L.A. Rolls Out Remote Hearings for Traffic Tickets

How’s this for useful information?

Now, if you have a court date scheduled on or after September 14, you don’t have to go to court. You can appear by phone. And you can do it for traffic tickets as well as non-traffic infractions. But you can’t do it if you’re appearing for trial or you need to show the court something like photographs, proof of insurance, or a proof of correction. There’s no video capability yet; it’s only audio by phone.

Don’t wait until the day of your hearing because the registration process takes a little time. Once registered, you can schedule an appearance up to thirty days in advance and up until two hours before the hearing. When you do, you’ll receive an email you’ll want to look out for because you’ll need it to connect to court.

There is a fee of $15 for each remote appearance you schedule, unless you happen to have multiple citations for the same courtroom on the same day and time. But that still probably beats the time and expense of driving to court, standing in line, and paying for parking.

For more information, see the court’s press release.