Municipal Traffic Court
The Pawtucket Municipal Court handles traffic and housing violations.
The Court is presided over by judges Judge Jack T. Gannon and Judge Patrick J. McBurney
Judge Jack Gannon
Judge Patrick J. McBurney
Contact Information
See Our Hours →
Location
Pawtucket City Hall,
137 Roosevelt Avenue
3rd Floor
Pawtucket, RI 02860
City Clerk/Probate Court – Rooms 300-302
Municipal Traffic Court FAQ's
Discover answers to the municipal traffic court’s most commonly asked questions.
Look at the ticket. There is a section near the bottom of the traffic ticket that states: hearing location. Some traffic tickets are adjudicated by the Pawtucket Municipal Court, while others are adjudicated by the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal in Cranston, Rhode Island. If the court location states Pawtucket Municipal Court, the ticket can be paid anytime prior to the court date listed on the ticket. You can pay the ticket in person, by mail, by credit card online at Pay Bill Online, or you can call our toll free number at 1-866-547-2312.
The hours for payment in person are:
- Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Thursdays 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
If the court location is R.I.T.T. (Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal) and there is a fine (amount) listed on the ticket, you have eighteen days from the date of the violation to pay it. You can pay the violation by mail following the instructions on the ticket or you can Pay Bill Online. If your ticket states “HEARING,” you cannot just pay the ticket; rather a hearing is required, and you MUST appear on the date/time listed. If you cannot appear at that date/time, you may call the court clerk to request an alternate date/time.
If you receive a “summons” to appear in District Court, the violation cannot be paid by mail and you must appear at the 6th District Court, One Dorrance Street, Providence, RI on the date and time listed on the ticket.
Court costs are $35.00.
Fines vary, depending on the offense. The amount of the fine is often stated on the ticket. Frequent fines are listed below. If you pay the fine directly without coming to court, no court costs are assessed. If you use the Court, Court costs of $35 will be assessed. The Municipal Court is funded, in part, by those who use it.
- GDS Dismissal:
- $25 + $35 court costs = $60
- Speeding, first offense:
- $96 + $35 court costs = $131
- Speeding, second offense within one year:
- $196 + $35 court costs = $231
- Stop Sign:
- $86 + $35 court costs = $121
- Inspection:
- $86 + $35 court costs = $121
[May be dismissed, if corrected in a timely fashion and if the violation has not been occurring for more than 3 months]
- Driving without Evidence of Registration:
- $86 + $35 court costs = $121
- Seat Belt violation:
- $41 + $35 court costs = $76
If you wish to contest a ticket, meaning that you feel you are not guilty of the violation, do not pay the ticket. Rather, please appear at the date/time and court location listed on your ticket. At that time, you may plead “not guilty” at the arraignment. If you are unable to appear on the date/time listed click here for directions on how to reschedule.
To reschedule your court date, please contact the court clerk will assist you in rescheduling your court date/time. The hours the clerks are available are:
Monday – Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
If you accidentally miss a court date or trial date, it is very important that you contact the Municipal Court Clerk as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may be found guilty by default. Your license may be suspended, and you may well incur substantial additional fines/costs. Call the Pawtucket Municipal Court Clerk at 401-727-9100, extension 739, 822 or 824 for advice about your situation.
If you receive a letter in the mail entitled “Warrant Squad,” it means that you failed to pay a parking ticket or another non-traffic related city ordinance (i.e. loud music, unlicensed dog, etc.), and the Police Department’s Warrant Squad is attempting to locate you. If you received such a letter, you must contact the Municipal Court at 401-727-9100, extensions 739, 822 or 824.
Please call:
Monday – Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
If you receive a letter in the mail entitled “Notice of Action,” it means you have failed to appear in court or you have failed to pay a fine for a traffic violation. If you received this letter, your license is about to be suspended. Please contact Municipal Court, as soon as possible, at 401-727-9100, extensions 739, 822 or 824.
Please call:
Monday – Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
All fines that are the subject of suspension notices must be paid in cash or with a bank check.
The City of Pawtucket conducts street sweeping/cleaning from April 1st to October 31st each year, excluding weekends & holidays. Sweeping is done for each street on the day of recycling pickup. On those days, all vehicles must be off of the street by 7am to enable the street sweeper to clean the street. Vehicles may be parked on the street on that day only after the Street Sweeper has cleaned the street. Please be advised that the police officer may be as much as 30 minutes behind the street sweeper.
