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Central Violations Bureau / Federal Tickets

About Your Violation Notice

A violation notice or "ticket" is issued by a federal law enforcement officer for violations of certain federal laws and, if occurring on federal property, certain state laws. Violations include improper parking, illegal camping, speeding, civil disturbances, fish and wildlife infractions, and other offenses.

Violation notices are mailed by law enforcement to the Central Violations Bureau (CVB) for processing. CVB will mail you a Notice to Appear in court four (4) weeks prior to your court date. If you pay the citation amount as indicated on the notice before the court date, the case is closed. If you have not received a Notice to Appear within 45 days of your ticket, call CVB at 800-827-2982.

If you wish to protest your ticket and appear before a Magistrate Judge, you must come to court at the time and date indicated on your Notice to Appear.

Mandatory Appearance

If your citation is marked mandatory appearance you must appear before a US Magistrate Judge at the date, time and place indicated on your notice to appear. If you do not appear, a warrant for your arrest will be issued by the US Magistrate Judge.

Failure to Pay or Appear

If you fail to pay your fine or appear in court at the date and time scheduled for you, the US Magistrate Judge may issue a summons ordering your appearance or issue a warrant for your arrest.

If you are charged with a motor vehicle violation, the court may also report your failure to pay or appear to the DMV of your state, which may affect your driving and/or registration privileges. If you plead guilty to a traffic violation, points may be assessed against your driving record. An accumulation of points may result in the suspension of your license. Your license may also be suspended if you plead guilty or are found guilty of certain offenses under the vehicle code of your state. A driver's education course may be an option to prevent accumulating points or having your license suspended. If you are considering this option, call CVB at 800-827-2982 for further information.