Maine Traffic Tickets: What to Do When There Is No Traffic School

First, why Maine has no dismissal course

Many states let local traffic courts run diversion programs. Maine does not. Every traffic infraction lands at one central office, the Violations Bureau of the Judicial Branch in Lewiston, and the courts describe exactly two routes: plead not contested and pay, or contest and have a trial.

So there is no paying for a class to keep a conviction off your record. A course works on a different problem, your demerit points at the BMV, which starts to matter as you get close to the 12 point suspension level.

If you decide to pay

You have four ways to pay. Online, through Maine eCourts Traffic Pay, which takes Visa, MasterCard and Discover but not American Express. Call 1-866-729-8499. Walk up to the clerk at any state courthouse in Maine. Or post a check to the Violations Bureau at P.O. Box 480, Lewiston, ME 04243-0480. Phone and online payments work only from inside the United States.

A lot of tickets are still handwritten, so yours may not show up online for several days. If searching by name fails, try your license number or your plate. Be careful with partial payments: paying part of a ticket you have not answered counts as a not contested plea, and the balance is then due within 30 days.

If you decide to contest

One ticket can carry as many as four violations, and you can treat each one separately. On the back, mark CONTESTED next to each one you want to fight and NOT CONTESTED next to any you will pay. Add your signature and the address where you get mail now, then send the ticket to the Bureau along with money for just the uncontested items. Guide and File lets you do the same thing online once you set up an account.

The 35 day deadline is about when your answer arrives, not when you mailed it. Trials happen remotely over Zoom with a judge and no jury. The court will not appoint a lawyer, but you can hire one. Need a different trial date? A motion to continue must be filed a week or more ahead, with a copy going to the DA's office in the county of the stop.

A worked example: you get a ticket on March 3. Count 35 calendar days and your answer must be at the Bureau by April 7. If you mail it on April 5 and it arrives April 8, you are late.

Tickets you can clear by showing a document

Some tickets are just about paperwork you did not have on you: proof of insurance, the car's registration, or a valid license or permit. For those, the Guide and File contest interview lets you upload proof. Have the document scanned or photographed before you start.

If something goes wrong: missed deadlines

Once the court enters a decision, the full amount has to arrive within 30 days. If it does not, the BMV suspends your license or registration. To undo it, the Violations Bureau gets the fine plus $50 late per violation, and the BMV gets its reinstatement fee for each violation that triggered a suspension. Do not drive until the BMV confirms you are clear; that line is 207-624-9000, extension 52100.

Notices go to whatever address you gave the Violations Bureau, which may not match the one the BMV has. You also owe the BMV notice of any move within 30 days. Not getting a letter does not excuse a missed deadline.

After the ticket: the course that comes closest to traffic school

Maine Driving Dynamics is the state's five-hour driver improvement class, run by the Bureau of Highway Safety within the Department of Public Safety. Topics include avoiding crashes, general safety, and the habits and attitudes you bring to driving. As of October 2026 the fee is $70, some host schools add their own charge, and many classes are split over two evenings at high schools and adult education programs.

Registration is by phone: find a session on the Bureau's schedule and ring the sponsor named next to it. If nothing fits your calendar, that page also names other approved providers, online and in person, whose courses count for the point credit and for the over 55 insurance discount. The credit can need two weeks to show up, and remember the ticket itself stays on your record.

When the course is not your choice

New drivers who are suspended during their provisional period may have to complete an approved driver traffic offender program before getting the license back, and pay a $200 reinstatement fee and pass a road re-test too. Keep a copy of the completion certificate for the Secretary of State.

A course you were ordered to take is treated differently from one you chose. If you took it because of a moving violation and a court or agency required it, it cannot be used for Maine's mandated insurance discount for drivers 55 and older.

Commercial drivers

If you hold a CDL or commercial learner's permit, federal rules prohibit states from masking, deferring or diverting your conviction, no matter what vehicle you were in. You also have 30 days to report a traffic conviction to your employer. A point credit does nothing for a commercial record, so think hard before simply paying.