Tickets, Fines and Collections
TEXT SCAM ALERT: We have been alerted that some members of the public are receiving text messages from phone numbers and emails claiming to be from the ‘Ontario Courts’. These text messages may include malicious links that could put your personal information at risk. Please note the Provincial Offences office will not contact you by text message. Do not click any suspicious links asking for ticket payment or personal information by text. To securely check the status of your ticket or pay a fine, please follow the instructions below or contact our office directly.
Our Provincial Offences office handles charges under the Provincial Offences Act and municipal by-laws.
Access remote proceedings
Use the meeting information below to access remote proceedings on Wednesdays and Fridays only (not for resolution meetings). For more information, please review the Ontario Court of Justice video court protocol.
Join by phone (toll-free): 1-855-703-8985
Meeting ID: 706 538 6964
Passcode: 830526
Participant ID: press #
Check the status of your ticket
Get information about tickets or fines, including how much you owe and where to pay:
Options for different types of tickets
The type of ticket you get impacts which options you have to pay or appeal it:
You need to choose one of the options found on your ticket within 15 days.
Option 1: Plead guilty – pay the whole fine
This is an admission of guilt. You must pay the ‘total payable’ in full. Once you pay, the conviction is on your driver’s record. This may include demerit points that go with some Highway Traffic Act offences.
You can also pay:
- In person
- By mail
- Over the phone with a Visa or MasterCard: 905-372-3329 ext. 5300
Option 2: Meeting with the Justice of the Peace
This is a plea of guilty. You will have a chance to discuss the length of time needed to pay the ticket but the demerit points, the charge and total cost stays the same. The Justice of the Peace will not reduce a ticket.
The Justice of the Peace will only accept a guilty plea and can give you a longer time to pay.
This option is available by appointment only.
Call 905-372-3329 ext. 5300 for the Justice of the Peace’s availability.
Option 3: Resolution meeting and/or trial option
You may speak to the prosecutor and discuss possible resolution(s) to potentially avoid trial. If an agreement is made, you and the prosecutor will go before the Justice of the Peace on a future date to record the agreement.
If you do not come to an agreement, a trial date will be set. If you choose to go to trial, you will receive your trial date by mail.
To choose this option:
- Sign under option 3
- Provide your telephone number and email (if available)
- Write trial or resolution on the ticket
- Mail, email or drop off your ticket to the Provincial Offences office
- If you choose to email the notice, please scan both sides of the ticket to be included in your email.
Provincial Offences Act staff are committed to providing a response within 48 hours of receipt or your message.
Parking tickets vary by municipality. Please read the instructions on the back of your ticket. Please contact the municipality that issued the ticket for information on how and where to pay.
We do not have access to your parking ticket information until the municipality notifies our court. This can take between 35-65 days after you receive the ticket.
An officer will issue a summons for more serious offences. It has no set fine amount. The summons notice includes a date, time and court location, you or your representative (lawyer or licensed paralegal) must appear for Court on the date, time and location indicated on the summons. Please note that there is no duty counsel provided for any Provincial Offence matters.
What to do if you can’t attend your summons date
In emergencies, you can send someone to appear for you. The person has to be at least 16 years old and needs your written consent. It is up to the court to approve a change of court date. A new date will be set if the adjournment is granted. If the adjournment request is denied, the court will address your matter in your absence.
If no one appears on your summons date, a trial date will be scheduled. You will not receive further notice. You do not need to be in court to be found guilty and sentenced. If no one attends, you must contact the Provincial Offences office to find out the outcome of your court appearance.
More information
If you have been convicted without a hearing* or after a trial, and have legal grounds**, you may file an appeal.
The fine must be paid in full prior to the court accepting the Appeal Application.
- If you are unable to pay the fine an “Application for an Extension of Time to Pay the fine Pending Appeal” must be applied for:
An Appeal Application must be filed within 30 days of your conviction being registered.
- If you are passed the 30 days for filing the Appeal Application, then you must file an “Extension of Time to Appeal”:
Transcripts
- If there was a Trial or a Courtroom hearing, transcripts must be ordered, paid for by the Appellant and distributed to Superior Court, the Prosecutor and a copy kept for the Appellant.
All completed Appeal Applications must be filed at the Superior Court, Appeals Divisions located at 860 William Street, Lower Level, Cobourg, ON.
* you may be eligible for a reopening.
** legal grounds – please obtain independent legal advice to determine if you have grounds to appeal.
Please refer to the Guide to Appeals in Provincial Offences for more information.
- Silence is required — all cellphones and tablets must be turned off.
- You may not use cameras, recording devices or phones.
