Home > About Metro > Metro Transit Court

Metro Transit Court

Pay your transit or parking violation, reduce your penalty and learn more about contesting a violation.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Metro Transit Court is closed to the public until further notice.
Normal operations continue except for in-person services and hearings. Initial Reviews may be requested online, by Send correspondence, including initial review requests, hearing requests, inability to pay forms and payments to: PO BOX 866015 Los Angeles, CA 90086 phone or by mail. For assistance, call 213.922.6878 or email transitcourt@metro.net.

Overview

Metro Transit Court aims to simplify the process of collecting transit and parking violations, and provides a chance to contest violations. Our goal is to ensure quick response to customer concerns regarding violations, lower the cost of settling these cases, improve customer awareness of safety and operational issues, and implement an appeals process for customers who receive violations.

The Customer Code of Conduct (English/Spanish) provides details on prohibited behavior for everyone who uses Metro facilities and/or rides the system. The Customer Code of Conduct is available in Braille upon request.

Transit and Parking Violations

Pay your violation

We offer multiple methods of paying your parking or transit violation. Payments are reflected in our system immediately.

Online
Visit our online violation payment system.

By Mail
Metro Transit Court
PO Box 866015
Los Angeles, CA 90086-6015

Make check or money order payable to Metro Transit Court and write violation number on check or money order. DO NOT SEND CASH.

In person (Closed during the pandemic)
Transit Court
One Gateway Plaza
Plaza Level
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Monday – Thursday, 9am-3pm

Phone
213.92COURT (213.922.6878)

Payment Plans
You may qualify for a payment plan to pay off your transit or parking violation in monthly installments. You must apply for a payment plan within 60 calendar days of the violation date, or 10 days after the administrative hearing determination, whichever is later. If you apply past this date, you may be ineligible for a payment plan.

Transit Violation
First installment: 30% of total amount
Second installment: 35% of the total amount after 30 days
Final installment: 35% of total amount after 60 days.

Parking Violation
Monthly installments of $25 per month, with payment completion within 18 months.

There is no prepayment penalty for paying off the balance prior to the payment period expiring. Late fees and penalty assessments will be waived upon enrollment but they may be reinstated if the payment plan is defaulted.

To apply for a payment plan, fill out the Inability to Pay Waiver and submit to Metro Transit Court.

Community Service for Transit AND Parking violations

You may qualify for community service in lieu of paying your fine. Community service is administered through an outside agency with locations throughout LA County. You will be responsible for enrollment and paying a registration fee of $35 for up to 20 hours of community service assigned, which covers office operations, staffing and insurance to the outside agency. It is not set by Metro.

Violations under $75 will be assigned five hours of community service, which does not include enrollment and travel times. Community service may only be completed once in any 12 month period. Late fees and penalty assessments will be waived upon enrollment but they may be reinstated if the payment plan is defaulted.

To qualify for community service, complete the Declaration of Inability to Pay Waiver within 90 days of violation issuance and submit to Transit Court.

Reduce your penalty

If you have received a Transit Violation that starts with the letter “T”, you can reduce your penalty by $15 by completing the online Metro Transit School Tutorial.

You may apply to reduce your Transit Violation penalty only once in a 12-month period. To be eligible for a penalty reduction, you must complete the Transit School Tutorial before any second-level administrative hearing is conducted.

Follow these steps:

Watch the Metro Transit School Tutorial (EN/SPN) and complete the 3-part quiz (20-30 minutes)
Enter your Transit Violation number (located on the top right of your violation) when prompted
Once you have received your Certificate of Completion, call 213.92.COURT (213.922.6878) for further instructions.

You may apply your Certificate of Completion to reduce a Transit Violation penalty only once in a 12-month period. To be eligible for a penalty reduction, the Transit School Tutorial must be completed before any second level administrative hearing is conducted.

