How to Search Solano County Traffic Court Records
The Solano Superior Court routes all citation lookups through a single hub. The court's online services page links to the citation search, pay-online, traffic school request, and ability-to-pay tools. Drivers can pull up a case with the citation number printed on the paper ticket, or with a full name, date of birth, and driver license number when the ticket is lost.
Before you start, gather the citation, the driver license, and a card for payment. The portal needs an exact match on name and date of birth. The image below shows the Solano court online services page that holds the citation entry point.
The page also links to court calendars, financial hardship forms, and self-help resources used by traffic filers.
- Open the court's online services page at https://solano.courts.ca.gov/online-services and click the Citations or Traffic entry.
- Pick the Citation Lookup tool from the menu of traffic options.
- Enter the citation number printed at the top of the ticket. If the ticket is lost, use last name, first name, date of birth, and driver license number.
- Pass the CAPTCHA check and confirm the court location (Fairfield or Vallejo) shown by the system.
- Review the case page for charges, bail or fine, court date, plea status, and traffic school eligibility.
- Choose to pay in full, request traffic school, set up a payment plan, or file a trial-by-written-declaration if eligible.
Which Courts Handle Traffic Cases in Solano County
Solano County does not have a stand-alone traffic court. The Superior Court hears all traffic cases on dedicated traffic calendars at two main buildings. Fairfield-area tickets go to the Hall of Justice. Vallejo and Benicia tickets go to the Solano Justice Building.
The court location is set by the issuing agency and the place where the citation was written. A driver cited by the CHP on I-80 near Fairfield will appear in Fairfield. A driver cited by Vallejo PD on Sonoma Boulevard will appear in Vallejo. The court can move a case between branches when needed, but most cases stay where they start.
| Court Branch | Traffic Cases Handled | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Hall of Justice (Fairfield) | Citations from Fairfield, Suisun City, Vacaville, Dixon, Rio Vista, and CHP Solano Area | 600 Union Avenue, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 207-7373 |
| Solano Justice Building (Vallejo) | Citations from Vallejo and Benicia | 321 Tuolumne Street, Vallejo, CA 94590. (707) 561-7800 |
| Old Solano Courthouse | Selected hearings and overflow traffic calendars | 580 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533. (707) 207-7300 |
Drop-in hours at the Hall of Justice traffic counter run Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 11:30 AM. Appointments run 8 AM to 3 PM. The full Solano County Superior Court page lists each division.
Types of Traffic Cases on Record
Traffic cases break into a few clear groups. Most tickets are infractions, which carry a fine but no jail risk. A smaller share are misdemeanors, which can bring jail time, probation, or both. Equipment tickets are often "fix-it" citations that clear with proof of repair. A few are photo-enforced.
- Moving infractions. Speeding, stop sign and red light violations, unsafe lane changes, and most basic-speed-law tickets. These post to the DMV record as a point on conviction.
- Traffic misdemeanors. Reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, hit-and-run with property damage, and similar charges. These can include jail time.
- Fix-it / correctable. Equipment and registration tickets under Vehicle Code 40610 clear with a peace officer's sign-off and a small dismissal fee.
- Red-light photo enforcement. Some Solano cities have used red-light cameras over the years. Photo cases run on the same calendar as officer-issued tickets.
- DUI and DUI-related. Routed to the criminal calendar, not the traffic calendar. See the DUI section below.
The court also takes citations from many issuing agencies. Each agency uses its own citation format, but all flow into the same Solano case file.
| Agency | Coverage Area |
|---|---|
| California Highway Patrol, Solano Area | I-80, I-680, I-505, SR-12, SR-37, SR-113, and rural county roads |
| Solano County Sheriff | Unincorporated areas and contract patrol |
| Fairfield Police Department | City of Fairfield |
| Vallejo Police Department | City of Vallejo |
| Vacaville Police Department | City of Vacaville |
| Suisun City Police Department | City of Suisun City |
| Benicia Police Department | City of Benicia |
| Dixon Police Department | City of Dixon |
| Rio Vista Police Department | City of Rio Vista |
What Solano County Traffic Court Records Show
A traffic case file holds the full life of a citation. It starts with the officer's signed ticket and ends with a disposition. The clerk adds a court date, any pleas, any bail or fine, traffic school status, proof of correction, and any DMV holds. The same file shows fees that came in by mail, online, or at the counter.
