Traffic Court is held Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:00 p.m. If you do not appear you must contact the trial courts within seven (7) days. If you do not contact the trial courts within seven (7) days, there will be a default judgment entered against you for the entire amount of your fine. You may contact the Trial Courts by writing a letter or by phone.
Contact information is listed below.
Pleading Not Guity:
If you choose to plead not guilty, your case will be set for trial and you will receive notice by mail of the trial date. If pleading Not Guilty you have the option to waive your personal appearance by requesting a TRIAL BY AFFIDAVIT. The trial by affidavit forms are automatically mailed to you with the notice of trial date. Once a decision is made by the Court you will be notified by mail.
Trial By Affidavit:
You have the option to waive your appearance in person at trial. You will need to complete a Waiver and an AFFIDAVIT form that is automatically sent to you by the trial courts. You will need to have the TESTIMONY BY AFFIDAVIT form notarized by signing it before a Notary Public or the court clerk.
Alternative Seat Belt Class:
Presented by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Traffic Safety Commission. You may have the opportunity to attend the Alternative Seat Belt Sentencing Class. The class is offered in lieu of paying a fine to the Court for the violation. You will be required to attend the class, which consists of approximately two hours of information, to include a video tape on seat belt safety.
There is a fee of $15.00 cash, payable at the class. NO EXCEPTIONS! NO CHECKS will be accepted. An ALTERNATIVE SEAT BELT SENTENCING CLASS form will be completed and signed by the instructor verifying attendance. A copy of this form is sent to the Court after satisfactorily completing the class.
Traffic School Diversion Program:
You may review the TRAFFIC SAFETY SCHOOL, DIVERSION APPLICATION by clicking here. From this application you will be able to determine whether you are eligible to participate in the diversion program. If so, you will need to contact the trial courts for an official application which is in 3-part, color coded. You will need to complete the application and sign it before a Notary Public. Return the entire application to the Court within 30 days. The Court will mail your copy back to you after the judge signs the order, which is the date your 90-day diversion period begins.
The following diversion programs have been approved by Deschutes County Court. All other programs must be approved in advance by writing to the Court. Your request must be received by the court along with your completed application and include:
- name of the program;
- length of the class; and
- outline of the program’s agenda as it relates to traffic laws and traffic safety.
NATIONAL TRAFFIC SAFETY INSTITUTE: 1-800-776-6874
(Classes are offered throughout the United States)
COURT SERVICES: 1-541-388-1330
(Classes are offered in Bend, The Dalles, Hood River & Klamath Falls, Oregon)
TRAFFIC SAFETY SERVICES: 1-541-382-5857
(Classes are offered in Hines, Oregon)
TRAFFIC SCHOOL ONLINE: http://www.trafficschoolonline.com
SHASTA TRAFFIC SCHOOL: 1-916-244-2239
SAFE: (503) 222-7361
(Classes are offered in Portland, Oregon)
PLEASE REMEMBER that the diversion period ends 90 days after the date the judge signs the order; EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED.
You also need to be aware that the Court will revoke your diversion and notify you of that action if any of the following situations occur:
You do not return the application to the Court within 30 days of the date on the attached letter; or
The Court finds that you are in violation of the eligibility requirements listed on the application; or
You do not provide proof of completion of the diversion to the Court within 90 days.
If you have questions concerning your diversion or if you do not receive your signed copy of the order back from the Court, please call the Deschutes County Traffic Department at the phone number below.