Tickets and Summons
Court appearances for Part III charges have changed
Effective January 1, 2023, The Regional Municipality of York Court Services will be prosecuting and responding to appeals relating to Part III Provincial Offences Act (POA) charges. These charges, previously prosecuted by the Ministry of the Attorney General have been transferred to York Region courts. Part III POA charges include driving while under suspension, drive with no insurance and stunt driving.
After January 1, 2023, if you wish to speak to a prosecutor to discuss your Part III POA charge, please call (905) 898-8123. To obtain disclosure, please email your request to @email
Ticket Options
If you receive an offence notice (traffic ticket), you must respond to your ticket by selecting one of the three options listed on your ticket within 15 days. If you choose not to respond to your ticket, you may be convicted and additional costs will apply.
Option 1. Pay your fine
By choosing this option, you are admitting guilt and you must pay the total payable amount listed at the bottom of your ticket. The total payable amount consists of the set fine, plus costs and victim fine surcharge.
There are three methods of paying your fine:
- Pay by phone by calling our court office – Newmarket - 4960 at 905-898-0425 or 1-877-331-3309 or Richmond Hill – 4961 at 905-762-2105 or 1-866-758-0750
- Pay online
- Complete and mail a Pre-Authorized Payment Form
- Visit or make an appointment to visit in person our York Region Provincial Offences Courts; appointments are encouraged to avoid long wait times
Cheques should be made payable to The Regional Municipality of York.
Option 2. Plead of guilty — submissions as to penalty
Book an appointment by calling the courthouse listed on your traffic ticket to plead guilty with an explanation and speak with the Justice of the Peace.
You may request the Justice of the Peace reduce your fine or extend your time to pay. It will be up to the Justice to decide if your request will be fulfilled.
It is important to understand that a Justice of the Peace cannot remove or reduce demerit points and cannot reduce the charge. Demerit points are applied by the Ministry of Transportation upon conviction and the court cannot change the demerit points to be applied. More information on the demerit point system is available from the Ministry of Transportation.
Option 3. Request a Trial (Not Guilty)
If you believe you are not guilty of the charge noted on your ticket, you may request a trial by signing your ticket under option 3. There are three ways to submit this information:
- Scan and email to @email or @email
- Mail to the address on the ticket
- Visit or book an appointment to visit in person to the address on the ticket; appointments are encouraged to avoid long wait times
Make sure to keep a copy of your ticket for your records. You will be notified of your upcoming remote trial date by mail or email. Notify the court office of any change in address to ensure your trial notice is sent to the proper address.
York Region Provincial Offences courts are open to the public for remote and in-person hearings.
Can I get advice on which option to choose?
Court administration staff cannot provide legal advice on how you should proceed. If you are unable to make a choice from the three options listed on the reverse side of your ticket, you may wish to get advice from a lawyer or licensed paralegal.
Paying your ticket
There are two dollar amounts listed on your ticket. One amount is the set fine and the other is your total payable amount, which is the set fine plus costs and the applicable Victim Fine Surcharge imposed under the Provincial Offences Act. All funds from the surcharge go into a Victim Justice Fund and are used to maintain assistance programs for victims of crime.
More information can be found on the Ministry of the Attorney General’s website.
Phone Payment
Pay over the phone using Credit (Visa/Mastercard) or Debit Credit Card
- Only tickets issued in York Region will be accepted
- Partial payments are an option when paying over the phone
Online payment:
Pay online using Visa or MasterCard (Debit is not available online)
- There is an additional fee of $3.00 when paying online
- Please note that not all parking tickets can be paid online
In-person payments:
Visit either of York Region's two courthouses or any Ontario Provincial Offences Court to pay in person. Walk-ins are welcome, however appointments are encouraged to avoid long wait times.
Provincial Offences Act fines may be paid by using the following methods:
- Cheque
- Debit
- Visa or Mastercard
- Cash
American Express is not accepted.
Payment by mail:
Accepted payment methods include:
- Visa or MasterCard
- Money Order
- Cheque
To pay by credit card, please fill out the Pre-Authorized Payment Form and return by mail or fax to the appropriate court location.
If the location code is 4960, mail your ticket and payment to the Newmarket court location.
If the location code of 4961, mail your ticket and payment to the Richmond Hill court location.
What happens if I do nothing
Offence Notice (ticket):
The ticket will be reviewed by the Clerk of the Court who may convict you in your absence and impose the set fine for the offence. Once convicted, you cannot choose any of the options indicated on the back of your ticket.
Summons:
If you receive a summons, you or someone on your behalf, must attend the remote hearing at the time and place indicated on the summons. If you or your representative do not attend the scheduled court date, it is your responsibility to find out from the court office what happened, including whether a trial date was set and for which courtroom, time and date.
One or more of the following could apply if you do not pay your fine:
- Additional court and administrative costs
- Licence suspension
- Licence plate denial
- Addition of unpaid fines to a municipal tax roll
- Wage garnishments and property liens
- Involvement by third party collection agencies
- Credit bureau may be notified and your credit rating may be impacted
I need more time to pay my fine or I have a defaulted fine
If you need more time to pay your court-ordered fine, obtain a Motion for Extension of Time to Pay the Fine form online or from any Provincial Offences Court office. You can submit the completed form through email to @email or @email, by mail or by delivering it in person to the address on the ticket. Walk-ins are welcome, however appointments are encouraged to avoid long wait times. The application will be considered by the Clerk of the Court. It is your responsibility to contact the court office within two weeks to determine if the extension was granted.
A defaulted fine is a fine that has not been paid by its due date as indicated in the Notice of Fine and Due Date. Please pay your defaulted fine as soon as possible.
What should I do if my driver’s licence is suspended due to unpaid fines?
Contact your local Provincial Offences Court office, by telephone, for assistance. Subject to the type and age of your outstanding fine, you will be directed to either pay at a Service Ontario location or the courthouse.
If paying at a Service Ontario location, you have the option activate you drivers licence the same day if there are no other outstanding requirements or restrictions.
If you have fines issued prior to May 1, 2010, you are required to make payment at a Provincial Offences Court and it will take approximately three to five business days for your licence to be reinstated.
For more information, visit the Ministry of Transportation's website.
I have very old fines; do I still have to pay them?
Court-ordered fines remain owing until paid. Even if your fine is old or you have claimed bankruptcy, you are still responsible for paying outstanding fines in full.
At any time, the court may apply enforcement actions including licence suspension and garnishment of wages until the fine is no longer outstanding.
Conviction and demerit points
Visit the Ministry of Transportation's website for more information on demerit points. Driving-related demerit points are automatically imposed by law if you are found guilty of certain driving offences. The Justice of the Peace cannot remove or reduce demerit points.
Paying your parking ticket
If you have received a Parking Infraction Notice, also called a parking ticket, you have the option to pay the fine or dispute the ticket within 15 days of receiving the ticket. Please select the municipality below noted on the back of your ticket for additional information.
- Town of Aurora*
- Town of East Gwillimbury
- Town of Georgina
- Town of Newmarket
- Township of King*
- Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville*
- City of Markham
- City of Vaughan
- Town of Richmond Hill
*If you have received a Notice of Fine and Due Date from Aurora, East Gwillimbury, King or Whitchurch-Stouffville municipalities as noted above, you can pay the parking fines at any provincial court office in-person or by calling the Newmarket or Richmond Hill court office.