Tip 1: Ignoring a Notice of Violation MAY Result in Your Case Being Dismissed

By law, after a ticket is filed in court, a municipality has 90 days to notify you.(Arizona Revised Statute 28-1592) The first thing a city will do is to mail you a notice of violation, asking you to sign and return a waiver (along with, ideally, a check to cover your fine).

No muss, no fuss. But no teeth, either: You have no legal obligation to sign the waiver. That’s because state law requires that a ticket must be delivered in person in order to stick.

If you don’t sign the waiver, a process server might come to your home.

If the process server catches you at home, you’ll pay more on top of the fine. For instance, Mesa will plunk another $60 on top of a $283 speeding ticket. Scottsdale adds $50.

So it becomes a wager: If you’re served, you lose a few extra bucks. But if you “win,” you pay nothing. Under state law, the case will be dismissed, with no consequences, 90 days after it entered the court system.

(And take note: That’s not 90 days after the alleged violation date. It may be weeks.  You need to know the date the ticket was filed in the court. This extra time has tripped up many would-be server-dodgers who thought it was safe to open the door…)