Bakersfield and branch courts: pay a ticket or request traffic school.
Which Kern County Traffic Court Has Your Ticket?
Kern County is big, so the Kern County Superior Court handles traffic tickets at six locations. Where your case goes depends on where you were cited. The court is listed at the bottom of your ticket.
| Court | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield (Metropolitan Traffic Division) | 3131 Arrow St, Bakersfield, CA 93308 | (661) 610-7000 |
| Delano | 1122 Jefferson St, Delano, CA 93215 | (661) 610-7300 |
| Lamont | 12022 Main St, Lamont, CA 93241 | (661) 610-7100 |
| Mojave | 1773 State Highway 58 Business, Mojave, CA 93501 | (661) 610-7400 |
| Ridgecrest | 132 E Coso Ave, Ridgecrest, CA 93555 | (661) 610-7450 |
| Shafter | 325 Central Valley Hwy, Shafter, CA 93263 | (661) 610-7200 |
Most Bakersfield tickets go to the Metropolitan Traffic Division on Arrow Street. For current details, see the Kern court's traffic page.
Your Courtesy Notice
A few weeks after you get a ticket, the court mails a courtesy notice that shows your fine amount. It should reach you at least 10 days before the appearance date on your ticket. If it doesn't come, you're still responsible for that date, so call the court listed on your ticket.
How to Pay a Kern County Traffic Ticket
The fastest way is online through the court's Pay Traffic Citations page. The payment company charges a small service fee. You can also pay in person at the clerk's office for your court.
Two things to know about paying online:
- Extensions. If you qualify for more time, an extension option appears at the bottom of the payment page. You can only get one extension per ticket.
- Not guilty pleas. If you plan to fight the ticket, don't pay online. Mail your request to the court listed on your ticket instead.
If you can't afford the fine, Kern County takes part in MyCitations, the state's online tool for asking a court to lower a fine, set up a payment plan, or give you more time.
How to Request Traffic School in Kern County
If you're eligible, you can sign up for traffic school when you pay online, or in person or by mail.
- Cost: your full ticket amount plus a $69 traffic school administrative fee, payable to Kern County Superior Court.
- What happens next: after you sign up online, the court gets back to you within 3 to 4 weeks with your traffic school information and due date.
- Deadline: the court gives you about 60 days to finish.
- Proof: your school sends proof of completion straight to the court.
Kern County's rules say you're eligible if you have a valid driver's license, you haven't attended traffic school for a ticket issued in the past 18 months, you weren't cited for going more than 25 mph over the limit, your ticket doesn't require a court appearance, and your due date hasn't passed.
What a Kern County Ticket Costs
Fine amounts are the same across California. For 2026, speeding 1 to 15 mph over the limit totals about $234, 16 to 25 mph over is about $363, and 26 mph or more is about $486. Driving over 100 mph is about $896 and 2 points. See the full table in our speeding ticket cost guide.
Need your citation number to look up your case? Here's where to find it.
Where Kern County Drivers Get Tickets
- Highway 99 through Bakersfield, Delano, and McFarland
- Interstate 5 over the Grapevine and across the west side of the county
- Highway 58 between Bakersfield, Tehachapi, and Mojave
- Highway 14 and Highway 395 in the desert near Mojave and Ridgecrest
- Rosedale Highway, Ming Avenue, and Stockdale Highway in Bakersfield
Finish Kern County Traffic School in One Day
About 60 days sounds like plenty, but it goes quickly. With FastOneDay you can finish the same day you start. We're a California DMV-licensed online traffic school, License #E0103.
There's nothing to pay up front. You take the course on any phone or computer, stop and start whenever you like, and pay only before the final exam. As soon as you pass, we send your certificate to the DMV and to your Kern County court, the same day.
Register now and choose Kern County, or see what other students say.
More Pages for Valley Drivers
See our Kern County traffic school page, our Fresno traffic court guide, or our pages for Tulare County and Kings County.
