The Court Has placed a Hold On Your License...help!

[AllenIverson03]

Let me say this first, I know what I did was wrong, I will pay the fine....I'm not disputeing that....quick question now:


One of my tickets went over due (driving in carpool lane without 2 people), and I got a letter today that stated:

As a result of your failure to appear, the court has placed a hold on your drivers license with the dmv. dmv will suspend your driving privilege if you fail to clear this matter. pursuant to section 1214.1 p.c., a civil assessment of $250 was added to your bail. the court has refferred your citation to a collection agency. you may contact 800-355-3540 collection vendor....


My question is, what exactly is a "hold", how does it differ from suspended license, can I still legally drive? Thanks.....Just wanna be informed before I head to the court tommorow to try to arrange payments, thanks!

[txinvestigator1]

It might help to know the state.

Also, since it says you license will be suspended if you don't clear the matter I would figure you are not yet suspended.

And one question please....WHY were you in the carpool lane?

[AllenIverson03]

State- California

Why I was in the carpool lane? Because I was disobeying the law, being stupid, this is what you want to hear right? I was in the carpool lane because I was late somewhere, Yes, I know that's not an excuse, but you wanted an answer and that's my answer. Once again, what exactly is a "hold"?

[txinvestigator1]

State- California

Why I was in the carpool lane? Because I was disobeying the law, being stupid, this is what you want to hear right? I was in the carpool lane because I was late somewhere, Yes, I know that's not an excuse, but you wanted an answer and that's my answer. Once again, what exactly is a "hold"?

I'm not from California, so I can't help you with an official answer. But it sounds as if you license status is set so you can't do anything with it until you clear the ticket. If you fail to clear the ticket in the time allocated, they WILL suspend it.

Hopefully someone will come along from Ca and know more.

BTW, no need to get defensive on the why question. I was just wondering your reason.

[AllenIverson03]

Ok, the ticket is over $900, and I have several tickets, heres to hopeing I can make payments......Still looking for a LEO from CA who know's what a "hold" means......thank you

[txinvestigator1]

Ok, the ticket is over $900, and I have several tickets, heres to hopeing I can make payments......Still looking for a LEO from CA who know's what a "hold" means......thank you

We have several CA cops here. They will be along. Drive safe!! ;)

[AllenIverson03]

I think I'm going threw a growing phase, about 3-4 months ago I got about 9 tickets in a span of 3 weeks....and know I'm starting to realize 3k in tickets is not fun.....Got pulled over today and the cop let me go, I've found out if you act normal and don't make bull**** excuses, the cop tends to be cool, but if you try to act crazy and make **** up, its a guarenteed ticket....Ah well, oh yea another question, if a "bench warrant" is issued for you, (I'm asking what you have done) do you always arrest the person, do you let them know and they go on their way, etc....and whats the difference between a bench warrant as opposed to any other warrants? What do they do, take you into the station and you see a judge in the a.m.? What if you dont have the money to pay? etc....thanks

[txinvestigator1]

In Texas, a warrant begins, "You are commanded to arrest". so yep, I always arrested on warrants. However, in CA, YMMV.

[AllenIverson03]

YMMV? Translation, please

[txinvestigator1]

Sorry.....Your Mileage May Vary............

[JD45]

My question is, what exactly is a "hold", how does it differ from suspended license, can I still legally drive? Thanks.....Just wanna be informed before I head to the court tommorow to try to arrange payments, thanks!

I've never heard of a license being placed on 'hold'. What I'm assuming is they're not going to allow you to renew your license unless you clear up your FTA's. I'd call DMV and ask them what the status of your license is. I'm willing to bet you're suspended.

A bench warrant is usually issued for FTA's on traffic citations where as a 'regular' warrant would be issued for a 'regular' crime, ie, burglary, vandalism, etc.

It's still a warrant, and you can be taken to jail for it. Does it happen often? Not in my city, but if you have any type of warrant, I have a great hammer that I can use. I can book you in my county jail, and tow your car incident to arrest. I'm not sure what county you live in. But in my county you'll probably be released on O.R. from the jail. That's after spending about 4 hours being processed though...;)

Bottom line is, don't get tickets...and if/when you do...pay them.. :rolleyes:

[Legoate]

Wow, a question that I may actually know the answer to......

Basically the court is telling you that they are sending a nastygram to DMV to suspend your license. For a suspension of your license to be valid, you have to receive formal notice of the suspension. This can be done in a number of ways...if you are in court, the traffic court judge can tell you "your license is suspended". Normally though, you will receive a certified letter from DMV stating that your license has been suspended until you pay fees (they also charge you yet another fee to actually reinstate your license). The last way that people are generally notified is that they are stopped for a ticket, the officer sees that you have a suspension pending, and they serve you the suspension notice on the spot (and take your license).
If I were you I'd just call DMV to make sure your license is still valid. The letter the court send you may qualify in their eyes as formal notice of a suspension. Pay your fees, and keep any paperwork after you pay the fees to prove to an officer that you still have a current license. The DMV is slow and sometimes they mistakenly suspend a person's license even after the payment of fees.
Lastly, CA has some nasty laws regarding driving without a valid license. You can be arrested or cited, and your car can be towed and held for 30 days. The fee for the tow and storage is frequently around $2000 depending on who/where it's towed.

My last little piece of advice- if you get a ticket, either pay it or go to court to dispute. Judges get a bit testy if you fail to appear in court and don't pay your fine. It's basically a slap in the face to them. Officers in my department are charged $500 if they willfully fail to appear for any subpoena of the court. That means I could write you a ticket, I could not show up, and I'd be the one coughing up $500 and your case would be dismissed. Judges are not to be messed with.

[scott715us]

A failure to pay (satisfy) citation in TN will automatically result in your license being suspended.

9 tickets in 3 weeks? Damn, I'm surprised you still have your license at all.

[mcsap]

Bench warrant here means you are going to see the judge RIGHT NOW and probably you will also be spending some quality time in a room without a view.

I suspect that most states are like this.

[Babysmamadrama]

Perhaps its a Lieu of Bail Hold?