A Traffic Citation: Your Rights & Responsibilities
The following information does not apply to cases requiring a mandatory court
appearance.
What will happen if I appear in court on the date on my citation?
The date on your citation is the date of your initial appearance. An initial
appearance is your opportunity to enter a plea to the charge. You may plead
guilty, no contest, or not guilty. The initial appearance is not the trial date.
If you plead guilty or no contest, the court will find you guilty and the matter
will be resolved at the initial appearance. Be prepared to pay the ticket at
that time. There is no guarantee that your ticket will be reduced. Your ticket
may already be written for the minimum forfeiture and points.
Must I appear in court on the date set forth on my citation?
You may avoid appearing in court by sending the bail amount prior to your court
date. If bail is posted and you do not appear in court, you will be found
guilty, and the bail money will be applied to forfeiture.
You may also avoid appearing in court if you enter your plea in writing. Mail
your plea to: Outagamie County Clerk of Court, 320 S Walnut St Appleton, WI
54911, or FAX your plea by calling (920) 832-5115. Include the charge
and violation date, the date you were scheduled to appear, the name of the
police agency that issued your ticket, the ticket number, your current mailing
address and phone number. This plea must be received before the court date on
the citation. If your plea is not guilty, a court date for a pretrial conference
will be mailed to you. You MUST appear at the pretrial conference.
If you do not post bail money and you also fail to enter a plea in person or by
writing, a judgment will be entered against you for the amount of the ticket.
From the date of judgment, you will be allowed no more than 30 days to pay.
Failure to pay may result in a suspension of
your drivers license, and/or a civil judgment entered(12% interest per year will
be charged), certification of your debt to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue
for tax intercept, and your case will be
turned over to a collection agency.
Can I change the court date?
No. It is not necessary to change your court date. If you are unable to attend
the scheduled court date, you would enter your plea in writing by mail or fax.
This must be received BEFORE your court date.
I wish to plead not guilty, how do I do that and what will happen in court?
You may plead not guilty either by appearing in court on the date on your
citation, or by entering a not guilty plea in writing by mail or FAX prior to
the court date. Mail the written plea of not guilty to: Outagamie County Clerk of
Court, 320 S Walnut St, Appleton WI 54911, or FAX your plea by
calling (920) 832-5115. Include the charge and violation date, the date you were
scheduled to appear, the name of the police agency that issued you your ticket,
the ticket number, your current mailing address and phone number. This must be
received before the court date on your citation.
After you plead not guilty, the case will be scheduled for a pretrial
conference. You must attend the pretrial conference. After the pretrial
conference, the case will be scheduled for final conference or trial. You have
the right to a jury trial. If you want to preserve this right to a jury trial,
you must make a written demand for a jury trial and post jury fees within ten
(10) days following the date of your initial appearance. Jury fees are not
refundable.