The dockets available online are provided for informational purposes only, including the current day’s docket. Any updates, additions, or changes are reflected only on the official court dockets and may not appear online. Dockets are provided in PDF format, and appropriate software is required to view them.
The Traffic Violation Bureau, a division of the General Sessions Court, is responsible for processing citations issued by various law enforcement agencies for violations of Metropolitan ordinances and Tennessee motor vehicle laws. Our office manages court date scheduling, citation record maintenance, and the collection of associated fines and fees.
To review the details of your citation and explore available resolution options, please visit the Ticket | Citation Portal and follow the on-screen instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can we help you?
You can use any of the below methods to pay your ticket.
Please note that personal checks cannot be accepted for past due traffic tickets.
Online using an e-check or credit/debit card. An additional 2.25% non-refundable
processing fee will be added to each transaction by our third-party credit card processor for this
convenience. Click the Ticket / Citation Portal button on the right side
of this page or select Pay Ticket / Citation Online from the Traffic
Violation Bureau drop down menu.
By Mail using a personal check, cashier’s check or money order made payable to
“Traffic Violation Bureau.” Please write your ticket number on your payment to ensure that you
receive the proper credit.
In Person using cash, personal check, cashier’s check, money order or credit/debit
card. Checks and money orders must be payable to “Traffic Violation Bureau.” An additional 2.25%
non-refundable processing fee will be added to all debit/credit card transactions by our third-party
credit card processor.
By Drop Box using a personal check, cashier’s check or money order made payable to
“Traffic Violation Bureau.” The Justice A. A. Birch Building is open to the public from 6:30 a.m.
until 5:00 p.m. There is a drop box outside the Traffic Violation Bureau office doors that you may
use to make your payment outside of our normal business hours. Payment envelopes are provided for
your convenience. Just fill out the information requested on the envelope, enclose your payment and
your copy of the ticket (if you have it) and drop your payment in the box.
Depending on the violation cited and your compliance or court date, you may be able to make a
payment on a ticket or a payment plan, submit proof of compliance, request a court hearing or
check the date and time for an upcoming court hearing. For specific information about your
ticket, click the Ticket / Citation Portal button on the right side of
this page and follow the prompts.
Pursuant to T.C.A. §8-21-401, the Clerk’s Office is required to collect a civil filing fee
of $50.00, which is collected for each violation cited on your ticket that results in a
conviction or guilty plea. This fee is not due on any violation that is nullified.
Effective July 1, 2011 and pursuant to T.C.A. §38-6-103, the Clerk’s Office is required to
collect $13.75 on each violation paid prior to the compliance date. In accordance with the
statute, the fees shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the Court to the State Treasurer for
deposit into a fund for use by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Paying the fine will result in the suspension of your driving privileges. Please visit our Insurance Violation page
for specific information.
Once your compliance date has passed, a default judgment is entered against you, increasing the
amount you must pay to satisfy your ticket. You have 10 calendar days after your compliance date
to pay the increased amount before the judgment is reported to the Department of Safety and your
ticket is referred to the Traffic Warrant Division for collection.
According to T.C.A. §7-3-502, failure to satisfy your citation by the compliance date will
result in a default judgment which will increase the amount you owe and can result in a civil
fine/penalty, court costs, litigation taxes to the Metro Government; the issuance of an
execution and garnishment to collect the fine/penalty, costs and taxes; and the issuance of a
bench warrant for your arrest for contempt of court, with a penalty of up to five (5) days in
jail and/or a fine of up to ten (10) dollars. In addition, the Clerk’s Office is required to
report the failure to comply to the Department of Safety which can result in the suspension of
your driver’s license and T.C.A. 20-12-144 allows the Clerk’s Office to retain the services of a
collection agency if any portion of the fine or costs have not been paid within six (6) months
of the date of default.
Only Metropolitan Citations written for misdemeanors are given a court date at the time the
ticket is issued. If you have been issued a Metro Traffic ticket, you will only be given a court
date if you wish to plead not guilty. For specific information on your options for satisfying
your ticket, or to submit a request for court hearing prior to your compliance date, click the
Ticket /
Citation Portal button on the right side of this page or select
Pay Ticket
/ Citation Online from the Traffic Violation Bureau drop down menu
and follow the prompts.
