Traffic & TriMet Citations

Multnomah County
Central Courthouse

Traffic Department - Room 106
1021 SW Fourth Avenue
Portland, OR 97204-1123

Map

East County Courthouse

Traffic Department - Main Floor
18480 SE Stark Street
Portland, OR 97233

Map

To make a payment, you have three options

OJD Courts ePay

OJD Courts ePay allows you to pay online for many types of court cases, including most traffic citations and many criminal & civil cases. You may find your amount due by searching by citation, case, or account numbers.

Make a Payment Now!

Court Contact Information

Multnomah County Circuit Court will take credit card information by phone. The court accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Card. You may also make a payment in person at Multnomah County Circuit Court using cash, check, or credit card. When you are ready to make a payment, please have the following information available:

· Full name (as listed on the court paperwork)
· Case number

If you do not have this information available, the court may still be able to help you. Click the following link to find your court's contact information.

Send via Mail

Multnomah County Circuit Court accepts checks by mail made payable to the STATE OF OREGON. When you are ready to make a payment, please include the following information:

Full name (as listed on the court paperwork)
Case number

If you do not have this information available, the court may still be able to help you.

Mail to:
Multnomah County Circuit Court
PO Box 114
Portland, OR 97207

FAQs

Plea Options for Traffic Citations

Prior to the court appearance date noted on your citation, you must complete one of the options listed on the citation. Unfortunately, you are unable to enter your plea over the phone and the appearance date noted on your citation cannot be rescheduled. Be sure to read your options carefully. If you submit incomplete information, the court will consider this missing your court appearance date.

The court must receive one of the below options prior to your court appearance date:

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 the front of your citation. A judge will review your letter of explanation. You will need to follow-up with the court’s Traffic 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: Trial by Declaration

Photo Enforcement

If the cited vehicle is registered to a private individual (vs. a company), there will be a Certificate of Innocence included in your mailing. If you are submitting a certificate, you must do all of the following:

Submit the completed certificate,
Sign and date the certificate, AND
Include a photocopy of the front and back of your driver’s license

All information must be received by the court on or before your appearance date. By submitting all of the requirements of the certificate of innocence, you will not need to appear.

If the cited vehicle is registered to a company, there will be an Affidavit of Non-Liability included in your mailing. If you are submitting an Affidavit of Non-Liability, you must do all of the following:

Complete either Section 1 or Section 2
Complete the Declaration section

The affidavit must be received by the court on or before your appearance date. By submitting the completed affidavit, you do not need to appear.

If you have lost or are in need of a copy of your citation packet, please contact the photo radar agency at 1.800.799.7082 option 0. You will need to provide your citation number for them to send you a copy of the citation packet; which will include the certificate of innocence form.

If you submit incomplete information, your case will remain on for first appearance on the date and time on your citation.

If you wish to proceed by pleading not guilty and your identity is not an issue, Trial by Declaration is an option. However, if identity is an issue, then trial by declaration is not an option.

Please note: The court does not have a copy of the photo or letter you received notifying you of this offense. Only the complaint charging you with the offense is filed with the court. The letter and photos are sent only to the registered owner that is on file with the Division of Motor Vehicles.

Trials

Trials are set when the court receives your not guilty plea. The court will give you notice of the time and place when you MUST appear in person. You should report directly to the courtroom. You should expect to be at the court for approximately 2 to 4 hours. Please be prepared to present your case at the time and location listed on your trial notice. The officer will also appear to present their side of the case. If you need to setover your trial date, you MUST submit your request to reschedule in writing AND the court must receive your request 14 days prior to your trial date.

Reschedule Trial Date

When you receive your trial notice in the mail, and you need to reschedule your trial date, you must write a letter to the court requesting your trial date to be rescheduled. You may provide dates in your request that you know will not work for you.

Mail your request to: Multnomah County Circuit Court, Attn: Criminal Calendaring, PO Box 114, Portland, OR 97207. You can also turn in your request in person by going to the downtown courthouse in room 106.

The request for setover must include the following:

your case or citation number
the date of your trial
an explanation why you need the trial date rescheduled
your current mailing address and phone number
your signature and date of request

First time reschedule requests, received by the court 14 days before your trial date, will be granted. You will receive a new trial date in the mail within 2-3 weeks of your request.

Second time reschedule requests or requests received less than 14 days before your trial date will be reviewed by a judge. To check on whether or not your trial date has been rescheduled, please call 503.988.3235, option 3.

What if my trial date was not rescheduled?

If you cannot make your scheduled trial date, you may submit a completed “Trial by Declaration” allowing you to appear in writing. Instructions are included within the packet.

Missed Court Appearance (Failure to Appear)

Once you have missed your court date, a default judgment is entered against you for the full amount noted on your citation. Please note, additional fees and assessments may be imposed. The court will also notify the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (DMV) suspending your privileges to drive.

The traffic department staff cannot accept your plea once you have missed your court date. Warrants are not issued on violations, only on traffic crimes. Your options after you missed your court date are the following:

Pay Your Citation

Set Aside the Default Judgment

If you respond after your appearance date and wish to reopen your citation, you must request that the default judgment against you be set aside and explain why you did not appear (SLR 16.195) by filling out the Motion for Relief from Default Judgment.

Classes

The court does not offer traffic classes. However, if you have been directed by an officer to attend the Share the Road Safety Class or Seat Belt Safety Class you need to register for the class. Once you have successfully completed the class, you will be given a certificate of completion. You must appear, with the certificate, on or before the time and date of appearance indicated on the front of your citation.

Appeal

Once a judge has heard your case and the court has entered a judgment on your traffic citation, if you wish to appeal the judge's decision, you will need to file a notice of appeal in the Court of Appeals.

TriMet Citations

After July 1, 2018, if you receive a citation for not having valid TriMet fare, you should visit the Resolve Your TriMet Fare Citation page to review the options for resolving your citation.

If you do not resolve your citation with TriMet within 90 days or were cited for something other than fare violation, TriMet will file your citation with the court. The court will not have any information about your citation until TriMet files the citation with the court.

Once your citation is filed with the court:
The court must receive one of the options below prior to your court appearance date:

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 the front of your citation. A judge will review your letter of explanation. You will need to follow-up with the court’s Traffic 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: Trial by Declaration