safe following distance.
SR-163 is a scenic freeway with speed limit changes — it drops from 65 to 50 mph with minimal advance warning. Officers frequently cite VC 22350 (Basic Speed Law) rather than VC 22349, because 22350 only requires proving your speed was "unsafe for conditions," not necessarily over the limit. This makes it subjective. On a clear, dry day with light traffic, conditions may not have met the "unsafe" threshold even if you were over the posted limit — that's a contestable argument.
Yes. California reports traffic violations to all 50 states and Canada through the Driver License Compact. Your home state DMV will typically treat a California conviction the same as a local one — adding equivalent points and potentially raising your insurance. If you received the ticket in a rental car, the violation attaches to your personal driver's license, not the rental company. You can contest the ticket through TDismiss entirely remotely — no need to return to California.
You are. Moving violations issued to a driver attach to the driver's license, not the vehicle or the rental company. The rental company may charge an administrative fee if the ticket is routed through them first, but the legal violation and DMV point are yours. Contest the ticket to avoid the point — you can do this remotely without returning to San Diego.
A California traffic conviction appears on your driving record regardless of military status. Depending on your command, you may be required to disclose moving violations. A DMV point could affect base driving privileges or, in some cases, factor into security clearance reviews. CDL holders in the military face the same heightened consequences as civilian commercial drivers. The safest outcome is avoiding a conviction entirely — if contested and the officer doesn't respond, the ticket is dismissed with no record.
Yes, significantly more than for regular drivers. FMCSA regulations require CDL holders to notify their employer in writing within 30 days of any traffic conviction (other than parking), and within 24 hours if the conviction results in a suspension. Speeding 15+ mph over the limit in any vehicle is a "serious traffic violation" — two in three years = 60-day CDL disqualification; three in three years = 120-day disqualification. CDL holders cannot attend traffic school to mask convictions. Contesting the ticket is the most important option available.
Yes. Under VC 22348(b), 100 mph or more is a separate and far more serious offense: $1,310 base fine, a mandatory 30-day license suspension, and 2 DMV points. A second conviction within 3 years can trigger a 6-month suspension. At 95–99 mph, you're charged under the standard 25+ mph over category (1 point, ~$490 base), which is still serious but not the same. For any high-speed ticket, especially near the 100 mph threshold, consulting a traffic attorney directly is worth considering.
California DMV suspends licenses at: 4 points in 12 months; 6 points in 24 months; 8 points in 36 months. Most moving violations add 1 point; driving 100+ mph, DUI, reckless driving, and hit-and-run add 2 points. The clock runs from violation date, not conviction date. If you're close to these thresholds, avoiding even a single additional conviction matters significantly — dismissal through contesting keeps points off your record entirely.
Yes. VC 22450 (stop sign violation) is one of the most commonly contested tickets. For a first offense the base fine is around $35, but total cost with assessments reaches ~$235. Common defenses: the officer was positioned too far away (150+ feet) to accurately observe a complete stop, the stop line was faded or unclear, you stopped past the line but before entering the intersection, or vegetation obscured the stop sign. Officers frequently cite from angles that make "rolling stop" determinations subjective.
Paying the fine is legally equivalent to pleading guilty — the court records a conviction, the DMV adds a point, and your insurer can raise your rate at renewal. Pleading not guilty (contesting) means you submit a written defense, the officer must also submit a written account, and a judge decides. If the officer fails to respond, the ticket is dismissed with no conviction and no point. If the contest is denied, you still pay the fine — but you've had a real shot at avoiding the record.
No. California law allows you to contest traffic infractions through a fully remote written process. You submit your defense in writing; the officer submits theirs; a judge reviews both. No court appearance, no time off work, no parking in downtown Kearny Mesa. TDismiss handles the preparation and filing for $89. The only situation requiring a personal appearance is if you're contesting a misdemeanor (e.g., reckless driving, DUI) — infractions like speeding, stop sign, or HOV violations do not require you to appear.
Your due date is printed near the bottom of your citation — typically 21 to 30 days from the citation date, sometimes up to 45 days. This is not a court hearing date; it's the deadline by which you must take some action: pay, request an extension, or start contesting. Missing it triggers a $300 civil assessment, a DMV license hold, and possible collection referral. You can request one 30-day extension online before the due date.
San Diego traffic attorneys charge $500–$1,200 because they physically appear in court, handle complex cases including misdemeanors and DUIs, and bill for attorney time. TDismiss is a specialized remote service for straightforward moving violations — no court appearances, no hourly billing, no office visits. For speeding, HOV, stop sign, and similar infractions, a well-prepared written defense submitted to the court achieves the same outcome at a fraction of the cost. Flat $89, nothing more.
Also Serving Cities in San Diego County
We also help drivers fight traffic tickets in these nearby San Diego County cities.
Ready to Fight Your San Diego Ticket?
Flat $89 fee. No hidden costs. No court appearance needed.
Start My Case Now Secure checkout · Money-back if your ticket isn't dismissed or reduced