Between December 1st and April 1st, the City of Pawtucket will declare a winter storm emergency if there is a prediction of two or more inches of snow. At that time, a parking ban will be put in effect on all city streets. The city will notify all city residents of the existence of the parking ban prior to its beginning. The fact of the parking ban will be posted on all local radio and television stations and on this website. You can also call the police station at 401-727-9100, extension 888 (the auto attendant) to check on a parking ban. Additionally, you can register to receive an automated call to your cell phone or land line, notifying you when the parking ban will go into effect and when it will end. You can register for this automated call service online through PawtucketPolice.com:CodeRed.
During a snow storm, the roads must be free of cars in order to facilitate plowing for the passage of emergency and regular vehicles. Cars that are unlawfully parked during a snow storm will be ticketed, and the Pawtucket City Council has set the fine at $100. If you are guilty of parking during a snow storm when parking has been banned, the Judge has no discretion regarding the fine set by the City Council. If you are guilty, you must pay the fine. Dismissals are granted only in very limited circumstances where the owner of a vehicle shows exigent circumstances or dire need.
Contact Pawtucket Traffic Division at 401-727-9100 extension 784 or 729, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday.
Contact Pawtucket Police Traffic Division at 401-727-9100 extension 729. Please call between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday.
Contact Pawtucket Police Traffic Division at 401-727-9100 extension 784 or 729. Please call between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday.
Contact Information
Numbers
Pawtucket Municipal Court clerk:
401-727-9100, extension 739, 822 or 824.
Location
121 Roosevelt Avenue,
Pawtucket, RI 02860
Get Directions →
Do I Qualify for the Good Driving Statute ?
- Rhode Island has a law called the “Good Driver’s Statute (GDS). The “Good Driver’s Statute states that if you have a good driving record in the last three (3) years, meaning you have no moving violations in the last three (3) years, you may qualify to have your ticket dismissed under the “Good Driver’s Statute”(GDS), To use the GDS, you must come to court for the court to review your driving record and determine whether you qualify. If you feel you are guilty of the traffic violation, you may plead guilty and request that your ticket be dismissed upon payment of a $25 surcharge and court costs of $35, for a total of $60. The $25 surcharge is substantially less expensive than the traffic tickets (usually, $85, $95 or more, in some cases).
- If you do not feel you are guilty of the traffic violation, you have the legal right to plead “not guilty.” If you plead “not guilty,” you will have a brief “pre-trial conference” with a Municipal Court employee to determine if there are extenuating circumstances such that the ticket can be adjudicated that day (at arraignment); otherwise, you will be given a trial date, at which time you may bring in any witnesses you may have. At that time, the officer you gave you the ticket will be present, along with any witnesses against you, and the court will hold a trial and do its best to render a fair and impartial decision.
- In order to qualify for the GDS, you must possess an active/valid license for the last (3) three years. Your record must be clear of any moving violations within the last (3) three years. If you have not had an active driver’s license for 3 years, but your record is clear of traffic violations, the Judge, at her/his discretion, may allow you to perform community service in exchange for a dismissal.
- Federal law prohibits dismissal under the “Good Driver’s Statute” (GDS) for those with a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Likewise, you cannot use the “Good Driver’s Statute (GDS) if the traffic ticket was issued in connection with an automobile accident.
- To determine your eligibility to use the “Good Driver’s Statute” (GDS), Pawtucket Municipal Court can obtain driving records from every state with the exception of Connecticut and Florida. Connecticut and Florida drivers must obtain their own driving records prior to their court date, if they wish to request consideration under the GDS.
Directions to Court
- The Pawtucket Municipal Court is located above the Pawtucket Police Station, 121 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI.
- From the North, take I-95 South to exit 29 “Downtown Pawtucket.” Turn right at the stop sign onto Fountain Street. Travel 0.2 miles and turn right onto Exchange Street. At the traffic light, turn left onto Roosevelt Avenue. The Pawtucket Police Station will be on your left. There is free public parking across the street.
- From the South, take I-95 North to exit 28 “School Street.” At the bottom of the exit ramp, turn left onto School Street. Follow School Street 0.2 miles to the end, and turn left onto Broadway. Turn immediately right onto Main Street, and then turn right at the first traffic light onto Roosevelt Avenue. The Pawtucket Police Station will be on your right. There is free public parking across the street.
- For GPS driving directions from Google Maps click here.