Violations/Traffic Information

Prior to the court appearance date noted on your citation, you must complete one of the options listed on the citation. Be sure to read the options carefully. 

• Option 1: Enter a plea of no contest and pay the court the amount of the presumptive fine written on the front of your citation. 
• Option 2: Enter a plea of no contest, send a letter of explanation, and pay the court the amount of the presumptive fine written on your citation. A judge will review your letter of explanation. You will need to follow-up with the court’s Violations Department to check the status of your case. 
• Option 3: Enter a plea of not guilty and request a trial. The court will give you notice of the time and place when you must appear in person. 
• Option 4: Enter a plea of not guilty and request a trial by Declaration. The court will provide you with a Declaration packet to review and return by a certain date. 

Plea of No Contest 
Entering a plea of no contest means that you are not contesting the facts or admitting guilt. By entering a plea of no contest, you are waiving your right to a trial and will be convicted of the violation(s). You can enter a plea of no contest by mail, phone, or in-person on or before your court date. For most charges, you can enter a plea of no contest online by going to Oregon Judicial Department Courts ePay. 

Plea of Not Guilty / Request for Trial 
If you have received a ticket and would like to contest the charges, you must enter a plea of not guilty by mail, phone, or in-person on or before the court appearance date to request a trial. Trials are set when the court receives a not guilty plea. The court will confirm your contact information, provide you with the trial paperwork, and go over additional information with you pertaining to the trial.

There are two types of trials available for violation level offenses. One is a Court Trial (in-person) and the other is a Trial by Declaration (mail). 

 
Court Trial (Bench Trial)   

Court Trials are scheduled at least 30 days out from when the court receives a not guilty plea and are set according to the court docket, defendant availability, and officer availability. The trial will be before a judge. The officer may call witnesses and you will have the right to ask the officer and the officer’s witness(es) any questions pertaining to their testimony and relevant issues. You are not required to testify; however, you may testify and present any witnesses or evidence that you have. (Witnesses and evidence must be available at the time of trial for the judge to consider.) If you or any witnesses on your behalf testify, the officer may ask questions of you or your witnesses.

• Failure to Appear at the trial as scheduled: 
• Will result in a finding of guilty by default and a conviction of the violation(s) alleged. 
• The maximum fine may be imposed per ORS 153.018 (Maximum fines). 
• Driving privileges may be subject to suspension. 
• If this is a violation of a fish and game law your shellfish/angling/hunting privileges may be subject to suspension for a minimum of 36 months. 
• You may reset and the officer may reset the trial one time. This request must be in writing and received by the court at least 14 days prior to the trial date.  
• If you’re going to be represented by an attorney, the court must be notified in writing 14 days prior to the trial (the state has the right to have District Attorney present).  
• Per ORS 153.021 (Minimum fines), the court cannot waive a fine, or impose a fine, that is less than the minimum fine unless you are found Not Guilty, in which no fine will be imposed.  
• Be prepared to pay the fine on the trial date, as payment is owed immediately and due within 365 days if convicted of the violation(s).  
• All trials are recorded for appeal purposes. 

Trial by Declaration / Affidavit (Trial by Mail)   

Trial by Declarations are scheduled at least 30 days out from when the court receives a not guilty plea and are set according to the court docket. After entering a plea of not guilty, the clerk will confirm your contact information and provide the Trial by Declaration packet to both you and the officer. By submitting your Declaration, you waive both your and the officer’s presence at trial. It allows you and the officer to appear by submitting written declarations of what happened, the same as if you appeared in person before the judge. 

 

• Failure to Return your declaration by the due date indicated: 
• Will result in a finding of guilty by default and a conviction of the violation(s) alleged. 
• The maximum fine may be imposed per ORS 153.018 (Maximum fines). 
• Driving privileges may be subject to suspension. 
• If this is a violation of a fish and game law your shellfish/angling/hunting privileges may be subject to suspension for a minimum of 36 months. 
• You may reset and the officer may reset the trial one time. This request must be in writing and received by the court at least 14 days prior to the trial date.  
• If you’re going to be represented by an attorney, the court must be notified in writing 14 days prior to the trial.  
• Any exhibits must be received by the court prior to the scheduled trial.  
• If there are any witnesses whose testimony you’d like to include, you can make a copy of the Defendant’s Declaration page and submit the witness’s testimony with your Declaration.  
• Per ORS 153.021 (Minimum fines), the court cannot waive a fine, or impose a fine, that is less than the minimum fine unless you are found Not Guilty, in which no fine will be imposed.  
• Be prepared to pay the fine on the trial date, as payment is owed immediately and due within 365 days if convicted of the violation(s).

OJD Courts ePay  

The quickest way to pay is by using the court’s online payment system, Oregon Judicial Department Courts ePay. You can only use the court’s online payment system if you are pleading no contest and do not wish to enter an explanation. You can also see if you are eligible for a Central Violations Bureau fine reduction, which is dependent on your driving record and the type(s) of charge(s). Not all violations can be paid online, so contact the court if you have any problems. To pay online, you will need either your citation number (the vertical number in the upper right corner of your ticket) or your court case number. To learn more, visit the OJD Courts ePay FAQs.  

Mail Payment  

You can mail your payment to the court indicated on your citation. When paying by mail, do not send cash. Check or money orders should be made payable to State Courts. It’s helpful to include the citation with your payment and to write your citation number (vertical number in the upper right corner of your citation) on the check or money order. Mail your payment to the court indicated on your citation:  

  Coos County Circuit Court Violations Dept. 250 N. Baxter St. | Coquille, OR 97423  

  Curry County Circuit Court Violations Dept. 94235 Moore St. Suite 200 | Gold Beach, OR 97444 

Pay In-person  

Appearing in-person on the day and time of your court appearance is also an option. If you enter a no contest plea and a fine is imposed, the payment is owed immediately and due within 365 days. The courthouse accepts cash, checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, and debit or credit cards.

Pay by Phone

You can also call 1-888-564-2828 to make your payment. To call the courthouse directly to make your payment, you can call:  

  Coos County Circuit Court 541-396-8372 Ext. 25001  

  Curry County Circuit Court 541-373-6894 Ext. 27003