Tampa Traffic Ticket Lookup

Traffic ticket records in Tampa are processed by the Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Victor D. Crist serves as the clerk for Hillsborough County. Every traffic citation issued within Tampa city limits gets filed with the clerk's office, regardless of which agency wrote it. The Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and Florida Highway Patrol all route their tickets through the same system. You can look up your ticket, pay it, or set up a court hearing through the clerk's website or by calling their 24/7 phone line.

Hillsborough County Clerk for Tampa Tickets

The Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts manages all Tampa traffic ticket records. Their mailing address is PO Box 3360, Tampa, FL 33601-3360. You can reach the clerk by phone at 813-276-8100. That line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is one of the few clerk offices in Florida that offers round-the-clock phone access.

The clerk's traffic department handles ticket payments, cash bond refunds, court hearing requests, driver's license issues, traffic school enrollment, and no contest pleas. They also manage contact information changes for defendants with open cases.

Look Up Tampa Traffic Tickets Online

You can search for your Tampa traffic ticket on the Hillsborough County Clerk's website. Go to hillsclerk.com/traffic and use the Look Up Ticket tool. You can search by citation number or by name. The system is at hover.hillsclerk.com. Enter your date of birth, select "Open/Reopen" for case status, and pick "Traffic" for the case category. Your results will show what you owe and any upcoming court dates.

If your ticket does not show up right away, wait a few days. It takes time for the officer's citation to reach the clerk's system. The statewide portal at PayFLClerk.com also works for Hillsborough County tickets. Just pick Hillsborough from the county list.

How to Pay Tampa Traffic Citations

Tampa traffic tickets must be paid within 30 days. That deadline comes from Florida Statute 318.14. If you miss it, a $16 late fee gets added and your license may be suspended by the state.

Hillsborough County offers several payment methods. Online payments go through the clerk's website with a 3.5% surcharge for credit and debit cards. AMSCOT locations across Florida accept cash payments for Hillsborough County tickets. You can mail a personal check, cashier's check, or money order to Clerk of the Circuit Court - Traffic, PO Box 3360, Tampa FL 33601-3360. In-person payments are accepted at clerk's office locations Monday through Friday.

Note: Hillsborough County parking tickets cannot be paid online. You must call 813-276-8100 to pay by credit card with a 3.5% surcharge, mail a check, or go to the office in person.

Tampa Traffic Citation Options

When you get a traffic ticket in Tampa, you have the same three choices available to drivers across Florida. You need to pick one within 30 days of the citation date.

Paying the fine closes the case but counts as a conviction. Points get added to your driving record for moving violations. Under Florida Statute 318.18, base fines range from $15 for pedestrian infractions to $250 for speeding 30 mph or more over the limit. Moving violations start at $60. Court costs are added on top: $4 for pedestrian infractions, $18 for non-moving violations, and $35 for moving violations.

Electing traffic school is the second option. You contact the clerk within 30 days and pay the reduced fine (18% discount). Then you complete a Basic Driver Improvement course within 90 days. No points go on your record if you finish. The FLHSMV approved traffic schools page has a list of authorized providers. Make sure the school sends your completion certificate to the Hillsborough County Clerk. Traffic school enrollment costs are separate from what you pay on the ticket.

Contesting the ticket is option three. Request a court hearing through the clerk's office. You can submit a no contest plea through the clerk's system if you prefer not to appear in court.

Tampa Police Department Traffic Division

The Tampa Police Department handles traffic enforcement in the city. Their address is 411 N. Franklin Street, Tampa, FL 33602. The non-emergency number is 813-231-6130. Officers write citations during patrols, at accident scenes, and in targeted enforcement zones like school areas and high-crash corridors.

Remember that the police write the ticket, but the Hillsborough County Clerk's office is where you deal with everything after that. Payments, hearings, traffic school, and record requests all go through the clerk. You can check your license status at the MyDMV Portal to see if any Tampa tickets have caused a suspension. For a complete driving history that covers all of Florida, visit the FLHSMV driving record history page.

Tampa Traffic Ticket Consequences

Ignoring a Tampa traffic ticket is a bad idea. The Hillsborough County Clerk reports unpaid tickets to the Florida DHSMV. Your license gets suspended 20 days after the suspension order is mailed. That suspension stays on your record for seven years. Getting your license back means paying the full fine amount, any late fees, and a $60 reinstatement charge.

Even if you pay on time, moving violations add points to your record. Rack up 12 points in 12 months and your license gets suspended for 30 days. Eighteen points in 18 months means a 3-month suspension. Twenty-four points in 36 months brings a 1-year suspension. That is why many Tampa drivers choose traffic school to keep points off their record when they can.

The Hillsborough County Clerk's traffic page is shown below. Tampa residents use this site to search for tickets, make payments, and find court information.

This is the main hub for all Hillsborough County traffic ticket services, including those for Tampa citations.

Hillsborough County Traffic Records

For full details on traffic ticket procedures and court locations in Hillsborough County, see the Hillsborough County traffic ticket records page. It covers all office locations, payment plan options, and hearing information for the entire county.

Nearby Cities

Several other cities near Tampa also handle traffic tickets through their county clerks. St. Petersburg and Clearwater process their tickets through the Pinellas County Clerk. Lakeland uses the Polk County Clerk. Each city follows the same state laws but goes through a different county office.