Philadelphia County Traffic Court
Philadelphia moving traffic citations are handled by the Philadelphia Municipal Court Traffic Division. The city traffic-ticket service states that the Traffic Division handles traffic tickets and hearings, and that a person must plead not guilty or guilty within 10 days of receiving a traffic ticket. It also states that parking, red-light camera, and speed-camera tickets are not processed by the Traffic Division.
That split is central to Philadelphia County traffic court records. A moving violation may have a court citation and hearing path. A parking or camera citation is an administrative matter handled through the Philadelphia Parking Authority. DUI and serious vehicle-related criminal charges may move into criminal court channels rather than staying as ordinary traffic citations.
The city pay a traffic ticket page explains the Traffic Division's role for moving violations.
Use that source first to avoid sending a court citation through a parking-ticket channel or treating a parking ticket as a Municipal Court case.
Philadelphia County Traffic Citation Search
PAePay is now the main official online payment and search channel for Philadelphia Municipal Court Traffic Division payments. The old Philadelphia payment page states that payments moved to the UJS portal starting January 23, 2025. For Philadelphia Traffic Division payments, PAePay instructs users to search by citation number or person and select Philadelphia Traffic Division as the court type.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search By | Radio | Yes | Docket Number, Payment Plan, Citation Number, Person, Organization. |
| Docket Number | Text | Required if selected | For court docket payment searches. |
| Payment Plan | Text | Required if selected | Payment plan lookup. |
| Last Name | Text | Required for person | Person search. |
| First Name | Text | Optional or query dependent | Narrows person search. |
| Zip Code | Text | Optional | Narrows person search. |
| Date of Birth | Date | Optional or likely required for person match | Narrows person search. |
| Citation Number | Text | Required if selected | Recommended for Philadelphia Traffic Division payment. |
| Offense Start / End Date | Date | Optional | Narrows citation or person search. |
| Court Type | Dropdown | Required for Philadelphia traffic | Select Philadelphia Traffic Division. |
The official PAePay portal is the statewide payment and traffic citation source used for Philadelphia Traffic Division matters.
PAePay is strongest when the citation number is available because name searches can return multiple matches.
The former Philadelphia Traffic Division payment page also documents the move to UJS payments.
That transition note is why the current search path should point users to PAePay rather than the old local payment page.
Philadelphia County Traffic Hearings
The First Judicial District also maintains a Traffic Division hearing list. It is a separate lookup from payment search and can be useful when the need is to confirm a hearing rather than pay an assessed amount. The field rules are simpler than PAePay and focus on last name, driver's license, or citation number.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Optional | Search by defendant last name. |
| Driver's License | Text | Optional | Example shown in research: PA12345678. |
| Citation Number | Text | Optional | Do not use dashes or spaces. |
| Search | Button | Yes | Returns the hearing list. |
The Traffic Division hearing list is the public source for hearing-list searches.
Hearing-list results should be read with the court's date-certain hearing rules in mind.
Pay or Contest Philadelphia County Ticket
Traffic Division cases require a plea within 10 days. The researched court guide says the Traffic Division is a limited-jurisdiction court for moving violation citations only, with documents filed at 800 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Hearings are date and time certain. If a person fails to appear, a trial may be held in absence.
- Determine whether the ticket is a moving violation or a parking, red-light camera, or speed-camera ticket.
- For moving traffic citations, use PAePay and choose Citation Number or Person with Court Type Philadelphia Traffic Division.
- Plead guilty and pay, or plead not guilty and request a hearing within 10 days.
- For hearings, use the Traffic Division hearing list by last name, driver's license, or citation number.
- If unable to pay after judgment, ask the Traffic Division about a monthly payment plan.
- To appeal, file a written appeal within 30 days at the Traffic Division and pay the required filing fee.
- For license, point, or suspension consequences, order the PennDOT driver record separately.
Continuance requests must be made in writing on the court-approved form. Appeals from Traffic Division decisions to the Court of Common Pleas are also written filings and must be filed at the Traffic Division after final order.
Philadelphia County Traffic Record Fields
A Philadelphia County traffic court record is a court file or payment/hearing record. It is not the same thing as a PennDOT driver abstract. The court file can be available for public inspection and copying at 800 Spring Garden Street, with a reasonable copy fee, while driver-history consequences are maintained by PennDOT after reports from courts and police.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Citation number | The traffic citation identifier used for lookup, payment, and hearing searches. |
| Defendant or driver name | The person named on the moving violation case. |
| Court type | Philadelphia Traffic Division for Municipal Court traffic citations. |
| Plea | Whether the person pleaded guilty or not guilty where the record shows it. |
| Hearing date | The date and time of the Traffic Division hearing when scheduled. |
| Disposition | The judgment, finding, dismissal, or other court outcome. |
| Fine, costs, or payment status | Amounts owed, paid, or linked to a payment plan when available. |
| Appeal entry | A written appeal to the Court of Common Pleas when filed. |
Traffic Court vs Driver Record
The court traffic record and the state driver record serve different purposes. A court record documents the citation case. A driver record documents license status, reported convictions, points, suspensions, and driver history. Paying a citation online does not provide a certified driver history, and a driver abstract does not replace a court docket or case file.
| Record | Held By | Shows | Does Not Replace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court traffic record | Philadelphia Municipal Court Traffic Division / UJS | Citation, plea, hearing, disposition, fine, costs, payment status, and court events. | PennDOT driver history. |
| Driver record | PennDOT | License status, reported convictions, points, suspensions, and driver history. | Court docket or case file. |
| Parking or camera record | Philadelphia Parking Authority | Parking, red-light camera, speed-camera ticket status and payment or dispute data. | Municipal Court moving-violation docket. |
The PennDOT request a copy of driver records page explains state driver-record access.
PennDOT records are the right source when the issue is license status, points, suspensions, or reported conviction history.
The PennDOT Individual Driver Records application is the online driver-history application referenced in the research.
Online driver-record access requires driver's license number, date of birth, last four digits of Social Security number, and credit card information.
Philadelphia County Traffic Limits
Parking, red-light camera, and speed-camera citations are handled through the Philadelphia Parking Authority, not the Municipal Court Traffic Division. PPA provides online, phone, mail, and in-person channels. The research identifies phone payment at 888-591-3636 and mail payments to Parking Violations Branch, P.O. Box 41818, Philadelphia, PA 19101-1818, with check or money order payable to City of Philadelphia and no cash by mail.
DUI and serious vehicle-related criminal cases should not be treated as ordinary traffic payment records. Those cases can move through criminal charging and docket channels, where the record may include arraignment, motions, plea, trial, sentence, and probation terms. For that case path, use Philadelphia County criminal court records rather than only PAePay.
Commercial drivers should also separate the court result from driver-history consequences. PennDOT receives reports from courts and police, and the driver record is the source for license status and reported convictions. A monthly payment plan can address money owed after judgment, but it does not itself answer driver-record consequences.
Philadelphia County Traffic Fees
The research identifies specific court-guide fees for some Traffic Division filings and confirms that copying the court file may involve a reasonable copy fee. It does not provide a full per-page copy schedule. Use only the located amounts below and confirm current totals with the Traffic Division before filing.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Notice of appeal to Court of Common Pleas | $35 per citation |
| Nunc pro tunc petition | $12.50 |
| Traffic Division court file copy | Reasonable copy fee, amount not specified in research |
| PennDOT online driver record | Ordered through PennDOT with required identity and payment inputs |
| Certified PennDOT driver record | Not available online per PennDOT FAQ; use in-person or mail Form DL-503 |
Note: A payment receipt, a Traffic Division court file, and a PennDOT driver record are three different records.