How Long Do You Have to Pay a Ticket in Florida? Options

Updated October 2026 · Reviewed by Billy Forte

If you want to know how long do you have to pay a ticket in florida, most tickets give you 30 days to pay, ask for a hearing, or elect a Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course when you qualify. Each choice has a different effect on your fine, your points and your record. A ticket that requires a court hearing does not offer these three choices.

Key Facts

Deadline: 30 days from the date the ticket was issued. See the 30-day window.
Paying: counts as a conviction, and points are added. See option 1.
Electing BDI: adjudication withheld, no points and an 18 percent cut, if you qualify. See option 2.
A hearing: the official may impose a civil penalty of up to $500. See option 3.
Doing nothing: the clerk notifies FLHSMV, which suspends your license. See missing the 30 days.

The 30-Day Window

The deadline comes from s. 318.14(4). It says you must act “within 30 days after the date of issuance of the citation.” The clock starts on the date the officer wrote the ticket, not on a later court date.

FLHSMV says the same about the course. Its Driver Improvement Schools page says drivers “must voluntarily elect to attend basic driver improvement school within 30 days of the traffic citation.” It adds, “If an election is not made, their right to elect school is forfeited and points are assessed.”

Some clerks also charge for a late choice. The Orange County Clerk warns that “a late fee will be assessed if this election is not made by the due date.”

Option 1: Pay the Ticket

Paying is the plainest choice. You pay the civil penalty and court costs to the Clerk of Court in the county on the ticket.

Paying is also an admission. Florida’s definition of conviction in s. 322.01 includes “an admission or determination of a noncriminal traffic infraction pursuant to s. 318.14.” The Orange County Clerk says, “Payment of the civil penalty is considered a conviction.”

What follows a payment:

Points: the points for that violation go on your record, such as 3 or 4 for speeding.
Time on the record: the FLHSMV points page says points stay at least 5 years from the disposition date.
Insurance: under s. 626.9541(1)(o)4, an insurer may not surcharge for one noncriminal ticket alone. Exceptions include speeding more than 15 mph over.

Points also add toward a suspension. Under s. 322.27, FLHSMV may suspend your license at these levels:

12 within a 12-month span: a suspension of no more than 30 days.
18 within an 18-month span: no more than 3 months.
24 within a 36-month span: no more than 1 year.

For example, four 3-point tickets in 12 months add up to 12 points.

Option 2: Elect a BDI Course

The election lets you take a Basic Driver Improvement course in place of a court appearance. The rule is s. 318.14(9). Our step-by-step election guide walks through the process.

In short, you tell the Clerk of Court in the county on the ticket within 30 days. You do this before you take the course. You pay the clerk’s election fee and the reduced civil penalty.

The Orange County Clerk describes it this way: “When you elect this option, you agree to pay the civil penalty and complete traffic school.”

What the Election Changes

Three things change when your election is valid:

Your fine is lower. The statute says the civil penalty “must be reduced by 18 percent.”
Your points stay off. No points are assessed for that ticket.
Your record shows “adjudication withheld.”

Under s. 318.14(11), a withheld adjudication “is not a conviction.” It is not a dismissal, though. The ticket still shows on your record with that result.

Insurance law backs this up. With no points and adjudication withheld, an insurer cannot add a premium charge, cancel or refuse to renew over that ticket. The only exception is a crash you caused that led to a loss for the insurer.

Who Cannot Elect

The election has firm limits. You cannot use it if any of these is true:

You made an election in the preceding 12 months.
You already made eight elections in your lifetime.
You hold a CDL or a commercial learner’s permit (CLP), for any ticket in any vehicle.
You were cited for speeding 30 mph or more over the limit.
The ticket requires a hearing under s. 318.19.
The charge is a crime, which s. 318.17 keeps outside these rules.

The lifetime cap was five before July 1, 2024. The statute now says eight.

Taking the Course

FLHSMV approves every BDI course, online or in a classroom. Its Approved BDI Course Providers list shows each provider’s delivery method. A provider must tell you all of its fees, and a $2.50 state assessment is added to the course fee.

When you finish, the provider handles the reporting under s. 318.1451. It reports to FLHSMV within 5 days.

It files with the clerk through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal within 3 days after it gets the certificate number. FLHSMV says to allow 24 to 72 hours for the record to update.

Finish Dates Vary by County

After you elect, the court or clerk sets a date to finish the course. Florida has no statewide window. Clerk pages show the range:

Hillsborough: 60 days, per the Hillsborough County Clerk.
St. Johns: 60 days, per the St. Johns County Clerk election form.
Orange: the case “will be extended for 90 calendar days.”
Miami-Dade: 120 days, per the Miami-Dade Clerk.

Use the date on your own clerk’s notice. Our completion deadline guide covers what happens if you miss it.

Florida ticket options within the 30-day window, from the issue date to the case result

Option 3: Ask for a Hearing

You can choose to contest the ticket at a hearing. You tell the clerk within the 30 days that you want one.

At the hearing, an official decides whether you committed the infraction. If so, s. 318.14(5) says “the official may impose a civil penalty not to exceed $500.” The Orange County Clerk says the court “may impose a penalty of up to $500.00, plus court costs.”

