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Pay your traffic ticket

You must pay or appeal a traffic ticket (civil motor vehicle citation) within 20 days. Here's how to pay.
You have 20 days to pay or appeal your traffic ticket.
Pay your traffic ticket online 

Contacts

Registry of Motor Vehicles

Online

Ask the RMV Ask the RMV 

The Details   of Pay your traffic ticket

What you need   for Pay your traffic ticket

If a state or local police officer issues you a traffic ticket (civil motor vehicle citation), you have 20 days to respond.  You can pay the fine in full or you can appeal and request a hearing.

If you don’t respond to a traffic ticket within 20 days, you waive your right to a hearing and will be charged late and release fees in addition to your fine. The RMV will send you a letter stating you are in default, and if you do not pay your fine and fees within 30 days of that letter, your driver's license or right to operate a motor vehicle will be suspended.

If you receive a bicycle infraction ticket, you may be fined up to $20. If you're under 18, police may take your bicycle for up to 15 days.

Your city or town may also have other fines for bicycle violations. The ticketing procedure for bicycle traffic law violations is the same as for motor vehicles under MGL. c. 90C.

New Law: Massachusetts law prohibits operators of motor vehicles and bicycles from using any electronic device, including mobile telephones, unless the device is used in hands-free mode. The “hands-free” law is effective as of February 23, 2020. For more information, visit mass.gov/handsfree.

How to pay   Pay your traffic ticket

Wait 10 days after receiving your citation before paying the fine online. The RMV needs time to receive and process the citation.

To pay online, you will need:

  • The traffic ticket (citation) number
  • The offense/incident date
  • Your email address
  • The applicable fee

Make your check or money order payable to MassDOT and write your traffic ticket (citation) number and your driver’s license number on your payment.

  1. Check Box 1, "I wish to pay this citation".
  2. Sign and date the back of the citation where indicated. Keep a copy of the citation for your records.
  3. Mail the ticket and your check or money order in the pre-addressed envelope provided. Be sure to add the correct postage before mailing your ticket.

Do not mail cash.

If you've lost your pre-addressed envelope, mail your ticket and payment to:

Citation Processing Center
P.O. Box 55890
Boston, MA 02205-5890

To pay your ticket by phone, call the RMV's Contact Center:

(857) 368-8000 
From area codes 339, 617, 781, and 857, or from outside Massachusetts

(800) 858-3926
From all other Massachusetts area codes

TTY: (877) 768-8833
For people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (in Massachusetts)

You will need:

  • Traffic ticket (citation) number
  • Offense/incident date
  • Applicable fee

More info   for Pay your traffic ticket

Traffic law violations and at-fault accidents are surchargeable incidents and are reported to the Merit Rating Board (MRB). The board reports all at-fault accidents and traffic violations to insurers. As a result, drivers who cause accidents and violate traffic laws may incur a surcharge and pay more for auto insurance.

The RMV doesn't collect payments for parking tickets. You must pay the city or town that issued the ticket.

Contact   for Pay your traffic ticket

Online
Ask the RMV Ask the RMV 

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