Browse frequently asked questions about paying your federal ticket and navigating federal court.
Paying a Ticket FAQs
The Central Violations Bureau (CVB) processes violation notices from thousands of places across the United States and its territories. Most tickets will be received by CVB within 45 days of issuance. However, there are occasions when tickets are delayed. If you intend to pay the violation notice online or by mail, you do not need to wait for the violation notice to be processed by CVB. You may pay the ticket now and it will reconcile once CVB receives the ticket.
If you intend to contest the ticket, CVB will schedule the case for court after they receive the ticket and if a court date and time was not assigned by the officer when the ticket was issued.
Yes, there is a $53 fee for payments returned (e.g. check nonsufficient funds) or reversed (e.g. credit card chargeback) to the Central Violations Bureau. See the District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule for a detailed list of fees. Additional bank fees may apply depending on your financial institution.
All payments must be received on or before the scheduled court date that is either printed on your ticket or mailed to you by the Central Violations Bureau.
If you fail to pay your ticket or appear in court on the date and time scheduled, the U.S. District Court may issue a summons ordering you to appear 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 your state's motor vehicle or driver-licensing agency, which may affect your driving privileges, your vehicle registration, or both.
Contact the Central Violations Bureau by calling 800-827-2982. Use option 4 to hear an automated recording with the status of your ticket or press 0 to speak to a customer service representative to confirm you don’t have to appear.
The court will be notified of your payment. You do not have to appear in court.
Defendants must submit a letter of request along with a refund form to receive a refund for payments made to the Central Violations Bureau. The request cannot be processed without both a letter of request and form.
- Fill out the refund form (PDF) online.
- Print a copy of your completed form. If you fill out the form by hand, please print legibly.
- Return the letter and form by mail or fax.
Incomplete or illegible forms may not be processed.
Returning the form by email is not advised since the request includes your sensitive information. If a defendant chooses to return the form by email, it must be in PDF format, a .jpg or other picture format is not accepted.
Please allow 4-6 weeks for payment processing. In most cases refunds will be issued via electronic funds transfer. The refund will appear as a credit to your checking or savings account.
Visit the U.S. Treasury website for information regarding the purpose of the refund form and the process for refunding you. U.S. Treasury manages the disbursement process. Please note that U.S. Treasury will see if you owe other money to the United States before a refund is issued. See: 26 U.S.C. 6402(d), 31 U.S.C. 3716(c), 31 U.S.C. 3720A.
The CVB can provide a copy of the violation notice including the probable cause statement. Please allow 45 days from the date the ticket was issued for the CVB to receive a copy of the ticket from the law enforcement agency. To obtain a copy, please contact CVB.
Appearing in Court FAQs
Yes, unless you receive guidance from the court instructing you otherwise.
Please appear on your scheduled court date to make any special requests.
Yes, appearance in court is mandatory. You will be notified by the Central Violations Bureau of your court date by mail. You will receive a Notice to Appear usually within four to eight weeks after the ticket was issued.
Please appear on your scheduled court date to make any special requests.
You will receive a Notice to Appear from the Central Violations Bureau usually within four to eight weeks after the ticket was issued. This notice will include your court date.
Unpaid fines are subject to delinquency and default fees (see 18 U.S. Code § 3612 ). Interest also will accrue on fines in excess of $2,500. In addition, fines in default will be transferred to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) for collection per the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996. Treasury will attempt to collect the debt by mail, private collection agency, credit bureau reporting, wage garnishment and/or tax refund offset. Treasury will add additional fees to the amount due.
A driver education course may be an option to dispose of your violation notice. However, not all jurisdictions offer this option. If you are interested in this, contact the Central Violations Bureau for more information prior to paying your ticket or appearing on your scheduled court date to make the request.
Contact the Central Violations Bureau by calling 800-827-2982. Use option 4 to hear an automated recording with the status of your ticket 24 hours a day or press 0 to speak with a customer service representative during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time.
General FAQs
Funds collected from the payment of violation notices are deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. The Crime Victims Fund was established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 and is a major funding source for victim services throughout the country. For more information about the Crime Victims Fund and how the funds are disbursed, visit the Office for Victims of Crime website. The $30 processing fee is used to offset court costs.
You may obtain a copy of the statement by calling 800-827-2982 or submitting a written request to the Central Violations Bureau through email, fax or mail. The request must contain the CVB Location Code, Violation Number, defendant name, and contact phone number. Any information missing will delay the request. Please allow 45 days from the date the ticket was issued for the CVB to receive a copy of the ticket from the law enforcement agency.
Email: info@cvb.uscourts.gov
Fax: (210) 301-6401
Mail:
Central Violations Bureau
P.O. Box 780549
San Antonio, TX 78278-0549
The CVB reports paid violation notices for moving offenses (e.g. speeding or running a stop sign) to the driver’s state of record for many jurisdictions. To understand the consequences of a moving conviction on your driving record, please contact your state’s licensing authority prior to paying the violation notice. The CVB cannot provide information related to the amount of points a state licensing authority may apply for a conviction.
Use the U.S. Courts Federal Court Finder to find location and contact information for each district court.
All releases are processed automatically once a fine is paid in full or the case is dismissed. They are processed in accordance with the policies of the Department of Motor Vehicles of your state and may require several weeks to become effective. There is no additional fee assessed by the Central Violations Bureau to issue a release.
If the ticket you received says “U.S. District Court Violation Notice” across the top, then you received a federal ticket. Federal tickets are issued by law enforcement personnel from agencies such as the U.S. Park Police, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Department of Defense Police, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Provost Marshal, Airforce, Marines & Navy Security Forces, U.S. Postal Police, U.S. Customs, U.S. Border Patrol, and V.A. Police.
This site allows online payments of federal tickets only, not tickets issued by state or local jurisdictions.
The Central Violations Bureau (CVB) is a national center responsible for processing violation notices (tickets) issued and payments received for petty offenses committed on federal property. This includes violations that occur on federal property such as:
- federal buildings,
- national parks,
- military installations,
- post offices,
- Veteran Affairs medical centers,
- national wildlife refuges, and
- national forests.
CVB also processes tickets for violations of federal law that occur outside federal property. For example, migratory bird offenses that occur on private property.
Submit address change requests in writing to the Central Violations Bureau.
Fax: 210-301-6401
Email: info@cvb.uscourts.gov
Mail:
Central Violations Bureau
P.O. Box 780549
San Antonio, TX 78278-0549
Include your name, location code, violation number and current contact information (phone and email) in your request. Filing a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service is not sufficient.
Yes. Some people are being targeted with bogus text messages for failing to pay a federal ticket. Recipients who have never received a violation notice from federal law enforcement are pressured to click a link to pay a ticket potentially leading to identity theft and fraud. These texts are fraudulent and are not connected with the U.S. Courts.
Please note that if you received a federal ticket and it remains unanswered after your scheduled date in court, a U.S. Marshal may contact you by telephone. The U.S. Marshal will direct you to the U.S. District Court to either appear or pay. You will be directed to pay online via this website or mail a payment directly to the Central Violations Bureau. Persons receiving the bogus text message are advised not to click the link. Recipients should delete the text and report it to their carrier as a scam.
If you have questions about this notice or a federal ticket, please contact the Central Violation Bureau.