Whether you lost a ticket or simply forgot the date, if you have missed a court date and didn’t reschedule with the county clerk’s office, a Failure to Appear was most likely issued. When this happens, the county clerk’s office reports the Failure to Appear to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles and if the charge isn’t resolved or rescheduled within 60 days, your driving privileges are revoked and a $200.00 administrative penalty is issued. If your driving privileges have been revoked due to a failure to appear, we are sharing the steps you need to take to get your license back.
What to Do After a Failure to Appear
You have a suspended license, a $200 fine, plus you still have to go to court and deal with the charges along with any fines and court costs. We understand this is very overwhelming and part of you may want to just forget it happened and the problem will go away.
Ignoring a legal issue is the worst thing you can do because the problem doesn’t go away, it only gets worse.
Instead, it’s important to contact the court in the county in which you received your citation. For example, if you received a citation in Raleigh, you’ll want to contact the Wake County Court, whereas if you were in Fayetteville, you would contact Cumberland County.
You can reschedule your court date, but your license will not be reinstated until after you’ve appeared in court. During this date, you will also be assigned court fees and the fine associated with your ticket. It’s also important to not drive on a suspended license because if you are pulled over and charged with a Driving While License Revoked, you are facing a misdemeanor charge.
Do You Need an Attorney to Get Your License Back?
Before you reschedule your court date, it’s important to consult with an attorney who can help you with your case. An experienced traffic ticket lawyer can advocate for you in court, working to not just have the Failure to Appear and the $200 administrative fee stricken from your record, we will also work to get you out of the original ticket or any fees when possible.
Suffice to say, having legal representation can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in fees and fines as well as clear your record to ensure you won’t have any red flags on a background check when you apply for a job or to rent an apartment.
Schedule a Consultation with our Law Firm in Raleigh Today
Whether you missed a court date or have traffic tickets you need to deal with, we can help you get positive practical outcomes in your case including getting tickets dismissed and FTAs stricken from your record. To learn more about our services and how we can help you move forward with your driving privileges reinstated, reach out to us today at (919) 439-5104 or fill out the for below.