Yes. Only if the 45th day falls on a weekend or holiday observed by the Traffic Violation Bureau
does your compliance date move to the next business day. To see the compliance date on your
case, click the “Pay Ticket Online” button on the right side of this page or select
Pay Ticket
/ Citation Online from the Traffic Violation Bureau drop down menu
and follow the prompts.
Once your request for Traffic School has been received, the Traffic School Office will determine
if you are eligible to attend based on your driving history and on which Traffic School classes
you may have already attended. For additional information on the Traffic School or to register
online, please visit their web site.
Note: Only moving violations can be satisfied by attending Traffic School. If you have also been
cited for non-moving violations, you must satisfy those violations with the Traffic Violation
Bureau by your compliance date.
The Traffic School is operated by the Davidson County General Sessions Court, not the Traffic
Violation Bureau, and may be contacted at (615) 862-8345. If you have questions about
eligibility, scheduling or rescheduling an online or in-person class, directions to class
locations or general Traffic School inquiries, please contact the Traffic School office.
You may call the Traffic Violation Bureau to get your ticket number and issue date. Click
the Ticket
/ Citation Portal button on the
right side of this page or select Pay Ticket / Citation Online
from the Traffic Violation Bureau drop down menu and pay the $50 Administrative Court Cost
for each school eligible violation. If you have been cited for both Moving and Non-Moving
violations, you must satisfy the Non-Moving violations by paying the fine/fee (Option A) or
pleading not guilty and requesting a court hearing (Option B) by your compliance date. Once
the $50 Administrative Court Cost has been paid, you can apply for school on the Traffic School web site.
You may also download and complete the Traffic School application printed on the Traffic
Court Information Sheet and mail or deliver it to the Traffic Violation Bureau along with a
check, money order or cashier’s check payable to the Traffic Violation Bureau. Payment to
the Traffic Violation Bureau should include the $50.00 Administrative Court Cost for each
moving violation, the $90.00 Traffic School fee, and any fines or fees owed for non-moving
violations cited on your ticket.
Only moving violations can be satisfied by attending Traffic School and paying the $50.00
Administrative Court Cost due on each violation. Failure to pay the $50.00 Administrative Court
Cost and the fines or fees for any non-moving violations on or before your compliance date will
result in the assessment of additional fees and possible suspension of your driver’s license.
You should bring any documentation that supports your plea of “not guilty” to court with you.
Arrive early at the Justice A. A. Birch Building as you must go through security before
proceeding to the courtroom. Please enter the courtroom and take a seat. You must wait for your
name to be called on the docket. The Judge may review any documentation and ask you or the
issuing officer to testify about the specifics of your case. If your case is not continued, the
Judge will make a ruling on each violation charged on your ticket(s).
Depending on the ruling of the Judge, you may have to pay litigation tax, costs and a fine.
No. The Court’s orders only allow for a court hearing to be requested on or before the
compliance date.
Attending School:
In accordance with T.C.A. §55-10-301, upon certification to the Court Clerk that a Court-ordered
Driver Education or Improvement Course has been completed, the Court Clerk shall report the
completion to the Department of Safety.
Paying Citation:
In accordance with T.C.A. §55-10-306, if you pay the citation, the Court Clerk shall report
the conviction or forfeit to the Department of Safety.
Department of Safety Rule on Point System:
Rule 1340-1-4-2.02(3) of the Tennessee Department of Safety states “upon receipt of a moving
traffic conviction notice, the Department shall charge points to
the driver’s record.” Please contact the Department of Safety if you have further
questions.
You may file a Post Judgment Motion for $25.00 to receive a court date.
You may file a Post Judgment Motion for $25.00 to receive a court date.
You may file a Motion to Change Form of Action before your compliance date at
no cost.
You may make payment arrangements by filing a Slow Pay Motion for $35.00.
A minimum payment amount of $20/month is required. If you default on your initial slow pay, you
cannot request another payment plan. The ticket balance must be paid in full for driver license
reinstatement.
It certainly does. It sounds like you got a State Citation and those tickets are not handled by
the Traffic Violation Bureau. State Citations are handled by the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office. If you received
a State Citation for
driving on a suspended license and have not yet been booked, you can call (615) 880-3781 for
information. For all other State Citations, call (615) 862-5653.
