Do I have to formally tell the court I'm taking traffic school?

Electing traffic school is a procedural step separate from completing the course. You're telling the court: instead of contesting the ticket, I'm choosing the educational path. In most counties, that election happens when you respond to the citation — paying the base fine, the court fee, and any state surcharge in one transaction, then either checking a box online or calling the clerk to confirm you want the school option. The court then issues a completion deadline, usually 30 to 90 days from the election date.

Skipping this step is the most common mistake we see. If you simply enroll in our course without telling the court, the citation moves through its normal lifecycle — collections, license hold, or in some cases an automatic conviction — because the court has no record of your election. The court's payment system and the school option are sometimes linked, sometimes not, depending on the county; what looks like a single online transaction may only cover the fine without electing the school path.

Once you've enrolled with us, our system reminds you of the court deadline and confirms what filing format your court expects. If your court uses an online ticket portal (most do now), the entire election can be done in five minutes from a phone before you even start the first chapter. For courts without online portals, a brief phone call to the clerk works the same way — explain you're enrolling in an approved course, ask for the election deadline in writing or by case-file note, and confirm what proof of completion they want at the end.