The table below lists the main fields a Solano traffic record displays. Some fields stay blank until the case moves to a plea or a disposition.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Citation Number | Court-assigned identifier; encodes issuing agency and year on most Solano citations. |
| Case Number | Court case number. Criminal traffic uses F, FC, FCR, or M prefixes for the Fairfield area, and V, VC, VCR, F, or M for Vallejo and Benicia. |
| Issuing Agency | CHP, Solano Sheriff, or a city police department such as Fairfield, Vallejo, Vacaville, Suisun City, Benicia, Dixon, or Rio Vista. |
| Officer Badge / ID | The officer who wrote the ticket. Used to subpoena the officer for a trial. |
| Charges / Vehicle Code Sections | Each cited code section with the offense it covers. |
| Bail / Fine Amount | Bail or fine set by the statewide Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule plus county add-ons. |
| Court Date | Arraignment date or the courtesy notice due date printed by the court. |
| Plea | Guilty, not guilty, no contest, or trial by written declaration. |
| Disposition | Convicted, dismissed, traffic school completed, failure to appear, failure to pay, or transferred. |
| Traffic School Status | Eligible, requested, completed, or ineligible. |
| Proof of Correction Status | Submitted or not submitted for fix-it tickets under VC 40610. |
| Driver License Action | Hold notice sent to DMV, hold released, or none. |
| Outstanding Balance | Remaining fine, civil assessment, or installment balance. |
Searching by Citation Number vs by Name
The Solano portal accepts two main search paths. The fast path uses the citation number alone. The backup path uses the driver's name with date of birth and license number. Lost the ticket? Use the name path. Have the ticket in hand? Use the citation number.
Name searches can return multiple matches when the name is common. The portal then asks for the driver license number to pin down one case. Citation numbers fail when one digit is off, so type carefully.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citation Number | Text | Yes, if used | Printed at the top of the paper citation. Format varies by issuing agency. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes, if no citation number | Spelling must match the court file. Partial last names are not accepted on most CA traffic portals. |
| First Name | Text | Yes, if no citation number | Full first name as it appears on the citation. |
| Date of Birth | Date (MM/DD/YYYY) | Yes, if no citation number | Used to split apart drivers with the same name. |
| Driver License Number | Text | Conditional | Asked when name plus date of birth return more than one case. |
| Court Location | Dropdown | No | Fairfield or Vallejo. Set by the system from the citation. |
| CAPTCHA / I'm not a robot | Checkbox | Yes | Standard bot-prevention control. |
Paying or Contesting a Solano County Traffic Ticket
Drivers have four main ways to deal with a Solano citation. Pay it. Ask for traffic school. Plead not guilty and set a court date. Or file a trial by written declaration. Each path has its own deadline shown on the courtesy notice.
The pay-online tool runs through a third-party processor, so the court does not keep card data. Failure-to-appear or failure-to-pay status will block routine online pay and may force a phone call or in-person visit before the case can clear.
- Pay online through the citation lookup at https://solano.courts.ca.gov/online-services. Have the citation number ready and a card.
- Pay by mail to the Clerk of the Superior Court, 600 Union Avenue, Fairfield, CA 94533. Write the citation number on the check. Do not send cash.
- Pay in person at the Hall of Justice traffic counter during drop-in hours, 8 AM to 11:30 AM, Monday through Friday.
- Request traffic school online or by mail if eligible. The school certificate flows from the provider to the DMV.
- File a trial by written declaration. Submit a written defense, photos, and any witness statements. The officer files a written response and the judge rules on paper.
- Plead not guilty and set an in-court trial. Appear at the Hall of Justice or Solano Justice Building on the assigned date.
- Apply for ability-to-pay relief if the fine and civil assessment are a hardship. The court can lower the amount, set a plan, or convert it to community service.
Drivers with a hold can sometimes lift it by paying part of the fine or by applying for the ability-to-pay program. A bail schedule and admonition list is posted on the Solano Criminal Court bail information page.
The bail page covers misdemeanor bail and felony bail figures used by the court for DUI and other criminal traffic charges.
Public Access Laws for Traffic Court Records
California treats most traffic court records as open public records. The California Rules of Court set the rules on remote and certified electronic access. The court must give the public a way to see records without paying more than the statutory copy fee. Some records are sealed or redacted under separate rules.
The California Public Records Act, now at Government Code section 7920.000 and following, sets the baseline for government records access. Court records run on the parallel California Rules of Court framework, not the CPRA itself, but the open-access spirit is the same.
Key Statutes and Rules:
California Rule of Court 2.503 sets remote electronic access standards for trial court records.
California Rule of Court 2.504 covers certification of electronic records issued by the court.
Vehicle Code 1808 governs public release of DMV driver record information.
Vehicle Code 1803 requires the court to report convictions to DMV.
Court Traffic Records vs State Driver Records
The court file and the DMV driver record sit in two different systems. The court file shows the case from ticket to disposition. The DMV record shows the driver's lifetime points, suspensions, and license status. Courts forward convictions to DMV under VC 1803, but the DMV record is the real source for points and license actions.
