Ticket out of state question.

[altwight]

So my girlfriend has a big ticket out of state and had her license suspended. She now lives with me in Alabama and has been for a year.

The question came up about whether or not she could get her license here in alabama.

[Skyylya]

I had that issue pop up in college. I regularly drove from CT to FL and back between semesters. I got a ticket once in NY on my way to FL and since it was out of state I had 'heard' I wouldn't be in trouble unless I got caught in NY again. Since I rarely ever drove there I didn't bother with it.

About a 8 months to a year later I got a letter from the CT DMV stating that if I didn't pay my fine to NY I would lose my license in CT and not be able to get it in any other state as well. I'm not sure what the specifics were because I paid it right away but I was under the impression from that it didn't matter what state, they all communicated. Driving is a federal privelage even though licenses are issued by states.

[Pikarya]

She can in some states. Better hope to god she never travels back in that state driving though.

[Maaglin]

It's at the state level, but they all bascially pool data. So the answer is a solid "maybe".

I got a DUI in California about 5 years ago, and Washington state (where my residence was) never did shit to revoke or suspend my license and renewed it with no questions asked. And I never even bothered to jump through the hoops in California to get my driving privledges restored there.

[kyod]

So my girlfriend has a big ticket out of state and had her license suspended. She now lives with me in Alabama and has been for a year.

The question came up about whether or not she could get her license here in alabama.

IIRC a relatively new federal law makes state DMVs share information with other states automatically via an electronic database. So if she tried to get a license in Alabama, they would check her previous record. The computer would flag her for her suspended license in another state and she would be out of luck.

Depending on how big of a ticket and the seriousness of the issue, she may have had an arrest warrant issued. I, personally, would clear that up because you don't want something like that hanging over your head.

[Pikarya]

IIRC a relatively new federal law makes state DMVs share information with other states automatically via an electronic database. So if she tried to get a license in Alabama, they would check her previous record. The computer would flag her for her suspended license in another state and she would be out of luck.

Depending on how big of a ticket and the seriousness of the issue, she may have had an arrest warrant issued. I, personally, would clear that up because you don't want something like that hanging over your head.

Not all DMV's are that up to date tbh. In TN/OH they do not do such checks when you apply for a license (when you move, etc.). In NJ they do the full 9 yards though, even Homeland Security checks lol.

[Lyn]

I have a similar situation, guess this is the best place to ask.

I got a speeding ticket 4+ years ago in Louisiana (driving through). Never paid it and never went back. I recently got a new driver's license due to a name change, and I had no problems getting it. Does this just disappear, or should I be worried if I ever get pulled over in Louisiana?

[Silviya]

You'll probably be arrested if you ever get pulled over in Louisiana again. Usually if you don't pay a ticket (ever) they'll issue a warrant for your arrest. Other states typically won't extradite you to Louisiana for a simple speeding ticket. The cost to do so is typically more then the ticket itself, but if you ever get involved with the police in Louisiana you'll be arrested.

I had a friend once who got a ticket in Montana and forgot to pay it. Well him and another friend we're driving through and he got pulled over for speeding. Arrested on the spot. The wouldn't even let my other friend get the keys and drive his car to the station to bail him out. So on top of the 2 tickets (the one he forgot and the new one) he also had to pay to get his car out of impound. Not to mention just the hassle of the whole being arrested/impound business.

[kyod]

It will not disappear (unless it was some clerical error and your information was not recorded correctly).

If you haven't paid the ticket, they probably suspended your license in the state and may (most likely have) issued a warrant for your arrest for failure to pay/failure to appear. If you are pulled over in Louisiana, you can be arrested. Either check online (if you are able to) or call the clerk of court wherever you got the ticket from and ask if there is an arrest warrant out for you.

[lovehatehero]

Not all DMV's are that up to date tbh. In TN/OH they do not do such checks when you apply for a license (when you move, etc.). In NJ they do the full 9 yards though, even Homeland Security checks lol.

This is not correct. Im actually going through this for a ticket i received in cali and never paid. Went to renew my license here in ohio, and they said cant cali has a hold/suspension on my license. All they do is run your name and SS through and everything pops right up...

[Pikarya]

This is not correct. Im actually going through this for a ticket i received in cali and never paid. Went to renew my license here in ohio, and they said cant cali has a hold/suspension on my license. All they do is run your name and SS through and everything pops right up...

I had an unpaid ticket from 4 years ago (no interest incurred luckily) captured from aerial surveillance in NJ. I was still able to receive a new license in the south when I moved. Its different everywhere you go.

Out of curiosity, how fast were you going? Mine was 10 over, literally. NJ cops will kill you for anything.

[Lyn]

Either check online (if you are able to) or call the clerk of court wherever you got the ticket from and ask if there is an arrest warrant out for you.

That shit is looooong gone. I don't even remember what part of Louisiana I was in when I got it.

