Traffic Tickets: Information for an Informal Hearing at the 15th District Court – Ann Arbor, MI
We ask that you take the time to review the following information. It should answer all of your questions. SLS does not represent students for civil infraction traffic tickets. We have found that the chances of success are so low that doing these hearings is not a good use of limited resources.
Traffic tickets are civil infractions which generally involve fines to the court and points assessed on your driver’s license. Because these tickets are civil in nature, there is a low standard of proof that needs to be presented to the court by the police officer, which in turn makes the tickets very difficult to fight.
Most individuals who revieve a traffic ticket are concerned about the points on their driving record—which may result in higher insurance premiums. If this concerns you, you may wish to ask for an informal hearing with the court. The 15th District Court does not charge any additional fees for this hearing, so if you do not prevail at the hearing, you will still only have to pay the cost of the ticket, with the points added to your driving record.
Please note that the 15th District Court does not provide the option of “a remedial driving school program” as an alternative to paying the ticket and/or the assessment of points. With this information in mind, if you decide to contest a ticket, you may wish to follow the points listed below.
Contact the Court
Call Court and ask for an informal hearing. This hearing will include yourself, the police officer and the magistrate. Attorneys are not allowed at these hearings.
Preparing for Your Court Date
- Dress well.
- You may prepare a drawing or photographs of the area to visually demonstrate your actions.
- Take a copy of the ordinance. (Search for “Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances” on the internet.)
- Prepare your argument. Your argument should show that you did not violate the ordinance (for example, the light was yellow and not red, when you entered the intersection). Tip: practice this presentation ahead of time, making a concise argument, with your directions properly memorized; bring notes with you if necessary.
Going to Court
- Go early.
- Find the police officer in the hallway or court room.
- Give your prepared story to the police officer politely, but firmly explaining your perspective of what happened.
- Ask the police officer if he is willing to amend the ticket to a lesser offense (less costs and/or points).
- If the police officer says okay, and you accept, you will formalize it in the courtroom.
- If the police officer says no, then wait for your case to be called.
- You may then make your argument to the magistrate. You may also ask the police officer questions (for example, “Was anything obstructing your view of my vehicle?” “Were there other cars in the area that may have affected the radar?” “Was the radar properly calibrated?”) You should also check out these sites for speeding tickets. If the ticket involves failure to stop or obey a sign, you can question the ability to view the sign and not much else. Remember to be polite and remain calm, as being confrontational with the court or police officer will generally not help your cause. After your presentation, you may ask the magistrate for a dismissal or reduction in fines. After listening to both your story and the police officer’s story, the magistrate will then make a ruling.
- If the police officer does not show up, ask for a dismissal of your case. It will be dismissed. Note: Police officers in the 15th District Court appear almost all of the time.
Helping Others
Please report back to Student Legal Services if you have favorable results from your hearing. Your strategies may be helpful to other students.
