Raleigh Traffic Court

I recently had to show my new driver's license to the "disposition court" here in Raleigh, NC because of a speeding ticket. I normally would have been able to pay by mail but when the motorcycle cop pulled me that morning on the way to work I still had my Kentucky license.

So this site is a little bit about my experience paying for this ticket in disposition court, because I found that the process through which you're supposed to go is basically undocumented and it seems people learned about the various lines they had to go through by observation and asking others what the hell was going on.

I consider this a living document, so feel free to email me at gfrench at gmail dot com if you'd like to add any details to the process I've described here.

Step One: Find Your Name

First off you have to look on one of four pieces of paper. As the disposition court opens at 7:45 am and most people have to work there are lots of people there in the morning in the enormous lines. You may have to elbow past them. Actually a simple "excuse me" is plenty, as there is a certain camaraderie amongst those waiting in line.

So each of the four sheets of paper shows names that correspond with one of four of the courts. That's 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d. I was on the 2a list, which is where the names most of the people who have, I suspect, minor law violations, appear.

You're probably on 2a. Unless you've done something wretched. The good news is that if you're in 2b, 2c, or 2d you can go directly into your courtroom and you don't have to wait in line. You might possibly want to wait in line though, as there's a good chance if you're in any of the other 2's that you had to hire a lawyer.

So once you're sure you're on 2a you have to find the end of the line.

Step 2: Find the End of the Line

This sounds easy I'm sure. It's not. The line, especially early on, winds around the full length of the square hall. There's an elevator shaft in the middle of the building, and a hall way that wraps it, wide enough for perhaps 3 or so to walk abreast if they're skinny like me.

I walked around the hall way 3 times looking for the end of the line. It seemed like a perfectly endless line, like that snake biting its tail. I found what I thought was the end and tried to camp out there. The guy kept telling me, "this is not the end of the line," and I all but swore that it was.

But soon there was a guy behind me, and several more people behind him, and I saw that he was upset and knew I had cut him. Luckily I saw that he was practically at the end of the line and I could only barely hear the people I'd just told they were at the end of the line laughing.

Step 3: Wait in Line and Direct Others

The line moved fairly briskly. 2a, the courtroom I was scheduled for, was actually this kiosk right there where the elevators opened. That's what most people in the line were waiting for. Well, that's what all of them were waiting for. To talk to one of the two women there taking information. I never saw a judge, that I know of.

And if you have the chance direct one of those poor people wandering around... there's a good chance they have no idea what's going on. Remember, we're all in this together.

General Tips:

Bring cash or a cashier's check. There's an ATM machine on the 6th floor in case you forget.

Consider going in around 9. Yes you'll be late for work, but the line was about 1/20th its 8 o'clock length.

I found on street parking thank goodness.

Directions to the Wake County Court House

For some reason I had lots of trouble finding directions.

(from the site)
The Wake County Courthouse is located at 316 Fayetteville Street Mall in downtown Raleigh, three blocks South of the Capitol. Directly across from the Salisbury Street (rear) courthouse entrance is the Wake County Parking Deck; this parking deck fills up early on weekdays, typically by 8:30 a.m., however some parking is usually available during the day.

Again, here's the mapquest link.