California traffic school
Martinez, California Traffic School: Ticket Help for Contra Costa County's County Seat
If you received a traffic citation in Martinez, California — the county seat of Contra Costa County — you may be eligible to complete an online traffic school course to keep the violation's point off the public side of your DMV record.
3 easy steps
- Sign up
- Complete the online course
- Get your certificate
This page explains how that process works locally, which courthouse actually handles Martinez traffic cases, and what to confirm before you enroll.
Quick answer: Eligible noncommercial-license drivers in California can typically attend traffic school once every 18 months to prevent a qualifying point from appearing on their DMV record. Whether your specific citation qualifies, and whether an online course is accepted, is decided by the court handling your case — not automatically by any provider, including GoToTrafficSchool.
Where Martinez Traffic Tickets Are Actually Handled
Martinez is home to multiple Contra Costa County Superior Court facilities, but they don't all handle the same case types. This distinction matters if you're trying to find the right office for a citation issued in Martinez.
The A.F. Bray Courthouse at 1020 Ward Street in Martinez handles Landlord/Tenant, Small Claims, and Traffic cases, with a dedicated Traffic Division phone line. By contrast, the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse at 725 Court Street in Martinez handles Criminal, Civil, and Probate matters — not traffic infractions. If your citation was issued in Martinez, the A.F. Bray Courthouse — not the more visible Wakefield Taylor Courthouse — is the verified traffic contact point.
Note that some traffic hearings for the wider county are calendared at other county courthouses: the Contra Costa Superior Court's traffic division holds trial and arraignment calendars at Walnut Creek (Department 50, also serving Richmond) and Pittsburg (Department 54). Your specific citation will state which courthouse and department applies — always confirm using the address printed on your ticket or reminder notice rather than assuming every Martinez-area ticket is handled identically.
Martinez-Area Traffic Court Contact
Court | Address | Phone (Traffic) | Hours | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A.F. Bray Courthouse — Traffic Division | 1020 Ward Street, Martinez, CA 94553 | (925) 875-7800 | Phone service Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.; building hours Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Handles small claims, landlord/tenant, and traffic matters for citations routed here |
Wakefield Taylor Courthouse | 725 Court Street, Martinez, CA 94553 | (925) 608-1000 (general court line) | Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Criminal, civil, and probate — general county contact line; not a traffic case desk |
Official court locator: Contra Costa Superior Court — Court Locations. This is a partial, non-exhaustive list focused on Martinez-relevant facilities; the county's Walnut Creek, Pittsburg, and Richmond courthouses also handle traffic matters for other parts of Contra Costa County and are covered on the county traffic-court guide.
Handling Your Citation
After a ticket, the reminder notice the court sends will include your due date and time, how much you owe, and whether you can go to traffic school. You must take care of your traffic ticket on time even if you do not receive this reminder notice.
You generally have several official options once you have a citation:
- Pay it (with or without a traffic school election), using the county's online payment portal or in person at the assigned courthouse's clerk window.
- Contest it, either at a hearing or, in eligible cases, through a written declaration process without appearing in person.
- Request traffic school, if your notice or the court indicates you're eligible.
If you don't take action by the stated due date, you may be assessed a civil assessment fee of up to the statutory cap, and your case may be referred to the court's collection agency. If you're struggling to pay, the court's MyCitations financial hardship tool is the official channel for a fine-reduction request — this is separate from, and does not substitute for, traffic school enrollment.
Case lookup and payment run through the county's own portals, not through GoToTrafficSchool. Use the Court Traffic Portal to check your case status and the payment portal above to pay — these are official government services, distinct from any traffic school enrollment.
Who Issues Martinez-Area Citations
Citations in Martinez may come from more than one agency, and this affects nothing about court routing directly, but it explains why "Martinez" tickets aren't uniform. If you live in the unincorporated county area around Martinez, police response comes from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department rather than the Martinez Police Department, whose non-emergency line is (925) 372-3440. Either agency's citations for infractions within Contra Costa County are processed through the county Superior Court system described above — the issuing agency does not itself approve or administer any traffic school course.
Traffic School Eligibility and What It Does
California's statewide framework governs eligibility, not city-specific rules. In general:
- You need a valid noncommercial driver's license, a citation for a noncommercial-vehicle violation, and no traffic school completion within the past 18 months.
- Some violations — including alcohol/drug-related tickets and pure equipment violations — don't qualify.
- Commercial license holders and citations involving commercial vehicles follow different, court-determined rules; ask the assigned Martinez-area court (A.F. Bray Courthouse Traffic Division above) how this applies to your case.
