There are numerous consequences that may arise for failure to pay a ticket by the due date. And the consequences may differ depending on whether the ticket issued is a traffic ticket for a moving violation or an equipment violation, or rather if it is a parking ticket or a red-light camera violation.
For failure to pay a traffic ticket by the due date, the Court when the ticket was pending can suspend your driver’s license or driving privileges in New York for failure to pay the fine. However, due to reforms enacted by the New York State Legislature in 2021, the Court or traffic agency that issues the fine has to provide options for a payment plan which may be granted upon the motorist submitting a financial disclosure statement which necessitates the need for a payment plan. As long as the minimum payments are made according to the payment plan, the motorist’s license or driving privileges will not be suspended in New York. However, if the terms are not met or an individual does not pay the fines at all, the license can still be suspended.
For failure to pay a parking ticket, one’s New York license can not be suspended. Rather, the DMV can prevent you from registering or re-registering your vehicle until the parking fines are paid in full. In the alternative, a civil judgment can be entered against you if you fail to pay the parking violations. The same consequences can apply to red light camera violations. In fact, if you have tickets pending in the Nassau or Suffolk traffic agencies, the prosecutors may not be allowed to conference your traffic case until the camera tickets are paid in full.
Therefore, notwithstanding the reforms that were made in 2021 as to the DMV procedures for suspensions for failure to pay traffic tickets, it is important to pay the fine in full by the due date or explore the possibility of a payment plan with the traffic court or agency.
If you need an experienced Long Island traffic attorney, please contact us at the Law Offices of Michael W. Alpert at (516) 280-7288 or e-mail: malpert@alpertlegal.com.