Easily Dispute Your Ohio Traffic Ticket Without a Lawyer

You may be issued an Ohio traffic ticket for speeding, running a red light, making an illegal turn, and more. To pay the fine without contesting the ticket is to admit guilt, and the violation stays on your record. Even if you're found guilty in court, you may be able to reduce the ticket or accept an alternative penalty, like attending traffic school, to help you save money.

However, the process of pleading not guilty to a traffic ticket can be time-consuming and stressful, and it can be hard to know if you're following the right steps, especially if you're fighting the ticket without a lawyer to avoid the exorbitant attorney fees. Insurify identified Ohio as having the highest percentage of drivers in the country with a speeding ticket on record in both 2021 and so far in 2022. A New York Times article highlighted data from the 2017 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, which identified several Ohio cities as receiving more than 10 percent of their annual revenue from traffic fines and the associated court fees.

Clearly, if you live in or are visiting Ohio, there's a higher-than-average chance that you will be pulled over for a traffic violation. What you do next can have an impact on your car insurance premiums, driving record, and finances. Fortunately, you can save yourself the time and stress typically associated with contesting a ticket.

DoNotPay can help you dispute your Ohio traffic ticket—or your Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or New York City traffic ticket, for that matter—quickly, easily, and without a lawyer. It only takes a few minutes.

Types of Traffic Tickets in Ohio

The Ohio Revised Code sections 4510 and 4511 outline most of the traffic laws and violations in the state. You could be issued a traffic ticket for infractions and misdemeanors like these:

• Speeding
• Running a stop sign
• Driving without a license
• Failing to stop at a red light
• Failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk
• Following another car too closely
• Crossing a yellow line
• Driving on the wrong side of the road
• Passing in a no-passing zone
• Driving on a closed highway
• Crossing a divided highway
• Making a prohibited turn
• Failing to stop at a railroad crossing
• Driving under the influence
• Eluding a police officer

Ohio uses a point system for traffic offenses. After you receive 12 points in a two-year period, your license could be suspended.

Here are a few examples of how points accumulate:

If you fall in between these lines—for example, if you're going 60 MPH in a 55 MPH zone or 29 MPH in a 25 MPH zone—you could receive a ticket without getting any points put on your license. Points are also not assessed on tickets that are issued from a traffic camera if you simply pay the fine.

Stop Sign Ticket, Red Light Ticket, and Other Moving Violations

Most moving violations that are not specifically outlined in the Ohio Revised Code Section 4510.036 result in two points added to your license. Failing to stop at a red light or a stop sign is a misdemeanor, and for the first offense you'll receive a ticket of up to $150. Additional offenses can mean larger fines, heavier charges, and even jail time.

Serious violations, such as willfully fleeing a law enforcement officer, street racing, driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence, and more result in six points on your license.

In all cases, points are just one part of your penalty. You will still be responsible for the fine or other associated penalty. Both the points and the fine present good reasons to dispute your ticket.

How to Pay Your Traffic Ticket in Ohio

How to pay your ticket may depend upon where it was issued. Instructions will either be listed on the ticket or you'll be directed to the correct website. In general, you'll have a few options:

• Online
• On the phone
• By mail
• In person

How to Dispute Your Ohio Traffic Ticket on Your Own

If you believe your ticket was issued in error, or you want to try to reduce your fine or ensure the ticket doesn't go on your record and impact your car insurance premiums, you'll need to dispute the ticket.

Your ticket will include a court date. Depending upon the offense, paying the ticket may cancel the court date, but that is an admission of guilt and you will have the ticket on your record.

If you decide to dispute the ticket, you will need to show up in court at the designated time. This is your arraignment, and you have three options:

1. Plead Guilty: Admit wrongdoing, pay the fine, or ask for a reduced fine or alternative penalty, such as traffic school.
2. Plead No Contest: This is not an admission of wrongdoing, but it is an agreement to accept the ticket and the judge will likely give a ruling of guilt.
3. Plead Not Guilty: The judge will schedule a hearing for your case, and you will need to go to court a second time.

If your offense includes potential jail time, such as a third-time failure to stop at a stop sign or driving under the influence, you will have a pretrial where you have the opportunity to come to an agreement with the prosecutor and present it to the judge. If no agreement is reached, or if your offense does not include potential jail time, you'll go straight to your trial.

At this point, you will need to present evidence that indicates you were wrongly ticketed. In some cases, the police officer who issued the ticket will not show up to court, and your case will be dismissed. In other cases, you may need to present your driving record, information about the circumstances surrounding the ticketing, witness testimony, and other supporting information. The judge will determine if you are guilty or not guilty. If you're not guilty, you won't have to pay the fine, you will not receive those points on your license, and the incident will not go on your record.

In Ohio, Trial by Written Declaration is permitted in certain courts. You will need to contact the court who is handling your ticket to find out if this is an option for you. In this situation, you can challenge your ticket without appearing in court—you'll simply need to fill out some forms.

Both showing up in court and the Trial by Written Declaration processes are time-consuming and may require you to miss work or other obligations. It's also stressful, because one small error can mean the difference between a positive outcome and a not-so-positive outcome. Save time and worry by using DoNotPay instead. Our AI Consumer Champions can guide you through the process and file all necessary paperwork on your behalf.

Fight Traffic Tickets in Ohio Quickly and Easily with DoNotPay

Whether you need to dispute a traffic ticket in Ohio, California, or any other state, DoNotPay has you covered. Simply answer a few questions to start the process and avoid hiring a lawyer or going to court. We've successfully fought 200,000 tickets and counting, and yours can be next.

Here's how to get started:

1. Log-in to DoNotPay and go to the Ticket Disputes category. Select the correct product based on your traffic ticket.

2. Upload a photo of your citation.

3. Provide us with some details on why you believe the citation issued is a mistake.

4. Select whether or not you want the letter mailed to the traffic ticket issuer on your behalf!
5. That's it! You'll receive an appeal letter that contains state vehicle codes to boost your case.

It only takes a few minutes. Relax and wait for the response from your ticket issuer. Disputing traffic tickets on your behalf is one of many ways we make modern life simpler.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

At DoNotPay, our AI Consumer Champions specialize in simplifying the most complex financial challenges to help you achieve a positive outcome with less time, money, and stress. We can do all of this and more:

• Help you pay your bills
• Dispute parking tickets in any city
• Prepare for government tests
• Find missing money that you're entitled to
• Report public property damage to the city
• Receive compensation for delayed or canceled flights
• Negotiate a new car lease
• Fight bank fees
• File a complaint with the SEC
• Report identity theft

Take the first step with DoNotPay and rest assured that we're making the best case on your behalf.