Drivers with unpaid DeKalb County traffic tickets must pay them at the DeKalb Recorders Court before the month of May is over. Starting last Monday, the county announced that people had 28 days to pay their fines or the county would move to suspend their license. The move is part of a crackdown on outstanding traffic citations by the county. Also starting Monday, the court will start instituting new fees, issuing warrants for unpaid tickets and sending information to the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

In January, Judge Nelly Withers became the chief judge of the DeKalb Recorders Court and has since been trying to turn the court around after years of mismanagement and corruption. The court handles more traffic tickets than any other court in Georgia, and the last item on her agenda is the backlog of 500,000 unpaid traffic tickets.

 

In April, the court offered an amnesty program, promising to reduce fees and fines on traffic tickets if people with outstanding citations came to court to pay them. About 5000 people took advantage of the program in April and the county brought in about $1 million in much-needed revenue.

Drivers going to the courthouse to pay fines should plan to spend hours in long lines. The county is serious about suspending licenses, but say they will send notice before they initiate a driver's license suspension. The crackdown, however, could generate extra points on driver's licenses, which means people who pay their fines could still be in danger of having their license suspended.

 

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