Traffic Division

Our office is responsible for processing traffic citations that have been issued by an Alabama State Trooper or Etowah County Sheriff in Etowah County. Your court date and time are listed on your ticket. You will receive no further notice. To obtain the amount of your *fine and costs you may contact the Clerk of Court at 256-439-6045. If you wish to avoid a court appearance, you may enter a plea of guilty by signing the back of the ticket and sending it by mail with your payment by Cashier’s Check or Money Order (NO PERSONAL CHECKS ACCEPTED) to:

Cassandra Johnson, Circuit Clerk
Traffic Division
801 Forrest Avenue, Suite 202
Gadsden, Alabama 35901

*Certain citations require a court appearance and cannot be paid prior to court.

Fine Chart

FOR QUESTIONS OR PAYMENTS PLEASE CONTACT THE ALABAMA TRAFFIC SAFETY CENTER OR CALL TOLL FREE (866) 954-9399. TICKETS MAY BE PAID BY CREDIT CARD BY CALLING (877) 252-7294. PAYMENTS BY CREDIT CARD MUST BE PAID PRIOR TO THE COURT DATE PRINTED ON YOUR TICKET. CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED AFTER COURT DATES.

If you wish to plead not guilty you are required to come to court on the assigned court date & time on your ticket. Court dates can only be moved in extreme emergencies by order of the Judge assigned to your case.

If you fail to pay or show up on your court date a Failure to Appear Warrant may be issued for your arrest and your driver’s license may be suspended by the Department of Public Safety. This will result in an increase of cost incurred by you.

Processing of No Insurance Tickets

If you have been charged with No Proof of Insurance and you had valid liability insurance covering the vehicle driven at the time of the citation, you must bring the original proof of insurance valid prior to your citation to court to present to the Judge and your ticket will be dismissed. If you did not have valid insurance at the time of your ticket you may call our office at 256-439-6045 to obtain the exact amount of fine and costs and mail the full amount by Cashier’s Check or Money Order (NO PERSONAL CHECKS) to the address above PRIOR TO YOUR COURT DATE. Otherwise you MUST appear on your court date. If you did not have proper insurance at the time of your citation but have since acquired it, bringing your proof of insurance on the day of court may result in a lower fine.

Helpful Information

Payment information: We DO NOT ACCEPT PERSONAL CHECKS! We accept payments by cash, cashier’s check or money order in person or by mail made payable to Cassandra Johnson, Circuit Clerk. Please include your citation number and name on your payment. If you would like a receipt please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with your payment. When paying in person by CASH, please try to bring correct the change. We can accept credit card payments made in person with proof of ID. Credit card payments over the phone must be made through the Traffic Center. All payments should be made prior to your court date.

Court Day: Should you be required to come to Court or want to come and request a trial, you should arrive promptly on your day of court at your assigned time and remain seated in the courtroom until your name is called. Please bring all relevant information with you such as your proof of insurance, driver’s license, etc.

Driving School: Persons who wish to request driving school must appear on your court date to request it from the Judge.

Equipment Failure: All failures should be corrected prior to your court date and signed off by any active law enforcement officer, this is necessary in providing proof of the repair to the Judge on your Court date. You may also bring your receipt of purchase to court with you and an officer will inspect your vehicle. All equipment failure citation require a court appearance.

Driver’s License Citations: Expired, Suspended or Revoked – ALL DRIVER’S LICENSE TICKETS REQUIRE A COURT APPEARANCE BEFORE THE JUDGE. If you have corrected the citation please bring proof of such to court on your assigned court date & time.