How to Search Contra Costa County Traffic Court Records
The Contra Costa Superior Court runs a Traffic Public Portal at cmsportal.cc-courts.org/TrafficPortal/. The portal supports citation lookup, case lookup, party-name search, and Defendant Portal account features. The portal version observed in public search was 1.3.1.250507. A June 4, 2024 court press release confirmed that defendants can use the portal to schedule their own arraignment. Inactive traffic cases more than three years old may not display.
Before starting, gather the citation number from the courtesy notice, the driver's name as it appears on the citation, the citing agency (CHP, Sheriff, or city police), and the citation date. The system does not require an account for basic lookup, but a Defendant Portal account is needed to view a citation, schedule arraignment, request a remote hearing, or submit a MyCitations ability-to-pay petition.
- Open the Contra Costa Traffic Public Portal at cmsportal.cc-courts.org/TrafficPortal/ and pick a search type.
- Enter a citation number, court case number, or party name as Last, First MI.
- Run the search and pick the matching record from the result list.
- Open the case to view court department, arraignment status, plea, fine total, civil assessment, and traffic school status.
- Pay, request traffic school, schedule arraignment, contest, or submit MyCitations from the Defendant Portal account screen.
Which Courts Handle Traffic Cases in Contra Costa County
Traffic infractions and many traffic misdemeanors in Contra Costa County are heard by the Superior Court in three buildings. The court routes cases by region. West County traffic cases run from the George D. Carroll Courthouse in Richmond. East County traffic cases run from the Richard E. Arnason Justice Center in Pittsburg. Central county traffic and juvenile/traffic cases run from the Walnut Creek Juvenile and Traffic Center.
Department 50 hears traffic in Walnut Creek and Richmond. Department 54 hears traffic in Pittsburg. Walnut Creek Department 50 holds trials at 8:30 a.m. and arraignments at 9:30 a.m. Richmond Department 50 holds trials at 1:30 p.m. and arraignments at 2:00 p.m. Pittsburg Department 54 holds trials at 8:30 a.m. with arraignments after. Remote video proceedings on Fridays are set by filing Form TR-128 with the assigned courthouse. Department 50 Zoom ID 160 828 9530 (passcode 949135). Department 54 Zoom ID 161 629 9229 (passcode 044696), phone backup 669-254-5252. Parking tickets are not heard in Superior Court; those are city matters.
| Court | Traffic Cases Handled | Address |
|---|---|---|
| George D. Carroll Courthouse (Department 50) | West County traffic infractions and misdemeanors | 100 37th Street, Richmond, CA 94805 |
| Walnut Creek Juvenile and Traffic Center (Department 50) | Central county traffic and juvenile/traffic matters | 640 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 |
| Richard E. Arnason Justice Center (Department 54) | East County traffic infractions and misdemeanors | 1000 Center Drive, Pittsburg, CA 94565 |
Types of Contra Costa County Traffic Cases on Record
The Traffic Public Portal lists many citation types. Most are infractions. Some are misdemeanors and route to criminal court. A few are commercial and tied to federal motor carrier rules. Photo-enforced red-light citations come in through the issuing agency and are heard in the same traffic system once filed.
- Moving violations - speeding (VC 22350), running a red light (VC 21453), stop sign violations, lane changes, and careless driving.
- Non-moving violations - equipment, registration, and licensing infractions.
- Parking - parking tickets are handled by the issuing city, not the Contra Costa County Superior Court.
- Commercial vehicle and CDL - CDL violations and motor carrier infractions; CDL holders face extra rules under 49 CFR 383.
- Photo enforcement - red-light camera tickets where the city contracts with the court.
- Serious driving offenses - reckless driving, hit-and-run, driving without a license, driving on a suspended license, and no insurance.
- DUI / DWI - charged criminally under VC 23152; not an infraction.
