That’s the ticket: How to address traffic infractions in Clark County

Since 2023, some minor traffic violations are now considered civil infractions instead of criminal misdemeanors. While criminal cases carry a burden for the state to prove the offense beyond a reasonable doubt, civil infractions are proven if there is a greater than 50 percent likelihood that the violation was committed.

A 2022 Review-Journal investigation found that hundreds of thousands of traffic tickets were being reduced to parking violations in court, and that different court systems were operating in information silos, with no easy way to track repeat offenders across neighboring jurisdictions.

Changing the court process

Top justice system officials have previously said that changing some offenses to civil infractions would help limit drivers’ options to resolve tickets, in part because prosecutors wouldn’t be required to participate in the civil process and wouldn’t be there to negotiate the case.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said because the law does not require prosecutors’ participation, his office has chosen not to take part in the litigation process for civil offenses in order to focus on criminal traffic tickets and other cases.

“We’re not involved in the charging decision nor are we involved with the resolution,” Wolfson told the Review-Journal.

Attorney Joseph Maridon, who handles thousands of traffic tickets a year, said because prosecutors have taken a step back, there are fewer opportunities to negotiate a civil citation to a parking ticket. But Maridon also believes it has increased the likelihood that a defense attorney can successfully argue for contested tickets to be dismissed when a prosecutor isn’t present for civil cases.

“It’s not a guarantee it’ll be dismissed, but it’s a really good chance,” Maridon said. “Over the last year or so, that’s been my record.”

Maridon said the majority of his clients qualify for point reductions on their citations. And when his clients do contest cases, the officer who wrote the citation rarely appears in court, leaving the judge to make decisions based off a written report.

Wolfson told the Review-Journal he is not happy with the current system separating some infractions into civil cases.

“I believe there have to be consequences for poor behavior,” Wolfson said. “I respect the fact that in a minority of cases when a person cannot pay a fine or misses court and ends up going to jail, that that shouldn’t occur, but that is in a small minority of cases.”

When the law was being changed, Nevada’s Administrative Office of the Courts also planned for a statewide platform for drivers to resolve traffic tickets online. The system would have made it easier to track cases across jurisdictions and identify repeat offenders.

But those plans were halted when a vendor was “unable to improve the initial product to meet the needs of Nevada’s Courts,” Katherine Stocks, the office’s director and state court administrator, said in an emailed statement.

Currently, drivers with a traffic citation can visit NVtrafficticket.com for help finding the website of the court that will handle the citation.

There are now plans for the state to implement a different platform with a new vendor, but the program would be “opt-in” for each court, and there is not a definitive date for its launch, Stocks said.

Dealing with tickets

With all the recent legislative changes, here’s how drivers can currently deal with their traffic tickets in Clark County:

The location of the citation determines which court will preside over the case. That could be municipal courts in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas or Henderson, or the Las Vegas Justice Court, which oversees any citation issued outside of Las Vegas’ city limits and in unincorporated Clark County. Many tickets can be handled online, although it may take several days for citations to appear in the various online court systems.

A citation will also indicate if the case is a criminal or civil. A criminal case can result in a $1,000 fine and/or a sentence of no more than six months in jail, according to the Las Vegas Justice Court’s website. Civil cases instead are generally punishable by no more than a $500 fee per violation.

Civil infractions

Some courts require drivers to respond to civil infractions within 90 days. A driver can choose not to challenge the ticket and pay the fee, or they can contest the ticket in court.

Uncontested citations with Las Vegas Justice Court can be paid online or at the court’s customer service division on the first floor of the Regional Justice Center, at 200 Lewis Ave. in Las Vegas.

A driver’s first citation within the last 36 months may be eligible to be reduced to a non-moving violation. To do so, the driver needs to complete a Department of Motor Vehicles safety class or pay an additional fee. Reducing a ticket to a non-moving violation usually avoids the ticket from being reported to insurance and increasing premiums.

To contest a civil citation, the driver must pay a bond amount equal to the fine, which will be returned if the case is successfully contested. In Las Vegas Justice Court, a form to contest the case may be submitted to the court’s customer service center. A court hearing is scheduled once the bond is paid.

Criminal infractions

A criminal infraction may come with a required court date, and failing to appear for a hearing could result in a bench warrant.

If you have hired an attorney, they may be able to appear on your behalf for the court hearing. A driver can plead guilty or no contest at a court hearing and accept the fee, or plead not guilty and challenge the citation.

Some criminal infractions may not come with a required court date. Those cases usually involve violations over insurance, licenses, registration or handicap-placard issues. In Las Vegas Justice Court, the driver can enter a plea and pay a fine on the court’s website, or visit the justice court’s customer service division.

Drivers may be required to enter a not guilty plea in person for a future hearing to be scheduled.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.