Lafayette County Traffic Ticket Records

Traffic ticket records for Lafayette County go through the Clerk of Court in Mayo, the county seat. Lafayette County is the least populated county in Florida with fewer than 9,000 residents, but traffic still flows along US 27, US 19, and State Road 51. The clerk handles every traffic citation issued in the county, from simple speeding tickets to more complex moving violations. All payments, school elections, and hearing requests must be filed with the Lafayette County Clerk within 30 days of the citation date to avoid late fees and license trouble.

Lafayette County Clerk of Court

The Lafayette County Clerk of Court is the only office that processes traffic ticket records in the county. Everything goes through this one location in Mayo. The clerk takes payments, handles traffic school sign-ups, and sets court dates for anyone who wants to fight a ticket. Because Lafayette County is small, the office staff tends to handle multiple roles, so call ahead if you have a specific question about your citation.

Lafayette County falls in the 3rd Judicial Circuit along with Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor counties. Each of these counties has its own clerk, and you must pay your ticket in the county where the violation took place. The Lafayette County Clerk website has basic info about court services. For questions about a traffic ticket in Lafayette County, calling the office is often the fastest way to get an answer since the staff knows the local process well.

Pay Lafayette County Traffic Tickets

Paying a Lafayette County traffic ticket on time is the most important thing you can do after getting a citation. Florida Statute 318.14 gives you 30 days from the issue date to pay or take action. Let that deadline pass and you face a $16 late fee plus the start of a license suspension through DHSMV.

Online payment is available through PayFLClerk.com. Select Lafayette County on the site and it takes you to the payment system. Have your citation number ready. You can use a credit or debit card, though a small convenience fee applies. For mail payments, send a check or money order to the Lafayette County Clerk at P.O. Box 88, Mayo, FL 32066. Write your citation number on the check so the clerk can match it to your case. You can also visit the clerk in person in Mayo during regular business hours to pay with cash, check, or money order.

Some drivers in rural areas like Lafayette County prefer to pay at an AMSCOT location. Any Florida AMSCOT accepts cash payments for traffic tickets statewide. Just bring your citation with you so they have the right info to process the payment.

Note: Allow 5 to 10 business days for new citations to show up in the clerk's system after a traffic stop in Lafayette County.

Lafayette County Traffic Ticket Options

You have three choices when you get a traffic ticket in Lafayette County. All three must begin within 30 days. The clock starts on the citation date, not the day you first look at the ticket or the day it hits the clerk's database.

Paying the fine is the simplest path. You send in the amount on the ticket and the case is closed. But this counts as a guilty plea in Lafayette County. The court records a conviction and DHSMV puts points on your license. Three points for a standard moving violation, four points for speeding 16 or more over the posted limit. Those points can drive up your insurance costs and, if you collect too many in a short time, lead to a license suspension on their own. Twelve points in 12 months means a 30-day suspension statewide.

Electing traffic school is the second option. Most drivers in Lafayette County who want to protect their record choose this one. You call the clerk at 386-294-1600 or visit the office and say you want the Basic Driver Improvement course. The fine drops by 18 percent under Florida Statute 318.14. You then take an approved four-hour course within 90 days and get the certificate to the clerk. Done right, no points land on your record. This option is not open to CDL holders or drivers clocked at 30 or more over the limit.

Contesting the ticket is the third choice. You tell the clerk you want a hearing. The court sets a date and you show up to argue your side. If the judge agrees with you, the ticket goes away. If not, the fine can go up to $500.

Lafayette County Traffic Fine Amounts

Florida Statute 318.18 sets the base fines for all traffic tickets in Lafayette County. These are the starting amounts before court costs and surcharges get added. A standard moving violation starts at $60. Speeding fines go up based on how fast you were going over the limit. The amount on your ticket is the total after all the fees and costs have been added together by the Lafayette County Clerk.

School zone and construction zone tickets double the base fine. A speeding ticket that would normally be $150 becomes $300 if you were in a school zone near Mayo. Construction zones also double when workers are on site. Late payments add $16 to whatever you owe. The Florida Clerks and Comptrollers page has information on how fines and costs are calculated across all Florida counties including Lafayette County.

Note: Court costs for moving violations add $35 to the base fine in Lafayette County, plus county and state surcharges that vary.

License Suspension from Lafayette County Tickets

Ignoring a Lafayette County traffic ticket is a bad idea. Under Florida Statute 318.15, the clerk notifies DHSMV when a ticket goes unpaid past 30 days. DHSMV then mails you a suspension notice. Your license gets suspended 20 days after that notice goes out. The suspension sticks on your record for seven years.

Getting your license back means paying off the full amount owed on the Lafayette County ticket plus a $60 reinstatement fee to DHSMV. You can check if your license is suspended through the MyDMV Portal or by calling DHSMV at 850-617-2000. Driving on a suspended license in Florida is a criminal offense that can lead to jail time, so take care of unpaid tickets in Lafayette County before the suspension hits. Out-of-state drivers receive a clearance letter by mail once all fines are paid.

The screenshot below shows the Lafayette County Clerk of Court website where traffic ticket records are handled locally.

Use this site or call the office to look up your citation status in Lafayette County.

Traffic School in Lafayette County

The Basic Driver Improvement course is the standard traffic school option for Lafayette County citations. You can take the course online from home or at an in-person location anywhere in Florida. The FLHSMV approved course list shows every provider. Most courses take about four hours.

After you finish the course, make sure the completion certificate gets to the Lafayette County Clerk. Some schools send it directly. Others leave it to you. Call the clerk at 386-294-1600 to verify they received it. If the certificate does not arrive before your deadline, the clerk can add points and fines to your case. You can also check your driving record through the FLHSMV Driving Record History page to confirm the ticket was resolved without points.

Nearby Counties

Lafayette County is surrounded by several rural North Florida counties. If your traffic stop took place near a county border, check the citation to see which county it was issued in. Each county clerk handles its own traffic tickets.