Traffic

City of Las Vegas traffic ticket: pay it, fight it, or fix it

A City of Las Vegas traffic ticket is, in most cases, a civil infraction now, not a crime. You have 90 days to answer it. You can pay it, or you can ask for a hearing. If you do nothing, the court finds against you automatically and you lose the right to appeal. This page walks you through it, step by step, from Nevada law.

First, find out what kind of ticket you have

1. Read the top of the ticket. A civil infraction citation must say that it is not a criminal offense, list your options for answering it, and say you must respond within 90 calendar days (NRS 484A.7035(1)). If yours says that, it is a civil infraction.

2. If it gives you a date to be in court, it is the older, criminal kind. A traffic citation with a notice to appear sets a court date at least 5 days after the stop (NRS 484A.630(2)). Missing that date is unlawful on its own, and a warrant can follow (NRS 484A.670(1), (3)). Treat that date as fixed.

3. Most moving tickets are civil now. Unless a traffic law says otherwise, breaking a rule in Nevada's traffic chapters is a civil infraction (NRS 484A.900(1)). A prosecutor can also choose to treat a misdemeanor traffic charge as a civil infraction, except DUI (NRS 484A.7049).

4. Find the court on the ticket. A ticket written inside a city that has its own court goes to that court (NRS 484A.750(1)). Municipal courts hear civil infractions and city misdemeanors (NRS 5.050(1)(b), (2)). A ticket written in the county outside city limits goes to the nearest justice court. The ticket names the court. Answer that court, not another one.

Your two choices on a civil infraction

Pay it. You tell the court you don't contest it and pay the full penalty, the administrative assessment and any fees. You can do that in person, by mail, or online (NRS 484A.704(2)).

Fight it. You ask for a hearing, in person, by mail, or online. The court must tell you the time and place in writing, and the hearing can't be sooner than 9 days after that notice (NRS 484A.704(3)).

Deadlines Nevada law sets

Situation	Deadline	Source
Answering a civil infraction ticket (pay or ask for a hearing)	90 calendar days from the day it was written	NRS 484A.704(1)
The court's reminder to you	Sent at least 30 days before your 90 days run out, to the mail or email address on the ticket	NRS 484A.704(4)
Your hearing date	No sooner than 9 days after the court's notice	NRS 484A.704(3)
Appealing a hearing loss	File the notice of appeal within 7 calendar days of the court's order	NRS 484A.7041(6)(a)
Criminal traffic ticket with a court date	The date on the ticket, at least 5 days after the stop	NRS 484A.630(2)
Demerit hearing at the DMV	The DMV suspends 30 days after it mails notice, unless you ask in writing for a hearing	NRS 483.475(6), (7)

Read 2026-11-03 off the Nevada Revised Statutes: chapter 484A revision stamped 4/15/2026 (2025), chapter 483 stamped 9/9/2026 (2026R1), chapter 5 stamped 9/9/2026 (2026R1), chapter 176 stamped 4/15/2026 (2025).

If you ignore it

On day 91, the court must enter an order that you committed the infraction and charge you the penalty and assessments. You can't appeal that order (NRS 484A.704(4)). The same happens if you ask for a hearing and then don't show up, and you may also owe witness costs (NRS 484A.704(5), (6)).

Then it gets more expensive. Once the money is late, the court can add a collection fee of up to $100 on a debt under $2,000 (NRS 484A.7047(1)). The city or county can send it to a collection agency, or collect it by garnishing your wages or property. The court can also suspend your driver's license until it is paid (NRS 484A.7047(2), (3)). The judgment lasts 10 years and can't be renewed (NRS 484A.7047(3)).

What a hearing looks like

It is informal and there is no jury. The judge decides whether it is more likely than not that you did it (NRS 484A.7041(4), (5)). The court may hold it by phone or video (NRS 484A.7042(4)).

You may have to put money down first. The court can require a bond or cash deposit up to the amount of the ticket. You don't have to post it if the court finds you can't afford to defend the case, or if a legal aid program represents you (NRS 484A.7041(2)).

You can bring evidence and witnesses. You can call witnesses, including the officer, show photos or papers, and question the other side's witnesses (NRS 484A.7042(2)).

If the officer doesn't show up or send a sworn statement, the court must dismiss the ticket unless other evidence proves it (NRS 484A.7041(5)).

You can send a lawyer instead. You may hire one at your own cost. If your lawyer appears, you don't have to (NRS 484A.7041(3)). Neither side gets attorney's fees (NRS 484A.7043(5)).

What it can cost

Item	What the law says	Source
Civil penalty	Up to $500 per violation, unless a specific law sets more	NRS 484A.7043(1)
Administrative assessments	Added on top, the same as for a misdemeanor fine of that size	NRS 484A.7043(2)
Collection fee if you pay late	Up to $100 under $2,000; up to $500 from $2,000 to under $5,000; 10% at $5,000 or more	NRS 484A.7047(1)

The amount on your ticket is set by the court, inside these limits. Ask the court named on the ticket for your exact total.

If you can't afford it

Say so. The court may cut or waive a penalty that is too much for your income, or set up a payment plan (NRS 484A.7043(3)). It can also reduce a moving violation to a non-moving one, or waive the penalty when the circumstances call for it (NRS 484A.7043(4)). Community service can replace all or part of the money, at a credit of at least $10 an hour or the state minimum wage, whichever is more, and no more than 200 hours (NRS 484A.7045).

On a criminal traffic ticket, the law presumes you can't pay if you get public assistance, live in public housing, or earn under 200% of the poverty level (NRS 176.0643). And the court can't issue a warrant for unpaid traffic money until you've had a chance to work it off with community service (NRS 484A.782). For most tickets, you also get at least 30 days' grace first. Reckless driving and DUI are among the exceptions (NRS 484A.780).

Demerit points and your license

A finding on a civil infraction counts as a traffic violation for demerit points (NRS 483.473(1)). Points run from 1 for a minor violation to 8 for the most serious, counted over 12 months (NRS 483.473(2), (3)). At 12 points in 12 months, the DMV suspends your license. The first time it is 6 months, and you can ask for a restricted license (NRS 483.475(3)).

Once you have 3 to 11 points, a DMV-approved traffic safety course takes off up to 3 points, once every 12 months, if the course wasn't ordered by a court or plea deal (NRS 483.475(1)). It doesn't change your insurance record (NRS 483.475(2)).

Good to know

A traffic conviction is not a criminal conviction for a job, a professional license or school, except reckless driving, vehicular manslaughter and DUI (NRS 484A.798). If you're arrested for an ordinary traffic violation, the law presumes you should be released on your own recognizance (NRS 484A.774). If you get a misdemeanor ticket and already have two moving convictions in the past 12 months, you must go to court in person, not just send a lawyer (NRS 484A.670(2)).

Worried a missed ticket turned into a warrant? See how to check for a warrant. Need to find your case? See court case lookup.

This page is general information, not legal advice. For your exact amount and how to pay or ask for a hearing, check with the court named on your ticket. Call 211 if you need help.