What happens if you refuse to sign a traffic ticket? (2025 Driver Rights)
What happens if you refuse to sign a traffic ticket is at the ticketing officer's discretion, but it could result in an arrest. Your signature just acknowledges the traffic court date. You can contest the ticket in court to try and avoid a charge and higher auto insurance rates starting at $105/mo.
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Mary Martin
Published Legal Expert
Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...
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UPDATED: Dec 19, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.
We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.
UPDATED: Dec 19, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.
We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.
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What happens if you refuse to sign a traffic ticket depends on the officer, but the officer could take you into custody for failure to comply. Exercising your legal rights in traffic court is better than refusing to sign a ticket.
A traffic ticket is a notice issued by a law enforcement official to a motorist indicating that they have violated traffic laws. The traffic ticket contains an actual notice of a pending court date at which you must appear.
Keep reading to find out why you must sign for a speeding or traffic ticket, and if not signing a ticket is an arrestable offense. If your auto insurance rates have increased after a traffic ticket conviction, use our free quote tool to shop around for better rates.
- Not signing a ticket can lead to an arrest
- Signing a citation is acknowledging your court date
- You can contest the traffic ticket in court
Consequences of Refusal to Sign a Citation for Traffic Violation
Do you have to sign a traffic ticket? Traffic tickets are either citing a moving violation (such as exceeding the speed limit), or a non-moving violation, such as a parking violation, with the ticket, also being referred to as a parking citation or parking ticket.
By signing the traffic citation, you are providing an acknowledgment of receipt of the “notice to appear.” Since the officer is charging you with a violation of the law with a traffic citation ticket, he could take you into custody.
By signing the traffic ticket, you avoid being taken into custody at that time and are “released on your own recognizance” pending the court date in traffic court.
Learn More: Why is a traffic ticket treated differently than a civil matter by the court?
It is better to sign the traffic ticket and go about your business pending the court date. By signing the traffic ticket, you remain free and retain the right to show up at the hearing to contest the issuance of the citation or summons. So, if you don’t sign a ticket, what happens?
A person is free to refuse to sign the ticket; however, the police officer is then free to place them under arrest and take them into custody for refusing to sign a ticket.
So, if you’re wondering, “Do you have to sign traffic tickets?” the answer is that a person does not technically have to sign a traffic citation.
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So for those asking, can you go to jail for not signing a ticket, the answer is yes. It is best to sign a ticket and show up for your court date, as what happens if you don’t sign a citation could be jail time.
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Case Studies: Refusing to Sign Traffic Tickets
Below are some examples of when there is no signature on a speeding ticket and when a driver agrees to sign a traffic citation.
Case Study #1: John’s Refusal
Officer Smith pulled over John for exceeding the speed limit. When Officer Smith asked John to sign the traffic ticket, he refused, stating that he believed he was not guilty. Officer Smith informed John that his refusal could result in his arrest. John persisted in his refusal and was placed under arrest for noncompliance (Read More: Advice on Fighting a Speeding Ticket).
Case Study #2: Sarah’s Compliance
Sarah was stopped by Officer Johnson for a traffic violation. When Officer Johnson asked Sarah to sign the ticket, she complied without hesitation, acknowledging the notice to appear in court. By signing the ticket, Sarah avoided immediate arrest and was allowed to continue on her way until her scheduled court date.
Case Study #3: Mark’s Contestation
Mark received a traffic ticket from Officer Davis for a parking violation. Although Officer Davis requested Mark’s signature on the ticket, Mark decided to contest the citation issuance and refused to sign. Officer Davis, exercising his discretion, arrested Mark for his non-compliance.
As the case studies above show, it is in your best interest to sign a traffic ticket when pulled over, as what happens if you refuse to sign a traffic ticket is often worse than the traffic ticket itself. You can always contest it in court if you believe it was issued in error.
How Traffic Tickets Affect Auto Insurance Rates
While not signing a traffic ticket may be tempting to avoid fines and increased auto insurance rates, refusing to sign could lead to problems. Because what happens if you don’t sign the ticket issued by an officer is worse than the ticket, it is best to contest the issue in court to try and get the traffic ticket removed so that it doesn’t affect your auto insurance rates.
Read More: How does a moving violation affect car insurance?
How much will a traffic ticket affect auto rates? It depends partly on what company you are with, as you can see from the average rates below.
Monthly Minimum Rates for a Speeding Ticket by Insurance CompanyInsurance Company | Monthly Rate |
---|---|
$135 | |
$128 | |
$132 | |
$110 | |
$140 | |
$130 | |
$125 | |
$120 | |
$130 | |
$105 |
If you are unable to get the traffic ticket removed from your record in court, you can expect rates to be similar to the ones above. If your rates increase substantially, shopping around will usually help you find a cheaper rate.
Why You Should Always Sign Traffic Tickets
Now that you know what happens if I refuse to sign a ticket, if a police officer asks you to sign the ticket, whether it’s a red light ticket or a speeding ticket, you should do it (Learn More: Understanding Red Light Tickets). What happens if you don’t sign a ticket varies, but if you refuse, the officer can arrest you because you’re breaking the law.
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When you get a traffic ticket and sign it, it’s for your own good. So, if you’re wondering do you have to sign a ticket from a police officer or can you be arrested for refusing to sign a ticket, the answer is definitely yes to both.
Need to find cheaper auto insurance after a ticket? Compare rates with our free quote tool to find a better deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if you don’t sign the ticket issued by an officer?
Wondering do you have to sign a ticket from a cop? A person may lawfully refuse to sign a citation, which could lead to arrest for failure to comply. It is best to sign the traffic ticket and then fight it in court.
What happens if a cop doesn’t ask you to sign a ticket?
The officer may not need your signature on the ticket, or he may have forgotten. The traffic ticket is still valid whether or not you sign. You can fight the ticket in court to try and avoid increased auto insurance rates. Need to find cheap auto insurance after a ticket? Enter your ZIP in our free tool.
Can you be arrested for not signing a ticket?
If you are wondering can you get arrested for not signing a ticket, the answer is yes (Read More: What happens when you are arrested?).
Are you legally required to sign a ticket?
Can you refuse to sign a ticket? Yes, but since you are legally required to sign a ticket, refusing to sign could lead to charges.
Can you go to jail for refusing to sign a ticket?
Yes, you can go to jail for refusing to sign a ticket. So when it comes to do you have to sign a ticket, while you can refuse, it is not worth it.
What is the charge for not signing a ticket?
If you refuse to sign the ticket you can be arrested and will be charged with a misdemeanor in most cases (Learn More: What are Class A, B, and C misdemeanors?). So, if you are asking what happens if I don’t sign a traffic ticket, the consequences are not worth it.
Can you refuse to sign a ticket in Texas?
Curious do you have to sign a ticket in Texas? What happens if you don’t sign a citation in Texas is the same as in other states. You could be charged with a misdemeanor.
What states require you to sign a ticket?
All states require you to sign a ticket. However, the specific consequences and fines for what happens if you refuse to sign a citation may be different for different states.
Do you have to sign a ticket in Ohio?
Want to know can you refuse to sign a traffic ticket in Ohio? Yes, but what happens if you don’t sign a traffic ticket is the same as in all states. It is best to sign the ticket in Ohio, whether its a speeding or or failure to stop ticket (Read More: Best Car Insurance After a Speeding Ticket in Ohio).
Do you have to sign a speeding ticket?
The answer to do you have to sign a citation for speeding is the same as for all tickets and citations. You legally have to sign.
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Mary Martin
Published Legal Expert
Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...
Published Legal Expert
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.