What Contra Costa County Traffic Court Records Show
A Contra Costa County traffic court record shows the citation history, court actions, and current status of the case. Some identifiers are masked. Full date of birth, driver license number, and home address are not shown in the public view. The record shows enough to confirm the case and the next step.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Citation Number | Number issued by the citing officer; printed on the courtesy notice. |
| Court Case Number | Number assigned by the Contra Costa County Superior Court traffic clerk. |
| Citing Agency | CHP, Sheriff, or city police department that wrote the ticket. |
| Citation Date and Location | Date and street or freeway where the stop occurred. |
| Violation Code(s) | Vehicle Code section(s) and description, such as VC 22350 (basic speed law) or VC 12500 (driving without license). |
| Court Date and Department | Arraignment or trial date with department number (50 or 54). |
| Plea | Not entered, no contest, not guilty, or guilty. |
| Disposition | Conviction, traffic school granted, dismissed, found not guilty, or failure to appear. |
| Fine Amount | Bail or fine total due with payment history when posted. |
| Civil Assessment | Up to $100 added for failure to appear or failure to pay under Penal Code 1214.1. |
| Traffic School Status | Eligibility, enrollment, certificate received date, and DMV abstract masking. |
| DMV Abstract Status | Reported, not reported, or masked due to traffic school completion. |
Status values seen on the portal include open, paid, set for trial, traffic school in progress, traffic school completed, failure to appear, failure to pay, civil assessment imposed, case closed, dismissed, and sent to collections. Note: a portal print-out is not a certified copy of the court traffic record.
Searching by Citation Number vs. by Name
Citation number search is the fastest path. The citation number is printed at the top of the courtesy notice and on the original ticket. It pulls one exact record when typed correctly. Party-name search casts a wider net and can pull several matches. Common spelling and middle-initial issues cause misses. The portal search-field table is shown below.
| Search Field | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Criteria | text | yes | Free-text input; one option below must be selected. |
| Case Number | radio | one option | Use the assigned Contra Costa traffic case number. |
| Citation Number | radio | one option | Use the citation or ticket number from the courtesy notice. |
| Party Name | radio | one option | Format: Last, First MI. |
| Search | button | yes | Runs the selected query. |
| Defendant Portal Login | link / account | required for some functions | Register to view citation details, schedule arraignment, request remote hearing, or submit MyCitations petition. |
Paying or Contesting a Contra Costa County Traffic Ticket
Drivers have several paths after a Contra Costa traffic citation. Pay and accept the conviction. Pay and ask for traffic school. Ask for a trial. Ask for a trial by written declaration. Ask for a remote hearing. Ask for a fine reduction through MyCitations. The right path depends on the violation, the driver license type, and the driver's ability to pay.
Online payment of a Contra Costa traffic fine runs through contracostapayments.com. A 3.99% service fee applies. Mail payment with the courtesy notice stub is also accepted at the clerk's office. To contest, the driver must enter a not-guilty plea by the arraignment date and may request a court trial or a trial by written declaration with Form TR-205. A trial de novo can be requested with Form TR-220 within 20 days after an unfavorable written-declaration result.
Phone help is at (925) 608-1000 with the traffic prompt. Traffic phone-answer hours changed effective August 15, 2024. Technical issues with the portal go to CMSPortal@contracosta.courts.ca.gov. Failure to appear can lead to a bench warrant, license consequences, and a civil assessment up to $100 under Penal Code 1214.1.
Public Access Laws for Contra Costa County Traffic Records
Contra Costa County traffic court records are public unless sealed. The records are part of the Superior Court case file system under California court rules and statutes. Names of minors charged with traffic offenses may be limited. DMV driver records are governed by a different statute and are not public to the same degree. Insurance carriers usually pull the DMV record, not the court record.
Key Statutes and Rules:
California Rule of Court 2.400 - Governs court records, removal of originals, and public inspection through the clerk.
California Rule of Court 2.503 - Sets electronic access to trial court records and remote-access limits.
California Government Code § 7920.000 - California Public Records Act for non-court agency records.
California Penal Code § 851.91 - Petition to seal an arrest tied to a traffic stop that did not result in conviction.
Court Traffic Records vs. State Driver Records
Two different records exist after a Contra Costa traffic citation. The court file is the case record. The DMV driver record is a separate file kept by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. They are not the same file, they are not stored together, and they are corrected by different offices. A traffic school completion may keep a conviction off the DMV abstract while the court file still shows the conviction.
| Record Type | Source | What It Shows | How to Access / Correct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court Traffic Record | Contra Costa County Superior Court | Citation, plea, court date, disposition, fine, civil assessment, traffic school status. | Traffic Public Portal or request to Court Records; correct by court order or reopening the case. |
| State Driver Record | California Department of Motor Vehicles | License status, points, suspensions, restrictions, abstract of convictions. | DMV driver record request; correct by DMV after the court reports the right disposition. |
Note: insurance companies usually pull the DMV record. Background checks may pull both the court traffic record and the DMV record.
