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Traffic Court
All traffic citations written in Stephenson County are processed by the
Circuit Clerk’s Office. The circuit clerk also processes citations written
for ordinance and conservation violations. Citations are received by the
clerk and are entered into a computer system with a court date that has
been previously specified by the arresting officer. Information on this
page includes
Payments
Pay by cash, cashier’s check, certified check, or money order. No
personal checks are accepted. (Do not send cash through the mail.)
Mail payments to
Nathan A. Luy
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Stephenson County Courthouse
15 North Galena Avenue, 2nd Floor
Freeport, IL 61032
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Traffic Department,
call 815-235-8266 and press #1 at the prompt.
Now Available: Pay Traffic Citations Online via
GovPay
at www.co.stephenson.il.us/circuitclerk/GovPayNet.asp
Traffic Court Location
All traffic hearings are held at the
Stephenson County Courthouse
15 N. Galena Ave.
Freeport, IL 61032
815-235-8266
Court Costs and Fines
The following is a list of total costs for various minor (no court appearance
required) traffic violations in Stephenson County and are subject to change
without notice:
| Speeding 1-20 MPH above limit |
$120.00 |
|
Improper passing on shoulder |
$120.00 |
| Speeding 21-30 MPH above limit |
$140.00 |
|
Improper turn signal |
$120.00 |
| Seat belt violation |
$ 60.00 |
|
Failure to reduce speed |
$120.00 |
| No valid registration |
$120.00 |
|
Change lanes without signal |
$120.00 |
| Improper traffic lane usage |
$120.00 |
|
Failure to obey stop sign |
$120.00 |
| Disregard traffic control device |
$120.00 |
|
Defective windshield |
$120.00 |
Note: Payment of these citations alone does not prevent
the violation from being reported to the secretary of state. Please refer
to Court Diversion and Supervision below for more information.
Q. |
I received a "need not appear" traffic ticket
for $120.00. I pled guilty and paid my fine at the Stephenson County
Circuit Clerk's Office (2nd floor of the courthouse). Who
gets the money after that? |
A. |
The money is forwarded to the appropriate funds listed below:
| Arresting agency: |
$46.72 |
| State of Illinois: |
$17.67 |
| Stephenson County: |
$13.52 |
| The circuit court clerk's General Fund for expenses, including
stationery, supplies, postage, printing, office equipment and
personnel: |
$27.09 |
| The circuit court clerk's Document Storage Fund, established
by state statute to defray such expenses for court document
storage, including hardware, software, research and development
costs and personnel: |
$5.00 |
| The circuit court clerk's Court Automation Fund, established
by state statute to defray such expenses for automated court
record keeping, including hardware, software, research and development
costs and personnel: |
$5.00 |
| State Police Operations: The Department of State Police may
use moneys in the fund to finance any of its lawful purposes
or functions: |
$5.00 |
| Total: |
$120.00 |
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Court Diversion and Supervision
Traffic citations do not always require a court appearance. The officer
will indicate on the face of the ticket whether a court appearance is
necessary. When a traffic citation is issued and does not require a court
appearance, the offender has three options in which to dispose of the
ticket:
Option A
Plead guilty and pay the fine in person or by mail without going to court.
(No personal checks.)
Option B Plead not guilty, request a pre-trial or trial and
appear in court.
Option C
Plead guilty, receive court supervision and attend traffic school without
going to court. Not everyone is eligible for option C. The
offender is only eligible to receive court supervision without going to
court if:
The offender is 18 years of ageor older.
The offender has not had court supervision for any violation committed
within the previous twelve (12) months from the date of the ticket current
ticket.
The offender is willing to plead guilty on the current traffic ticket,
request court supervision and pay the prescribed fines, costs and fees
for such a violation.
There will be no conviction reported to the secretary of state
if court supervision was completed successfully. This will mean
that
- The offender completed the required four-hour traffic school course,
and
- The offender does not receive any additional traffic citations during
the supervision period as specified on the court supervision order.
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