Hamilton County Traffic Tickets

Traffic ticket records in Hamilton County are processed through the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Jasper. This north Florida county sits along Interstate 75 near the Georgia border, and highway traffic makes up a large share of the citations issued here. The Hamilton County Clerk manages all aspects of traffic cases, from collecting fines to scheduling court hearings. Drivers who get a ticket on I-75 or any road in Hamilton County deal with this office for payments, traffic school elections, and records requests. The courthouse on NE First Street is the only location for handling these matters.

Hamilton County Clerk of Court

The Clerk of the Circuit Court handles all traffic ticket records in Hamilton County. This office takes in fine payments, processes traffic school elections, schedules hearings, and keeps the official record of every citation filed with the court. If you need to check the status of a ticket, find out what you owe, or get a copy of a past citation, call or visit the clerk's office in Jasper. Hamilton County is part of the 3rd Judicial Circuit, which also serves Columbia, Dixie, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor counties.

Paying Traffic Tickets in Hamilton County

Florida law gives you 30 days from the date a ticket is issued to pay or respond. This applies to all traffic citations in Hamilton County. The rule is spelled out in Florida Statute 318.14. If you do nothing for 30 days, a $16 late fee gets tacked on. After that, the DHSMV can suspend your driver's license. You will then owe the fine, the late fee, plus a $60 reinstatement charge to get your license back.

Hamilton County offers these ways to pay a traffic ticket. You can visit the clerk's office in person at 207 NE First Street in Jasper. Cash, checks, and money orders are accepted there. Mail payments go to the same address. Make your check or money order out to the Clerk of Court and include your citation number. For online payment, use PayFLClerk.com and select Hamilton County. A service fee applies when you pay with a card. This portal works around the clock, which makes it a good option if you cannot get to Jasper during business hours.

Paying the ticket means you plead guilty. Points will go on your driving record in Hamilton County. The number of points depends on the violation type. Standard moving violations add three or four points.

Note: It can take up to 10 business days for a citation to appear in the clerk's system after an officer writes it in Hamilton County.

Hamilton County Traffic Ticket Fines

Fine amounts follow the schedule in Florida Statute 318.18. The base fine is only part of the total cost. Court costs and county surcharges are added on top. A standard moving violation with a $60 base fine can easily cost $150 or more once all the added fees are counted.

Speeding fines scale with how far you went over the posted limit. Going 6 to 9 mph over is a $25 base fine. At 10 to 14 mph over, the base is $100. Between 15 and 19 over costs $150. Speeding 20 to 29 over the limit is $175. If you hit 30 mph or more above the speed, the base fine is $250 and you must appear in court. Tickets in school zones carry double the normal fine amount, and construction zone speeding is also doubled when workers are present. These fine levels are the same across all 67 Florida counties, Hamilton County included.

Traffic School Option in Hamilton County

You can keep points off your record by electing to take a Basic Driver Improvement course. This is what most people call traffic school. To use this option in Hamilton County, contact the clerk's office within 30 days of your citation date and say you want to elect traffic school. You pay the fine amount with an 18% discount. Then you get 90 days to complete an approved course and send the certificate back to the Hamilton County Clerk.

The limits on this option are important to know. You can only use traffic school five times in your life. You cannot use it more than once in a 12-month window. CDL holders are shut out entirely. And if the ticket was for going 30 mph or more over the speed limit, you cannot elect this option. The FLHSMV approved course list has the full set of providers. Most courses can be done online, which is helpful for people who are not local to Hamilton County and got a ticket while passing through on I-75.

Fighting a Ticket in Hamilton County

You have the right to contest any traffic ticket in Hamilton County. Call the clerk at 386-792-1288 within 30 days and ask for a court hearing. The clerk sets a date for you to go before a judge at the courthouse in Jasper. At the hearing, you present your case. If the judge sides with you, the ticket goes away. No fine and no points on your license.

But there is risk. If the judge finds you guilty at the hearing, the fine can be more than the original amount on the ticket. For regular traffic violations, the maximum is $500. School zone and construction zone speeding tickets can go up to $1,000. You will also pay court costs. Some drivers hire a traffic attorney for the hearing, but you can represent yourself if you prefer. Criminal traffic charges like DUI or driving on a suspended license require a court hearing no matter what option you pick.

Hamilton County Driving Records

After a traffic ticket case closes in Hamilton County, the outcome appears on your state driving record. The FLHSMV keeps these records. You can check your own driving history at the MyDMV Portal. A 3-year record is $14.25 and a complete record costs $16.25. The FLHSMV driving record page gives details on how to order your report.

For general help with traffic citations, the FLHSMV traffic citations page explains the three options every driver faces. The Florida Clerks and Comptrollers site links to every county clerk, including Hamilton County, for direct access to local payment tools.

Nearby Counties

Hamilton County borders four other Florida counties. Traffic tickets must be resolved in the county where they were issued. Check the county name on your citation before taking action.