TRAFFIC CITATIONS:
If you desire to plead not guilty to a traffic citation, the hearing date is located on the bottom portion of the traffic citation. Traffic court is held every Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. at 391 S. Royal St. Jackson, TN 38301.
If the individual wishes to pay the traffic citation, he or she must telephone the City Court Clerk's office at 731.425.8292 to determine the amount of the fine.
If one desires to plead not guilty, or plead guilty and request going to a driving school, he/she must appear before the judge in City Court on the assigned court date. As a general rule, the judge will not allow anyone to go to a traffic school who has had a citation within the last year. If one has not had a citation in the last year, the judge will normally allow that person to go to a traffic safety course through the National Safety Council. The fee for that course is $50.00. It is run privately, and the school is on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings. If one goes to the traffic school, the fine would be paid as well, but the traffic ticket would not be sent to Nashville and it would not go on that person's driving record.
If one does not pay the traffic citation, that person is subject to being in contempt of court and is subject to having their license suspended. If the citation is not paid, the ticket will be sent to Nashville and that person's driver's license will be revoked.
If special arrangements to pay the ticket need to be made, the individual must come to court and consult with the judge.
DRIVERS LICENSE:
Often times, an individual's driver's license may be revoked without he or she knowing that it is revoked. A license may be revoked for the following reasons:
- Failure to satisfy a citation.
- Failure to file an accident report with the State of Tennessee, whether or not the individual is at fault.
- Failure to provide proof of insurance.
If one's license has been suspended or revoked, the individual must:
- Satisfy all outstanding citations;
- Obtain special insurance called a SR-22;
- Pay a reinstatement fee as determined by the State; and
- Take the driving test.
There are several ways to obtain information about the status of one's license:
- Contact can be made with the local testing center located at 100 Benchmark Drive, which is off Interstate 40 next to the Department of Transportation. (Take I-40 exit 76, Follow State Route 223, turn left on Lower Brownsville Road, and turn left onto Benchmark Drive). The center is open Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.. If one needs to take the test, one must be present by 4:45 p.m.. The address for the testing center is as follows:
Tennessee Driver Testing Center
100 Benchmark Drive
Jackson, Tennessee 38301
Telephone: 731.423.6623
If one has completed all that is necessary to obtain a license, he/she needs to telephone the center for an appointment to reinstate the license.
- One may also contact the drivers license personnel in Nashville at 615.741.3954. There is only one number for the entire State, and that number may be busy. It is advised to telephone that number early in the morning. You may also go to that center at 1150 Foster Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee 37249-1000.
- An individual may also go to the driver-testing center in Memphis. It is located at 6348 Summer Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee 38134.
- The Reinstatement of Drivers' Licenses can be obtained through:
Obion County Dept. of Safety
Reinstatement Driver Service Center
1604-B West Reelfoot Avenue
Union City, TN 38261
Phone: 731.884.2133
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m