[Fodder]

DMVs share now, I miss having two licenses ; ; one for tickets, one for insurance

[Titanss]

You'll probably be arrested if you ever get pulled over in Louisiana again. Usually if you don't pay a ticket (ever) they'll issue a warrant for your arrest. Other states typically won't extradite you to Louisiana for a simple speeding ticket. The cost to do so is typically more then the ticket itself, but if you ever get involved with the police in Louisiana you'll be arrested.

I had a friend once who got a ticket in Montana and forgot to pay it. Well him and another friend we're driving through and he got pulled over for speeding. Arrested on the spot. The wouldn't even let my other friend get the keys and drive his car to the station to bail him out. So on top of the 2 tickets (the one he forgot and the new one) he also had to pay to get his car out of impound. Not to mention just the hassle of the whole being arrested/impound business.

I call bullshit. The only fucking thing you will get arrested for traffic violation wise is driving on suspended (and most places won't do that, it depends if you live a shit small town). Its like if you got a speeding ticket in your area they are not going to arrest you for not paying or going to court over it (that would be fucking stupid) they will just take your license. Please get a gd clue

This message brought to you by your local DMV

[Nephlite]

Depends on the offense really. You can get arrested for pretty much anything; citations were only developed to negotiate civil infractions without spending too much taxpayer money on court (in my opinion). Off the top of my head you can immediately get arrested for Reckless Driving, DUI/DWI, Operating without a permit (or suspension), Speeding (over 15 mph), Fleeing, and Unauthorized use of a Motor Vehicle (aka Grand Theft Auto or use of a vehicle in a commission of a crime, etc.) Cops usually hand out citations for these offenses because: 1. It's in their general orders to give a citation in leiu of arrest (officer discretion), 2. Budget cuts, 3. Checkpoint enforcement (speed traps/DUI traps, etc.)

Unpaid tickets usually go to collections from what I understand but it's all based on tags, registration, or license soundex. What I used to do is every year I would change my tags to a different design and thus all my unpaid traffic tickets would go away, even if they were overdue. It's the DMV that's responsible for flagging you and in most cases it's not put in to an NCIC database (the system cops use to run your info) unless it's a major infraction that could land you jailtime.

Will speeding get you jailtime? Probably not but Reckless Driving (speeding over 15mph) will and though not a felony or serious misdemeanor, you still have to go to court for it so you don't get jailtime. Bench warrant issued if you don't show? Probably. That's why you sign the citation. It's not an admission of liability, it's a promise you'll appear in court. Just depends on the jurisdiction, the processing unit, and the offense. Could've gotten lucky and not shown for court and the officer didn't either so it was dismissed.

[Olo401]

My friend was unable to get a license when she moved from Connecticut to Kentucky due to a license suspension.. Basically if the states share data (and all do thanks to the PATRIOT Act) you're boned unless you go through a name change or maybe if you start from scratch (take the test for a new license instead of applying for a transferred one).

[Silviya]

I call bullshit. The only fucking thing you will get arrested for traffic violation wise is driving on suspended (and most places won't do that, it depends if you live a shit small town). Its like if you got a speeding ticket in your area they are not going to arrest you for not paying or going to court over it (that would be fucking stupid) they will just take your license. Please get a gd clue

This message brought to you by your local DMV

If the issue a warrant for your arrest because you fail to pay or appear in court for a ticket you will be arrested, especially if you're not local to the area/state. That's why it's called an arrest warrant.

[Fhqwghads]

All I have to say on the matter is out of state tickets are bullshit. I sometimes think states watch for out of state plates because they know it's free money. They can always get us doing 5 over at some point, or even worse mistakenly ticket us while they were thinking we were the one in violation when it was someone else. +1 on their ticket count, a little money for the state, and they damn sure know some out of state person isn't going to drive 75+ miles for a court date, especially considering gas prices.

There should be a way to remotely contest citations if you're not from the state in which it's issued. I feel that the scale is tipped heavily in favor of the local government which issued the ticket, and there has to be some sort of protection in law somewhere against unfair processes which almost guarantees the state wins simply because of the undue burden of traveling back to contest the ticket. The local governments are using technology to aid them in instantaneously flagging us as having a pending violation, so why can't technology be on our side too to help us defend ourselves if we think we are not guilty?

Seems in scenarios like this it's "innocent until we can't afford to fly or drive back to another state where the fine is probably right around the cost of contesting the citation, in which case we're guilty of being from another state."

[Zhais]

I call bullshit. The only fucking thing you will get arrested for traffic violation wise is driving on suspended (and most places won't do that, it depends if you live a shit small town). Its like if you got a speeding ticket in your area they are not going to arrest you for not paying or going to court over it (that would be fucking stupid) they will just take your license. Please get a gd clue

This message brought to you by your local DMV

I had a warrant out for my arrest for missing a court date over having proof of vehicle registration (didn't have it on me at the time I got pulled over randomly since I was dealing with insurance). They can and will arrest you on the spot if you have a warrant out, no matter what for.

[Ksandra]

wouldn't the simple solution be to just pay the ticket? or is it after a certain time you can't to clear your record?

Never got one so dunno, hubby got one and we just paid it asap. idgi