CDL and Commercial Driver Records
CDL holders face stricter rules than other drivers in Contra Costa County. California will not authorize traffic violator school for a CDL holder for a moving violation that must be reported to DMV under federal motor carrier rules. The rule applies even when the CDL holder was driving a personal car. The conviction goes onto the DMV record and into the federal commercial driver tracking system.
49 CFR 383 sets federal CDL disqualification rules. Two or three serious violations in a short window can disqualify a CDL. CDL holders should talk to counsel before pleading. Commercial vehicle violations and CDL holder violations appear in both the court traffic record and the DMV record. Note: a CDL violation in a personal car still counts.
DUI / DWI Cases in Contra Costa County
DUI under California Vehicle Code section 23152 is a misdemeanor, or a felony in some cases. It begins as a traffic stop but is filed as a criminal case. DUI cases route to the criminal calendar at the appropriate Contra Costa courthouse, not Department 50 or 54 traffic. Booking moves through the Sheriff's custody process. DMV license action runs through the DMV Driver Safety Office separately from the criminal case. DUI cases show up in the Court Public Portal under criminal case type, not the Traffic Public Portal.
For full Contra Costa County DUI case detail, see Contra Costa County criminal records.
Traffic Violator School and Deferred Adjudication
Traffic violator school (TVS) is the California version of defensive driving. A driver who completes TVS within the court's deadline keeps the conviction confidential on the public DMV abstract. The court file still shows the conviction. Eligibility runs through six rules: no California traffic school in the past 18 months, valid California driver license, non-CDL for the violation type, no DUI involvement, a guilty plea, and a courtesy notice showing TVS eligibility.
- Confirm eligibility on the courtesy notice or by calling the traffic clerk at (925) 608-1000.
- Pay the cited fine and the $67 administrative TVS fee within the deadline.
- Choose a DMV-approved traffic school provider.
- Finish the course before the court-set deadline.
- Confirm the certificate posts to the court; the driver is responsible for that step.
If the certificate does not arrive on time, the court may revoke the TVS grant. The conviction will then appear on the DMV record. One TVS in any 18-month period is the maximum allowed under California law.
Sealing or Expunging Contra Costa County Traffic Records
Traffic infractions in California are not "expunged" the same way as criminal misdemeanors. A misdemeanor traffic offense, including some DUI cases, may be eligible for dismissal under Penal Code section 1203.4 after probation. Sealing of arrest records tied to traffic stops that did not result in a conviction may proceed under Penal Code section 851.91. The DMV abstract has its own retention rules independent of court sealing.
The court has taken formal action to discharge accountability for old traffic debt in two rounds: January 17, 2024 and an earlier 2018 action. A court record does not vanish when the DMV ages out an entry. The court file may still be accessible after the DMV abstract clears.
MyCitations Ability-to-Pay for Contra Costa County Traffic Fines
MyCitations is the California Judicial Council ability-to-pay tool. A driver who cannot afford a Contra Costa traffic fine can ask the court for a reduced amount. The Contra Costa County Superior Court accepts MyCitations petitions effective April 10, 2024. The petition runs through the Defendant Portal at the Traffic Public Portal. Form TR-320 can be used to ask the court to vacate a civil assessment for good cause.
Fees for Contra Costa County Traffic Records and Services
The Contra Costa County Superior Court posts a public fees page that lists payment methods, court-ordered fines, and the collections process. Court Records charges per-page copy fees for traffic case files just as it does for other civil matters. Online traffic payments add a service fee.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page (court file) | $0.50 |
| Certified copy | $40 plus $0.50 per page |
| Traffic violator school administrative fee | $67 |
| Civil assessment for failure to appear or pay | up to $100 |
| Online traffic payment service fee | 3.99% |
| In-court credit/debit convenience fee | 2.99%, $1 minimum |
| MyCitations petition | no fee |
Fee waivers are available for low-income filers. Use Judicial Council forms FW-001 and FW-003 where applicable. The fee waiver applies to court fees, not DMV driver record copies.