I. How To Look Up Lost Traffic Ticket Online (Riverside County)?

Traffic tickets suck, plain and simple. While there are a few lucky people who can go their whole lives without getting a ticket, chances are the rest of us will get at least one during our lifetime. Depending on the type of ticket (i.e. speeding, running a stop sign, illegal turn, crossing double lines), it’s in your best interest to hire an experienced traffic ticket attorney to help you fight the ticket, since these tickets incur points on your license.

Other tickets (non-movers) do not incur a point on your license, but some, like cell phone tickets start off as non-moving violations and later become “movers” (incur points) if you get a second cell phone ticket within 36 months of receiving the first cellphone ticket (sec VC 12810.3, effective as of 07/01/2021).

Regardless of the type of ticket you get, you might find yourself in a common predicament: losing the citation and thus, not knowing what vehicle codes you were cited for, which court your ticket is out of, and what your appear-by-date is. Luckily, you will eventually get a notice in the mail with all this information, but if you no longer reside in the address listed on your driver’s license, you may never get the notice in the mail.

It’s important to note that “I never received a notice in the mail” is NOT an excuse for you not showing up to court. A notice in the mail is a courtesy from the court and whether you physically receive it or not, will not excuse a missed date. If you miss your date, please be advised that a warrant for your arrest may be issued by the court for missing your appear-by-date.

Riverside Superior Court has a way to access case reports (click here to search for your case report), however, they require a citation/case number. If you’ve lost your citation with the citation/case number, this isn’t much help. Yes, they do offer a name search, but you have to pay for that type of a search, whereas a citation number search is free.

II. So what now? How can I look up my lost traffic ticket online?

Assuming you don’t have a case/citation number because you lost your ticket, you can look up your citation number by going to https://www.epay-it.com. EPay-it is a service that some California, Oregon, and South Carolina courts use to receive payments for traffic tickets. I know, what you’re thinking – “I don’t want to pay my ticket, I want to look up my case number!” Trust me, we’re getting there…

The first thing you do after going to ePay-it’s website is to click on “Riverside County Superior Court.” This will take you to the section “Find Your Citation.” You will notice that under the instructions, it says “You will be charged a non-refundable convenience fee of $5.95 for full or initial payment on your case and $2.95 for all subsequent partial payments.” DON’T WORRY – YOU WILL NOT BE PAYING ANYTHING when looking up your ticket.

In the search form, you will see 3 tabs: Search by “Citation/Case, Name, Driver’s License.” Click on either “Name” or “Driver’s License.” If you search using the “Name” method, you will be asked to provide your first name, last name,  and DOB (date of birth). If you search using the “Driver’s License” method, you will be asked to provide your first name, last name, DOB (date of birth), and driver’s license number.

Once you’ve entered the required information, click the “search” button. This will bring up your results which will include your name, driver’s license number, violation date, and case number. Click on the case number and you’ll see your date to appear. If your citation is eligible for an extension, you can request an extension in this section. Requesting an extension on your ticket is always free and automatically granted if the ticket is eligible. Be sure to note the new appear-by-date if your ticket is extended. Again, this date is important and you don’t want to miss it!

Now that you have your citation number, you can go back to the Riverside Superior Court case search and enter the citation number so you can get your case summary.

III. Conclusion

There are times when your ticket information won’t be in the system because the ticket hasn’t been filed yet. We recommend you check for your ticket online on a weekly basis using the methods provided above to see when your ticket is posted. Remember, it’s your responsibility to keep track of your ticket.

If you don’t want the hassle of monitoring your ticket and would like to fight the ticket in court, we recommend hiring an experienced traffic ticket attorney. The Law Offices of Mark A. Gallagher has over 20 years of experience handling traffic tickets. Once you hire us, we will monitor your ticket if it hasn’t been filed yet, request an extension, and schedule all future hearings and fight your ticket. The best part is you don’t have to set foot in court! We will show up on your behalf and get you the best possible outcome for your case. Call 800-797-8406 to schedule your free consultation below or visit https://www.socaldefenselawyers.com for more information.