Woodway Violations Bureau

23920 113th Place W.
Woodway, WA 98020
206.542.4443 phone
206.546.9453 fax

The Traffic Violations Bureau processes all citations received in the Town of Woodway.

Woodway contracts for judicial services through Snohomish County District Court, South Division. It is located near Edmonds Community College at 20520 – 68th Avenue W., Lynnwood WA 98036. 425.774.8803.

We accept the following methods of payment:
*CASH
*CHECK (Made out to Woodway Violations Bureau.  Please include citation number.)
*CASHIERS CHECK/MONEY ORDER (Made out to Woodway Violations Bureau.  Please include citation number)

You have 15 days from the date of the ticket to respond in one of 3 ways.

1. Pay the fine.
2. Request a mitigation hearing.
3. Request a contested hearing.

Please return the green copy of your citation that you recieved from the officer.  If you have lost it, you may download an Infraction Response/Request for Hearing form (on the left side of this page), sign it, and return it to Woodway Violations Bureau.

It may take up to a month from the time you mail your request to receive a response from the court with a hearing date.

WHAT IS A MITIGATION HEARING?

A mitigation hearing is held when you admit that you committed the violation but wish to explain the circumstances. A mitigation hearing can by done by mail. The court is required to forward all committed traffic citations to the Department of Licensing and it will appear on your driving record.

WHAT IS A CONTESTED HEARING?

A contested hearing is held when you believe you did not commit the violation. At the hearing, the state must prove by a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not) that you committed the infraction. You may require (subpoena) witnesses, including the officer who wrote the ticket, to attend the hearing. The court will tell you how to request a witness’s appearance (Call 425.774.8803). In the event that you have requested witnesses, you may be required to pay court costs. If you have a contested hearing and lose and “traffic” is checked on the front of the citation, the violation will go on your driving record.

WHAT ABOUT AN INSURANCE TICKET?

If you receive a citation for no proof of liability insurance and you actually had insurance in force at the time, you may file the proof of insurance, pay a $25.00 administrative fee, and this charge will be dismissed. If there is another charge on the citation, this must be dealt with separately.

WILL A TRAFFIC INFRACTION APPEAR ON MY DRIVING RECORD?

The infraction will go on your Department of Licensing driving abstract if you pay the penalty, mitigate, or if the judge finds that you committed the infraction in a contested hearing. Neither the judge nor the court clerk has the authority to keep the infraction off your record.

WHAT IF I DO NOT PAY MY TICKET OR APPEAR FOR A HEARING?

A failure to pay or respond to the ticket within 15 days results in an order that the infraction was committed. If you asked for a hearing and do not appear, a penalty will be assessed and a committed finding will be entered. When an infraction is not paid in a timely manner or a hearing is missed, a late penalty is added to the amount shown on the ticket. Your license may then be suspended if the penalty is not paid following a notice to pay the increased penalty and the account may be assigned to a collection agency.

WHO QUALIFIES FOR A DEFERRED SENTENCE?

A deferred sentence may be an option if the following conditions are met:

On the back of the ticket, you need to choose a contested hearing.

You have not had any violations in the last seven (7) years.

It is based on your driving record.

It is solely the judge's decision to defer the sentence.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I CAN'T APPEAR ON THE COURT DATE?

The court gives ample notice for you to make arrangements to appear for your hearing. If you are unable to appear on the date of the hearing the court allows ONE continuance. You must appear at the clerk's office within five days of the scheduled hearing and sign a waiver of speedy hearing. Failure to follow this procedure will result in the waiver of your right to a hearing, a committed finding entered and a failure to appear penalty assessed. If you have hired a lawyer to represent you at a contested hearing you are still required to appear and failure to do so will result in a committed finding being entered and a failure to appear penalty assessed.