FAQs

Traffic Citations

How do I know if I have a City of Fairbanks citation?

If you have a citation payable to the City of Fairbanks, the AGENCY will read “Fairbanks Police Department” or “FPD.”

How do the points affect my license and/or insurance?

Many citations have mandatory points assigned in accordance with the schedule established by the State of Alaska. These points are applied against your license once you pay the citation, are found guilty of the offense, or fail to respond to the citation and a default judgment is entered against you. To find out how many points you have or how to reduce the points that have accumulated on your license, visit the State of Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website at http://doa.alaska.gov/dmv/, visit the DMV at 414 Third Street, Fairbanks, or call (855) 269-5551. The City does not regulate or administer accumulation of points. To determine how point deductions affect your insurance, contact your insurance company.

If I choose to pay my citation, what are my payment options?

Pay over the telephone by calling the City Clerk’s Office, (907) 459-6702.
Mail payments to the City of Fairbanks, 800 Cushman Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701. Checks and money orders must be made payable to the City of Fairbanks. Please DO NOT mail cash.
Drop-off payments in the secure drop box located just outside the south entrance of City Hall at 800 Cushman Street.
Pay in person at the City Clerk’s Office, 800 Cushman Street (cash, check, money order, and VISA, MasterCard, and Discover cards are accepted). Hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please note that payments accepted after 4:30 pm will be applied the following business day.

What if I can’t pay my Citation by the due date?

The City Clerk’s Office may grant you an extension if your request is within 30 days of issuance of the citation. If you fail to pay or fail to request an extension before the due date, a default judgment may be entered against you for the maximum fine permitted by law and a $20 surcharge, plus $70 in court and collection costs. In some cases, you may request that your full payment be assigned to your Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office within 30 days of issuance of the citation for more information.

If you would like to request that your fine be converted to community work service (CWS), you must formally contest the ticket and ask the judge or magistrate to reduce your fine to CWS (see above information on contesting tickets).

What if I have a citation or violation from another agency?

Locate the appropriate issuing AGENCY on your citation. Detailed contact information for local ticketing agencies is listed in the table below.

Agency	Address	Phone	Web Address
Golden Heart Parking Services (formerly Fairbanks Parking Authority)	Fairbanks Parking Garage, 201 Lacey St., Fairbanks, AK, 99701	907-451-1912	www.fairbanks.rmcpay.com
Alaska State Troopers; UAF Police Dept.; Fairbanks Int’l Airport Police; City of North Pole Police	Rabinowitz Courthouse, 101 Lacey St., Fairbanks, AK, 99701	907-452-9238	http://courts.alaska.gov
Ft. Wainwright Military Police; Eielson AFB Military Police	Federal Building, 101 12th Ave., Ste. 332, Fairbanks, AK, 99701	907-451-5791	http://www.akd.uscourts.gov/

What if my citation is designated as a “Mandatory Court Appearance”?

If your citation requires a mandatory court appearance, you must appear in court at the Rabinowitz Courthouse, 101 Lacey Street, Fairbanks, at the arraignment date and time indicated on the citation. There are serious consequences for failure to appear in court. Questions about your rights or the date of your hearing should be directed to: Alaska Court System, (907) 452-9225 or http://courts.alaska.gov/.

What if my citation is designated as “Correctable”?

If your citation is marked correctable, you have an opportunity to show proof of insurance or correct the vehicle defect within 30 days of issuance of the citation. If you are unable to correct the citation within 30 days, you must request an extension at the City Clerk’s Office prior to your due date.

To correct a citation issued for a failure to show proof of insurance, you must present a copy of your citation and proof that the vehicle was insured at the time of the offense to the City Attorney’s Office, 800 Cushman Street. When your citation has been marked corrected, return the corrected copy to the City Clerk’s Office.
To correct a citation issued for an equipment violation, you must present the modified vehicle to the Fairbanks Police Department for inspection at 911 Cushman Street along with a copy of your citation.

If you choose not to correct the defect, you may request an arraignment (see section on Optional Court Appearance) or pay the total amount due at the City Clerk’s Office. If you do not pay or correct your citation, a default judgment may be entered against you for the maximum fine permitted by law and a $20 surcharge, plus $70 in court and collection costs.

What if my citation provides for an “Optional Court Appearance”?

You have four choices under the “Optional Appearance” specification:

Pay the citation (payment automatically enters your no contest plea). See additional information on payment options below.
Contest the citation (contesting will enter your “not guilty” plea to the alleged offense). Check the NOT GUILTY box on your citation, sign and print your name clearly and provide your current mailing address (include city, state, zip) as this is how you will be notified by the Court of the date and time of your hearing. Return the signed citation to the City of Fairbanks at 800 Cushman Street, Fairbanks, AK, 99701. The Alaska Court System will provide notice to you of the trial date and time . If you fail to appear for your trial, a default judgment may be entered against you for the maximum fine permitted by law and a $20 surcharge, plus $70 in court and collection costs. Please note that by contesting your citation, you will no longer be eligible to apply for the Defensive Driving Dismissal Program. For more information regarding court dates, call the Alaska Court System at (907) 452-9225.
Request to participate in the City’s Defensive Driving Dismissal Program. If you wish to apply for the Program, DO NOT PAY YOUR CITATION until you have applied for and completed the program. As part of the program, you may take an approved defensive driving course and pay the fine and surcharge to have your citation dismissed. To qualify: you cannot have a current Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), you cannot have had any moving violations in the last two years, you cannot have taken a defensive driving course within the last two years, and the points on your citation must be four points or less. You must appear at the City Clerks Office, 800 Cushman Street, Fairbanks, before the “COURT APPEARANCE” date in order to enroll in the Program.
Have a judge explain the charges and your rights to you before entering a plea. Check the appropriate box on your citation and complete the required information. The Alaska Court System will provide notice and instruction to you . This option will not schedule a trial. Please note that by choosing this option, you will no longer be eligible to apply for the Defensive Driving Dismissal Program.