There is a brilliant bit in a recent Netflix comedy special, Ronny Chieng’s “Asian Comedian Destroys America!” where, after mocking Amazon’s usage of so many boxes and so much packing material, he riffs on the idea that we are now getting to the point where we can use an app to deliver a one dollar pen to us right now — “Prime Now!” Like all great comedy, there is truth behind his rant. None of us want to spend an hour going to an office supply store to get pens, and we’d bet even fewer of us want to drive to the local courthouse and spend the day waiting in line to pay a ticket that we probably feel was unfairly issued in the first place.
Assuming we have to pay our ticket, we, the 21st Century Americans, want to pay our tickets online, not through snail mail or in person. (A tip: you don’t always have to pay a ticket that you beat. That’s why we hook you up with a lawyer who can contest the ticket, negotiate a better deal, or beat it outright.) In the state of Washington, how you pay your ticket online will depend on the jurisdiction that issued it, but in most places you will probably be able to pay your ticket without heading to the courthouse.
Start by looking at the ticket
The police and the courts are like any other business: they want to get paid. So for the most part, they make it pretty easy and efficient to pay your ticket. Why? By paying your ticket, you are typically conceding guilt and giving up the right to contest the ticket. They win when you pay, and if they make paying easy, they won’t have to employ bill collectors to chase down unpaid parking and speeding tickets.
So, if you are looking for a way to pay your ticket online, start by looking at the ticket itself. It probably has a website or phone number you can use to pay the ticket without wasting your day at the court or, gasp, using snail mail. For example, King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties all allow you to pay tickets through their websites. And if you are looking for help with paying a Seattle ticket online, the city has its own procedures and websites that we’ve covered already.
What do you do if you do not have the ticket? You might be able to find it online if you can remember the jurisdiction in which you got the ticket, such as King County, the city of Spokane, etc. The state maintains a directory of County courts which is a great place to start if you are fishing for information on your ticket or just looking for the correct website to submit a payment. You will also likely receive a notice in the mail, though if you have moved and not updated your address with the DMV, that notice may never reach you.
Beware of convenience fees
Nearly all courts and government agencies do not want to foot the bill for credit card processing. So, in exchange for the convenience of paying online with a credit card or debit card, they will probably charge a convenience fee — either percentage of the bill, like 2%, or a few bucks. If you ask us, the convenience of paying online and knowing that the bill is paid beats waiting in line or hoping that your mailed payment will arrive in time – the peace of mind is absolutely worth that tiny fee.
Why you should consider not paying the ticket (yet)
As we mentioned, paying the ticket means the court will enter an order of guilty on the ticket - you will effectively have pled guilty to the infraction. While it may seem like you have no valid legal defense to your ticket, even if you know you are guilty, there are a number of ways to beat a ticket - usually best accomplished with the help of an attorney: identifying defects in the way the ticket was written, failures on the part of the officer or court to file the ticket correctly, or if you are really lucky, the officer just doesn’t show up to court. Plus, there are programs for first-time or infrequent offenders to reduce the severity of the punishment even if you want to admit guilt. These deferment programs will allow you to take traffic safety school and pay a fine in exchange for wiping the ticket off your record.
Of course, paying the ticket does mean that the entire process will be over and done with - you won’t have to worry about whether or not your attorney will beat the ticket or whether you’ll have to attend some online traffic school. But, the collateral consequences of pleading guilty and forking over cash go far beyond the current ticket. Accrue enough tickets in a short period of time and your license will be suspended. Plus, any tickets that go on your record can, and likely will, result in increased insurance rates. Pay now, and you’ll be paying for a long, long time.
Is Fighting Easier Than Paying?
The bottom line is: fighting your ticket is often a better idea than just paying it. The only way to know for sure is to talk to an attorney that can review your ticket for potential defenses and advise you on typical deferment programs and other options. Here at Off the Record, we connect you with an attorney who can discuss your options for fighting back and will fight to get you the best deal possible or even beat the ticket outright. In Washington, our attorneys have a success rate of 97% so far — and our money-back guarantee means you don’t pay unless the attorney succeeds. All it takes to connect with a lawyer is a picture of the ticket and a couple of taps in an app — it’s so convenient, we fully expect to be mocked in a Netflix special someday soon. And it is way faster than trying to track down the court’s website and submit a payment.
Get started today
We make it easy to fight back and beat or reduce your ticket. Get started today through our website or iOS app and we will connect you with an attorney in your area with only a few taps and a snapshot of the ticket. With our money back guarantee, the only thing you have to lose is the ticket itself.
This information on this site is provided solely for informational purposes. It is not legal advice. Off The Record is not a law firm, does not provide legal services, and is not a lawyer referral service. The attorney listings on the site are paid attorney advertisements. Off the Record has not evaluated this content for accuracy, completeness, or changes in law. No representation is made here about your specific rights. Off The Record is not a substitute for an attorney or a law firm. Legal advice can only be provided by a licensed lawyer.
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