A Traffic Ticket
Ala. Code § 32-1-4 — a summons to appear, a hearing within 24 hours if wanted, and fines from $100 under the rules of the road
When someone is arrested for a misdemeanor under the motor vehicle title, the officer takes the person's name and address and the vehicle's license number, and issues a summons, a written notice or an electronic ticket to appear at a time and place it names.
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- The person may have an immediate hearing, or one within 24 hours at a convenient hour, before a magistrate in the county or city where the offense happened, or before any magistrate in the state when an e-ticket was written.
- Except with an e-ticket, the officer releases the person on a sufficient written bond to appear. With an e-ticket, the person is treated as having given that bond for the date the ticket names.
- Willfully failing to appear as the bond promised is a misdemeanor of its own, however the first charge turns out.
Who goes straight to a magistrate. The summons rule does not cover a crash causing injury or death, a charge of driving under the influence, or a person the officer has good cause to believe committed a felony. Those people are taken before the nearest or most accessible magistrate.
| Conviction under the rules of the road | Fine up to | Or jail up to |
|---|---|---|
| Conviction under the rules of the roadFirst | Fine up to$100 | Or jail up to10 days |
| Conviction under the rules of the roadSecond, within one year of the first offense | Fine up to$200 | Or jail up to30 days, or both |
| Conviction under the rules of the roadThird or more, within one year of the first offense | Fine up to$500 | Or jail up toThree months, or both |
Breaking any provision of the motor vehicle title is a misdemeanor unless a law makes it a felony, and the table applies where no other penalty is written for the violation.
Sources for this section (2)
- Ala. Code § 32-1-4 — Appearance Upon Arrest for Misdemeanor
- Ala. Code § 32-5A-8 — Violations as Misdemeanor; Penalties
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Alabama attorney.