Pasco County Traffic Ticket Records

Pasco County traffic ticket records are kept by the Clerk of Courts office in Dade City. This fast-growing county sits on the Gulf coast just north of Tampa and has a population of roughly 560,000 residents. The Pasco County Clerk handles all civil traffic infractions from cities like New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, and Land O' Lakes. If you got a ticket on US-19 or I-75 going through Pasco County, this is the office that has your case. Online access through the clerk's website and statewide portals makes it possible to check on your citation from home.

Pasco County Clerk of Courts

The Pasco County Clerk of Courts manages all traffic ticket records for the county. The main office is in Dade City at the county courthouse, though the county also has a west Pasco branch in New Port Richey. The traffic division has a dedicated phone line for citation questions. Staff can pull up your ticket, explain your options, and help you figure out how much you owe. If your ticket is brand new, give it five to seven business days to show up in the system before trying to look it up online.

Pasco County sits in the 6th Judicial Circuit, which it shares with Pinellas County. This circuit is one of the busiest in the state. The clerk's office processes thousands of traffic tickets each year from citations written by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and local police departments across the county.

Paying Pasco County Traffic Tickets

Pasco County offers several ways to pay a traffic ticket. The quickest route is online through the clerk's website or the statewide PayFLClerk.com portal. Select Pasco County from the list, enter your citation number, and follow the steps. Credit and debit card payments carry a convenience fee. You can also pay by mail with a check or money order sent to the clerk's office in Dade City.

In-person payments are accepted at the Pasco County Clerk's office locations. Bring your citation with you. Cash, checks, money orders, and cards are all accepted at the counter. The 30-day deadline set by Florida Statute 318.14 applies to all Pasco County traffic tickets. Missing that window means a $16 late fee and the start of the license suspension process. If your Pasco County ticket is already past due, call the traffic division at 352-521-4356 to find out what you owe.

The Pasco County Clerk's homepage at pascoclerk.com provides links to all available payment tools and court services.

Many Pasco County residents also use AMSCOT locations to make cash payments on traffic tickets. There is a small service fee, but it can be a good option if you do not have a bank account or credit card. Just bring your citation number to any Florida AMSCOT.

Note: Allow five to seven business days for a new Pasco County traffic citation to appear in the clerk's online system before attempting to pay.

Pasco County Traffic Citation Options

Every Pasco County traffic ticket comes with three basic choices. You must pick one within 30 days of the date on your citation. The first option is to pay the fine and accept the conviction. Points get added to your driving record based on the type of violation. This is the simplest route but comes with long-term effects on your insurance rates and license status. Standard moving violations carry a $60 base fine in Pasco County, plus court costs and surcharges that push the total higher.

The second option is to pay and elect a Basic Driver Improvement course. This is the most popular choice for many Pasco County drivers. You pay a reduced fine amount, which is 18% less than the full penalty under state law. Then you complete an approved traffic school course within 90 days. Once you finish, no points go on your record. The state keeps a list of approved course providers at the FLHSMV website. Most can be done online.

The third option is to plead not guilty and request a court hearing. You need to contact the Pasco County Clerk within 30 days to set this up. A judge will hear your case, and the officer who wrote your ticket may be called in. If you lose, fines can go up to $500 for most Pasco County traffic violations. School zone and construction zone speeding fines can reach $1,000 under Florida Statute 318.18.

Traffic School for Pasco County Drivers

Traffic school is a solid option if you qualify. It keeps points off your record and lowers your fine. But there are limits. Florida law caps traffic school elections at five times in your lifetime. You cannot elect it more than once in any 12-month period. Drivers holding a commercial driver license cannot use this option at all. And if your Pasco County ticket was for going 30 mph or more over the speed limit, traffic school is not available to you.

To elect traffic school in Pasco County, tell the clerk when you pay your citation. You then have 90 days from the citation date to finish an approved Basic Driver Improvement course. After you complete it, make sure the certificate of completion gets filed with the Pasco County Clerk. Some schools send it automatically. Others do not. Check to be safe, because failing to file the certificate on time brings back the full fine, adds a late fee, and triggers a license suspension.

Pasco County Traffic Ticket Fine Amounts

Fine amounts for Pasco County traffic tickets follow the state schedule under Florida Statute 318.18. Speeding fines depend on how far over the limit you were going. Here is the base fine structure before court costs and surcharges get added:

• 6 to 9 mph over the limit: $25 base fine
• 10 to 14 mph over: $100 base fine
• 15 to 19 mph over: $150 base fine
• 20 to 29 mph over: $175 base fine
• 30 mph or more over: $250 base fine

Standard moving violations in Pasco County carry a $60 base fine. Nonmoving violations are $30. Speeding in a school zone doubles the fine. Same for construction zone speeding when workers are on site. If you miss your 30-day payment window, a $16 late fee gets added to whatever you owe. Court costs pile on top of everything. A Pasco County speeding ticket for going 15 over might have a $150 base fine, but the total with court costs and fees can push past $275.

Note: Fine amounts shown are base penalties only and do not include Pasco County court costs, surcharges, or convenience fees for card payments.

License Suspension from Pasco County Tickets

Ignoring a Pasco County traffic ticket will cost you your license. The process starts when you miss the 30-day deadline. The Pasco County Clerk sends a notice to FLHSMV, and the state mails a suspension order to your address on file. The suspension kicks in 20 days after that letter goes out. Once suspended, the record stays on your FLHSMV file for seven years.

Getting your license back after a Pasco County traffic ticket suspension means paying off everything you owe, plus a $60 reinstatement fee. You can check your license status at the MyDMV Portal. The Pasco County Clerk's office can also tell you your total balance. Once paid, the clerk issues a certificate of compliance and sends it to FLHSMV so they can lift the hold on your driving privileges.

Statewide Resources for Pasco County

Several state-level tools can help with Pasco County traffic ticket records. The FLHSMV traffic citations page explains the overall process that applies in every Florida county, including Pasco. The Florida Clerks and Comptrollers website has a directory of all 67 county clerks and their contact details.

For driving record checks, the FLHSMV driving record history page lets you request a copy of your record to see what points or suspensions you have. This is useful after dealing with a Pasco County traffic ticket if you want to see how it affected your overall record.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Pasco County. If your citation was written near a county line, check the county name on your ticket. That is the clerk's office you need to contact.