Understanding Your Citation

Your court date (i.e. arraignment date) is listed at the bottom of the front page of the citation you received. This is the date by which you are required to either appear in court or pay your fine.

If the violation is not a “must appear” offense, you may pay the fine to avoid an appearance in court. By paying the fine, you are entering a plea of guilty, which will be recorded by the court, and in the case of traffic offenses, the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

Citations are typically processed and available for payment online within 7-10 calendar days of your violation. Online payments must be made at least 24 hours prior to your court date. You may also pay in person by 5:00 p.m. on your court date. If you fail to pay your fine by one of these methods and do not appear in court on your court date, you will be issued a Failure to Appear warrant.

Learn about acceptable methods of payment and credit/debit card surcharges.

If you want to plead not guilty, you will be given the option of having a jury trial (in Fulton County State Court) or a non-jury trial by our judge in the Sandy Springs Municipal Court. Your trial will not be on the arraignment day (initial court appearance) – you will be given another date so that all witnesses, including the officer, may be subpoenaed to testify in the trial.