Contest a violation

There are three levels that may be involved in contesting a violation:

Initial Review
Administrative Hearing
Appeal Through the Superior Court

1. Initial Review – 1st Level

If you disagree with a violation that you have received and would like to contest it, you have 21 days from the date the violation was issued, or 14 days from the mailing of the Delinquent Parking Violation Notice (for parking violations only), to submit an Initial Review request. Please fill out the request a review section on the back of your violation, and attach a written statement as to why you believe the violation was issued in error. You should also include any supportive documentation (e.g. receipts, pictures, diagrams) to support your statement. Materials submitted for review will not be returned.

Metro Transit Court will review your request and render one of the following decisions:

The violation was determined to be invalid and will be dismissed. No further action will be required on your part. You will receive written correspondence from Metro Transit Court confirming the dismissal of your violation.
The ticket was determined to be valid and payment must be submitted in full. You will receive written notice from Metro Transit Court about the decision, and advising you that the violation must be paid.

The request for an initial review is free of charge.

2. Administrative Hearing – 2nd Level

If you are not satisfied with the initial review results, you may further contest the violation by requesting an Administrative Hearing to be conducted either in person or in writing. Administrative Hearings must be requested within 21 days of the date the decision was reached on your Initial Review. If you fail to request the Administrative Hearing within the prescribed time, you will lose the opportunity to further contest the violation and the results of the Initial Review become FINAL. Unlike the Initial Review request, state law requires you to pay in advance all fines that are owed on the violation before you can request an Administrative Hearing. If you are unable to pay the penalty in advance you must complete a Declaration of Inability to Pay waiver and submit the declaration and the necessary documentation with your request for a hearing. You can also download a Declaration of Inability to Pay waiver .

Please note that payment or a Declaration of Inability to Pay waiver with the required documentation must be received within 21 days from the date of this letter or you will forfeit your right to a hearing; your violation will be declared unpaid and further legal action may be taken against you.

To request an in-person Administrative Hearing, please complete the Administrative Hearing Request Form that is located on the reverse side of your Initial Review results form and mail it to Metro Transit Court along with payment or Declaration of Inability to Pay waiver. Please be sure to check the applicable box indicating that you are requesting an in-person Administrative Hearing. You will receive written notification regarding the date and time scheduled for your hearing. If you require the services of an interpreter on the date of your in-person Administrative Hearing, one will be provided at no cost to you if you check the appropriate box on the Administrative Hearing Request Form and specify the language needed. If you cannot attend your in-person Administrative Hearing, you must contact Metro Transit Court at 213.92COURT (213.922.6878) to reschedule no later than 48 hours (two working days) prior to your scheduled hearing. If you do not attend a scheduled in-person hearing, you will be declared to have Failed to Appear, and you will have no further right of appeal. Any penalty amounts outstanding will be immediately due and payable and your violation will be declared unpaid.

To request an Administrative Hearing by written declaration, please complete the Administrative Hearing Request Form that is located on the reverse side bottom of your Initial Review results form and mail it to Metro Transit Court along with the applicable payment or Declaration of Inability to Pay waiver. Please be sure to check the applicable box indicating that you are requesting an Administrative Hearing by written declaration and include documentation to support your statements. Documents submitted will not be returned.

If the Hearing Officer makes a decision in your favor, Metro Transit Court will refund your payment, if you have no other outstanding violations. If you have outstanding violations the refund will be applied to the unpaid balance.

You can also download an Administrative Hearing Request Form, for transit violations or click here for parking violations .

3. Appealing the Administrative Hearing – 3rd Level

If you are not satisfied with the Hearing Officer’s decision, you may further contest the violation by appeal through the Superior Court. You cannot appeal a violation if you have not first obtained the results from your Initial Review and your Administrative Hearing. Both must be performed before you can appeal the violation. Furthermore, appeals must be requested within 30 days from the date of the Administrative Hearing decision. The trial in Superior Court is a trial de novo – it is conducted without regard to the findings made at the previous reviews. To file for an appeal, you must do so in person at the Superior Court. A $25 filing fee must be submitted to the court for each violation that you are appealing.