- You may not eat, drink, chew gum or read newspapers in the courtroom.
- Please remove sunglasses and hats (excluding religious head coverings).
- Appropriate attire is required.
- Please stand if able when the Justice of the Peace addresses you, enters or leaves the courtroom.
- Please do not make noise, enter or leave the courtroom while the Justice of the Peace is speaking.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please note that we must be notified of an address change separately from changing your address at Service Ontario.
The Change of Address Form changes your address on active files in the Northumberland County region only.
What is a disclosure request?
Disclosure is a copy of the investigator’s notes or other evidence in the possession or control of the prosecutor for your charge. How you can request disclosure depends on the ticket you received.
Summons to Defendant – Disclosure request
A ‘Summons to Defendant’ is a legal document requiring the defendant to appear in court at a specific date, time and place.
If you received a ‘Summons to Defendant’ and require disclosure, please complete the Ministry of the Attorney General Disclosure Request Form and attach to an email with the following:
- Full name (as it appears on your driver’s license)
- Date of birth
- Driver license number
- Court location
- In the email subject line: “Please send disclosure”
Please send the email to ProvProsTriCountyPart3@Ontario.ca.
Offence Notice(s) – Disclosure request
An ‘Offence Notice’ is a legal charging document that requires the defendant to either pay the total amount of fine owing (option 1) or request a trial date (option 3).
If a trial date has been requested and disclosure is required, please complete the Northumberland County Disclosure Request Form and submit the completed form to poaprosecutors@northumberlandcounty.ca
Disclosure for By-law and Ministry Agencies
For charges such as Parking or Ministry of Transportation, contact the original agency who issued the ticket.
If you do not know which agency charged you, please contact the court office by calling 905-372-3329 ext. 5300 and we will provide you with that information
If you cannot pay your fine by the due date, you can apply for an extension. To do this, you must file a Motion for Extension of Time to Pay. You can submit this form in person or by mail or email.
Please ensure you provide an updated mailing address, email or telephone number on your form.
Failure to pay your fine by the due date can cause:
- Suspended driver’s license
- License plate denial
- Additional fees
- Collection agency assignment
Learn how you can reinstate a suspended driver’s licence.
For general information about the court process for provincial offences cases, please view the Guide for Defendants in Provincial Offences Cases.
- You have 15 days to apply for a reopening after becoming aware of the conviction.
- You must complete the reopening and then get it signed and stamped by a Commissioner of Oath.
- If your reopening is granted, you will be given a new resolution meeting date or a new trial date.
- If the reopening is not granted, the conviction will remain.
If you have misplaced your ticket, you can choose an option with the Replacement of Missing Offence Notice (Form 3)..
If you need help filling in the form, please call the office at 905-372-3329 ext. 5300.
The form can be submitted in-person or by email or mail.
Court Interpreters assist you with translation. All interpreter requests must be made 6 weeks in advance.
- For trials, indicate what language you need on your Notice of Intention to Appear.
- If you did not ask for an interpreter on the form you submitted, complete our Interpreter Request Form.
Electronic filing of Exhibits before trial
Prosecutors and defendants should e-mail their proposed Exhibits that need to be submitted for their trial to the POA Office no later than five business days before trial to the Trial Coordinator at poaexhibits@northumberland.ca.
E-mail format
Subject line in the following format: DEFENDANT LAST NAME, FIRST NAME, TRIAL DATE, TIME
Clearly name each attachment with description of content.
Maximum file size: 5MB
Preferred format for documents: PDF
Non-electronic filing before trial
Prosecutors and defendants unable to file proposed Exhibits electronically should file their materials by paper no later than 5 business days before trial.
Documents can be delivered in person or mailed to:
ATTN: Trial Coordinator
Provincial Offences-Lower Level
860 William St
Cobourg, ON
K9A 3A9
A transcript is a typed record of a court proceeding.
If you would like to order a transcript of a Court proceeding, please refer to the official transcriptionist directory for more information.
You have to pay a Victim Fine Surcharge on every fine except parking. The fee is added by the Province of Ontario. It is collected to help victims of crime. The amount varies based on the amount of your set fine.
Forms library
- Appeal Without Paying the Fine
- Change of Address Form
- Disclosure Request Form for Offence Notices (for traffic tickets)
- Extension of Time to Pay
- Extension of Time to Appeal
- Interpreter Request Form
- Replacement of Missing Offence Notice (Form 3)
- Notice of Appeal Part 1 and Part 2 (Offence Notice and Parking)
- Notice of Appeal Part 3 (Summons)
- Notice of Intention to Appear
- Notice of Motion
- Reopening Application