Drivers who need points, suspensions, or status often pull a driver record from DMV's online record request rather than from the Superior Court. Drivers who need the citation file, the disposition order, or a certified copy of a court ruling pull from the Solano clerk.
| Dimension | Court Traffic Record (Solano Superior Court) | State Driver Record (CA DMV) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Citation and case file held by the Clerk of the Superior Court. | Driver record built from court conviction reports under VC 1803 plus DMV-direct actions. |
| Contents | Citation, charges, bail or fine, plea, traffic school, FTA and FTP, disposition. | Points, suspensions, holds, restrictions, accident reports, license status. |
| Where to access | https://solano.courts.ca.gov/online-services and the Hall of Justice traffic counter. | https://www.dmv.ca.gov/ and DMV field offices. |
| How to correct an error | File a motion or contact the issuing court. The clerk cannot edit a charging document on request alone. | Request a DMV record review or appeal. Some errors need a court abstract correction first. |
| Statutory basis | California Rules of Court 2.503 and 2.504 govern remote and certified electronic access. | Vehicle Code 1803 and 1808 govern DMV recordkeeping and release. |
CDL and Commercial Driver Records
Commercial driver license holders face a stricter set of rules. Under California law, a CDL holder cannot mask a moving violation through traffic school. The conviction posts to the driver record no matter what. Federal motor carrier rules also require employers to see the full record, so any attempt to hide a conviction can put the driver's job at risk.
CDL convictions count more on the DMV record. A simple speeding ticket in a personal car for a CDL holder still shows up. Some "serious" traffic violations, like a 15-mph-over-limit speeding case or a reckless charge, can lead to a 60-day CDL disqualification on a second offense within three years. A driver in this spot should plan a court appearance, not just a mail-in plea. The DMV point system and removal timing run under Vehicle Code 12810.5.
DUI / DWI Cases
DUI cases do not run on the traffic calendar. They run on the criminal calendar at the Hall of Justice or the Solano Justice Building. The charging code is Vehicle Code 23152 for the standard misdemeanor DUI and Vehicle Code 23153 for DUI causing injury, which can be filed as a felony.
DUI dispositions show in both the court file and the DMV record. DMV also runs a parallel administrative per se hearing that can suspend the license on its own track, separate from the criminal case. For full Solano County DUI case information, see Solano County criminal records and the Solano County warrant records page if a failure-to-appear has been entered.
Deferred Adjudication and Defensive Driving Course
California does not use a traffic-court "deferred adjudication" like Texas. Instead, eligible drivers can take a state-licensed traffic violator school course. A passed course can keep a single eligible moving violation from posting as a point on the DMV record. The court still records the case, but the conviction is masked from the public DMV record.
Drivers can use traffic school only once every 18 months. CDL holders cannot use traffic school for masking. The school sends the completion certificate to DMV through the state's electronic transfer system. A notation goes on the court file when the certificate posts. VC 40610 covers correctable violations and proof-of-correction handling, which is the closest cousin to deferred relief for fix-it tickets.
Sealing or Expunging Traffic Records
Infractions do not create a criminal record subject to expungement in the traditional sense. The court file does stay public under California Rule of Court 2.503 unless sealed under a separate rule. Most infraction filers do not need to seal a record because no criminal record exists in the first place.
Misdemeanor traffic convictions may be eligible for post-conviction relief under Penal Code 1203.4 once probation ends and conditions are met. DUI relief is narrower under PC 1203.4(a)(5). Arrest records that did not lead to conviction may be sealed under Penal Code 851.91. DMV points reduce over time under Vehicle Code 12810.5, with most one-point offenses falling off after 36 months and major two-point violations after 7 to 10 years.
Fees for Traffic Record Copies
Plain copy and certified copy fees follow the statewide schedule at California Government Code 70626. The Clerk of the Superior Court uses local Form 4021 for record search and copy requests. Mail the form to 600 Union Avenue, Fairfield, CA 94533, with a check made out to the court. A separate form is needed per case division.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Form 4021 record search and copies (download form) | Statutory schedule per Government Code 70626 |
| Plain copy per page | $0.50 per page (Gov Code 70627) |
| Certified copy per page | $40 certification fee plus copy fee per page |
| Records search fee | $15 if search takes over 10 minutes (Gov Code 70627) |
| Civil assessment for FTA or FTP | Up to $300 under Penal Code 1214.1 |
| DMV driver record copy | Set by DMV. Pull from DMV record request |
Penalties for missed court dates run under Vehicle Code 40508, which can add a misdemeanor failure-to-appear charge on top of the civil assessment.