Once a hearing is set, attending it matters. Under s. 318.15, if a driver “fails to appear at a scheduled hearing,” the clerk must notify FLHSMV, which must issue an order suspending the license.

The result depends on your case. This guide does not say how to argue it. You may choose to talk with a Florida attorney about your own ticket.

How the Three Choices Compare

This table sums up what each choice does to one eligible ticket:

Effect on this ticket	Pay	Elect BDI	Hearing
Points	Added	None assessed	Depend on the result
Civil penalty	Full amount	Cut 18 percent	Up to $500 if found to have committed it
What the record shows	Conviction	Adjudication withheld	Depends on the result
Extra steps	None	Clerk’s fee, then the course by the clerk’s date	Appear on the hearing date

The table covers only tickets that allow all three choices. Hearing tickets and crimes work differently.

Tickets Without These Choices

Some tickets cannot be paid by mail or settled with a course. Section 318.19 says these drivers “must appear before the designated official”:

crashes that kill or seriously injure someone,
going around a stopped school bus where children board or leave it,
some vehicle load violations, and
driving 30 or more mph over the limit, including 50 or more over.

Criminal traffic charges also need a court appearance. Under s. 318.14(2), the driver “must sign and accept a citation indicating a promise to appear.” Our guide on criminal and civil tickets explains which is which.

Missing the 30 Days

Doing nothing is not a fourth option. Under s. 318.15, the clerk “must notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles” if you do not pay or respond. FLHSMV must then issue an order suspending your license.

The same law covers drivers who elect and then do not finish. They are “deemed to have admitted the infraction and shall be adjudicated guilty.” Points are added, and they repay the 18 percent cut plus a processing fee of up to $18.

To reinstate after this kind of suspension, s. 318.15 points to a nonrefundable $60 service charge.

What We Found on the Official Pages

On the clerk pages we checked on October 27, 2026, the time to finish the course ranged from 60 to 120 days. That is why no single statewide finish date exists.

We also saw a wording gap. The FLHSMV Driver Improvement Schools page says drivers may elect “once every 12 months.” The statute says you may not elect if you made an election “in the preceding 12 months.” The statute’s wording controls.

The Orange County Clerk page matched the statute on commercial drivers. It says, “If you hold a Commercial Driver’s license (CDL), you are not eligible for this option.”

Florida ticket choices at a glance: deadline, paying, electing, a hearing and no response

Common Mistakes

Each item below comes from Florida Statutes, FLHSMV or a clerk page:

Counting from the wrong day. The 30 days start on the date the ticket was issued.
Taking the course before telling the clerk. The election comes first.
Thinking an election means no payment. You still pay the civil penalty, cut by 18 percent.
Assuming a CDL holder can elect in a personal car. The bar covers any vehicle.
Using another county’s finish date. Your clerk sets your date.
Trying to pay a hearing ticket. Tickets under s. 318.19 need a court appearance.

How Requirements Can Vary

Florida’s election rules, point values and suspension levels come from Florida Statutes and FLHSMV, and they apply statewide. The election fee, the date to finish the course and how proof is filed are set by the Clerk of Court in the county on your ticket, or by the court. A court order sets its own deadline and proof steps.

Laws, fees and clerk practice can change. Check your citation, your clerk’s instructions, any court order and the FLHSMV website before you enroll or file anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do you have to pay a ticket in Florida?

You have 30 days from the date the ticket was issued, under s. 318.14(4). In that time you can pay, elect BDI if eligible, or ask for a hearing. A ticket that needs a hearing has a court date instead.

Should I pay or contest a Florida ticket?

This guide cannot make that choice for you. Paying adds points, a valid election avoids them, and a hearing depends on the result. Ask the Clerk of Court or a Florida attorney about your own case.

Does paying a Florida ticket add points?

Yes. Payment counts as a conviction, and the points for that violation go on your record. They stay at least 5 years from the disposition date.

Do I still pay if I elect traffic school?

Yes. You pay the civil penalty, reduced by 18 percent, plus the clerk’s election fee and the course fee. No points are added for that ticket.

What can happen at a hearing?

If the official finds you committed the infraction, the civil penalty can be up to $500. The Orange County Clerk says court costs are added to that.

Can a CDL holder elect traffic school?

No. Section 318.14(9) bars anyone who holds a CDL or a commercial learner’s permit from the election. The bar applies to any ticket, in any vehicle.

What if I miss the 30 days?

The clerk notifies FLHSMV, and FLHSMV suspends your license under s. 318.15. You also lose the right to elect a course for that ticket.

Conclusion

For most Florida tickets, you have 30 days to pay, elect a BDI course if you qualify, or ask for a hearing. Read your citation and your clerk’s notice for your exact dates, and ask the clerk if anything is unclear.

If you choose to elect, tell the clerk first and then take the Florida BDI course online. With a court order, do what the order says and ask the court or clerk about anything unclear.

Sources

Billy Forte is the owner of Driving Logic, a driver improvement course provider serving Florida and other U.S. states.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Election rules, deadlines, fines and penalties depend on your citation, county, court and case facts, and they can change. Use official FLHSMV, Florida Statutes and Clerk of Court sources, and consult a qualified Florida attorney for advice about your own case.