Drivers
licensed in or residents of the State of Illinois
If a person ignores the ticket or fails to appear in
court on any court date scheduled, the judge will enter
an ex parte judgment of conviction and assess a fine
against that person in the amount set by the Illinois
Supreme Court.
The conviction will be reported to the Illinois Secretary
of State for entry on that person's driving record.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court will send that person
a notice for the fine.
If a person fails to pay the fine within 46 days, the
Illinois Secretary of State will be notified and he
or she will not be allowed to renew, replace or re-classify
his or her driver's license until the fine is paid.
Ex parte judgments can be vacated by filing a motion in writing
with the Clerk
of the Circuit Court and paying a non-refundable $45.00
fee. Persons filing motions should be aware of the following:
If the motion is filed more than 30 days but less than
two years after the date of the ex parte judgment, relief
will be granted only if due diligence and a meritorious defense
can be shown.
If the motion is filed more than two years since the date
of the judgment, relief can only be granted on proof the ticket
was issued to someone else.
Drivers
licensed in other states
If a person is licensed to drive in a state other than
Illinois and fails to respond to the ticket or fails
to attend any court date scheduled, the court will enter
that fact on the record and continue the case until
the next scheduled court date and he or she will be
notified.
If a person still does not respond or appear, an order
of failure to appear will be entered and forwarded to
the Illinois Secretary of State.
If a person is a resident of one of the 46 states in
the Driver's License Compact, the appropriate driver's
licensing authority will be notified and his or her
driving privileges will be suspended until the ticket
is resolved.
A ticket can be resolved by paying the amount of the
fine (see Option
A under "You must mail") plus a $35.00 penalty
set by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Payment must be made by check or money order payable
to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Current Illinois law does not allow payment by credit
card.
