Who Qualifies for Traffic School in California?

The basic eligibility requirements

You're generally eligible to attend traffic school if all of the following are true:

• Your ticket is for an infraction that's a moving violation — a one-point offense like most speeding, stop-sign, or red-light tickets.
• You have a valid driver's license (commercial license holders have special rules — see below).
• The violation was not alcohol- or drug-related.
• You haven't used traffic school for another ticket in the past 18 months (measured violation date to violation date).
• You were not driving a commercial vehicle when you were cited.
• You pay your fine and the court's administrative fee by the due date on your courtesy notice.

The court has the final say. Most eligible drivers are offered traffic school automatically on the courtesy notice the court mails after the ticket — if your notice includes a traffic school option, you qualify.

Tickets that don't qualify

• Misdemeanors — DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run, and similar charges.
• Two-point violations, including speeding over 100 mph.
• Non-moving violations — parking, equipment ("fix-it"), and paperwork tickets. These carry no point, so there's nothing for traffic school to mask.
• Violations in a commercial vehicle requiring a commercial license.

The 18-month rule, explained

California lets you use traffic school to keep a conviction confidential once every 18 months. The clock runs from the date of your previous violation to the date of the new one — not from when you finished the course. If your last masked ticket was more than 18 months before this one, you're eligible again.

Courts can sometimes permit attendance more often, but a second course within 18 months typically won't keep the new conviction off your public record. If you're close to the line, ask the court clerk before paying.

What about commercial (Class A/B) license holders?

If you hold a commercial license but were cited while driving your personal vehicle, California courts can generally allow you to attend traffic school. The rules on how the conviction appears on a commercial record differ from a regular license, so confirm the effect with the court or the DMV before deciding.

How to confirm you qualify

• Check your courtesy notice. If traffic school is offered, it will be listed with the fee amounts and the deadline.
• Check the court's website for your county — most let you look up your citation online.
• Call the court clerk listed on your ticket if anything is unclear. Do this before the due date.

Once the court confirms you're eligible and you've paid the court's fees, you can enroll in any DMV-licensed school. You can verify any school's license — including ours, #E0821 — on the DMV's official traffic school list.