Completing an eligible course does not erase the underlying citation. Its documented effect is that the point from that citation does not appear on the public side of your DMV record for insurance-visibility purposes, provided your specific court has approved the method and provider for your case. Not every California court accepts online traffic school, and each court sets its own eligibility rules — confirm with the A.F. Bray Courthouse Traffic Division before enrolling if there is any doubt.
GoToTrafficSchool's California Course
GoToTrafficSchool.com maintains a dedicated Contra Costa County / Martinez court page describing its online California traffic school course as available for drivers with citations directed there. This is company-stated availability, not independent confirmation that the A.F. Bray Courthouse Traffic Division has approved this specific provider for your case — confirm acceptance with the court before enrolling if your notice does not already specify.
The company's general California course is offered 100% online and self-paced, works across phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops with saved progress if you switch devices, and reports completions toward the state's tracking system after you finish. Course hour requirements and completion deadlines are set by the state and by your specific court — check your notice for your exact completion deadline.
Next step: If your Martinez-area citation notice indicates traffic school eligibility, contact the A.F. Bray Courthouse Traffic Division at (925) 875-7800 to confirm your eligibility and any provider requirements, then review GoToTrafficSchool's California course page or its Martinez court page for enrollment.
Local Road Safety: I-680/SR-4 Interchange Project
Drivers who regularly use the Interstate 680/State Route 4 interchange near Martinez should be aware of an active, multi-year safety project. An earlier construction phase widened a four-mile segment of State Route 4 between Morello Avenue in Martinez and State Route 242 and replaced the Grayson Creek Bridge, and a newly funded next phase is intended to eliminate a hazardous weave movement at the interchange that state and county transportation officials have linked to collisions and backups; that phase is in final design, with construction expected to begin in 2026 and finish by the end of 2028. This is a proposed/near-term phase, not yet completed — check the Contra Costa Transportation Authority's project updates before assuming current conditions if you regularly drive this corridor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which courthouse handles my Martinez traffic ticket?
Your citation or court reminder notice identifies the assigned courthouse. For citations directed to Martinez court facilities, the A.F. Bray Courthouse (1020 Ward Street) — not the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse — handles traffic matters; other Contra Costa citations may be assigned to Walnut Creek, Richmond, or Pittsburg.
Does living in Martinez guarantee my ticket is handled in Martinez?
No. Court assignment depends on where and how the citation was issued and the county's case-routing rules, not your home address. Always check the courthouse address printed on your citation.
Is online traffic school automatically accepted for my Martinez ticket?
Not automatically. Not all California courts accept online traffic school, and each court sets its own eligibility rules — confirm with the A.F. Bray Courthouse Traffic Division before enrolling.
Does traffic school remove points from my DMV record?
No. Completing eligible traffic school prevents the specific point from appearing on the public/insurer-visible side of your DMV record; it does not delete the underlying conviction or erase the state's negligent-operator point count.
What if I can't afford my Martinez traffic ticket fine?
Use the county's MyCitations financial hardship tool or file the court's TR-320 hardship petition; this addresses your fine, not course enrollment, and is separate from traffic school eligibility.
Who do I call about a citation issued by the Sheriff versus Martinez Police?
Both route into the same Contra Costa Superior Court traffic system; call the traffic division listed on your citation rather than the issuing agency for court-related questions.
About GoToTrafficSchool.com
GoToTrafficSchool.com has provided online traffic education since 2000. For Martinez-area drivers, the company offers a self-paced California online traffic school course with device-flexible access; confirm acceptance with your assigned Contra Costa County court before enrolling if your notice doesn't already specify.
Sources
- Contra Costa Superior Court — Traffic Division — accessed 2026-09-24
- Contra Costa Superior Court — Court Locations — accessed 2026-09-24
- A.F. Bray Courthouse page — accessed 2026-09-24
- Wakefield Taylor Courthouse page — accessed 2026-09-24
- Contra Costa County — Our County — accessed 2026-09-24
- Martinez Police Department — Contact Us — accessed 2026-09-24
- CCTA — I-680/SR-4 Interchange funding announcement, June 30, 2025 — accessed 2026-09-24
- GoToTrafficSchool — California state course page — accessed 2026-09-24
- GoToTrafficSchool — Martinez court page — accessed 2026-09-24
- California Courts Self-Help — Traffic Tickets — accessed 2026-09-24
Verification date: 2026-09-24
More Traffic School Information for Martinez Drivers
- [Contra Costa County Traffic School Guide] (parent county page, when available) — covers courthouses across Walnut Creek, Richmond, and Pittsburg for citations not routed to Martinez.
- California Traffic School Overview — statewide eligibility rules, course format, and DMV framework applicable to any California citation.
- Contra Costa Superior Court — Traffic Division — official case lookup, payment, and financial-hardship resources for any Contra Costa citation.