Marin County Traffic School

Marin County covers the peninsula north of the Golden Gate, between the Pacific Ocean and San Pablo Bay, and its larger towns line up along one freeway. US 101 comes off the Golden Gate Bridge and runs north past Corte Madera and Larkspur, through San Rafael and Novato, to the Sonoma County line. Interstate 580 crosses the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge from the East Bay and ends at US 101 in San Rafael. West of the ridges, State Route 1 winds along the coast past Stinson Beach and Point Reyes Station. The Census Bureau counts 253,694 residents in the county's 11 cities and towns.

The California Office of Traffic Safety counted 1,323 people killed or injured in Marin County crashes in 2023, which ranks the county 49th of California's 58. In these rankings 1st is the worst result, so Marin's overall figure is one of the better ones. Two groups point the other way. Crashes killed or injured 28 bicyclists younger than 15, which puts Marin 1st in the state, and 18 pedestrians aged 65 or older, which ranks 2nd.

Marin County Superior Court hears traffic in one building, the Hall of Justice at the Marin County Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael. The DMV gives the county one traffic court code, 21420, so a ticket from Sausalito, Bolinas or Novato lands at the same Traffic Clerk's Office. The CHP's Marin Area serves the county, and a ticket a CHP officer writes on US 101 goes to this court just as one from a town police officer does. The Civic Center has three drive-through arches, and the court's FAQ sends visitors in through the lobby under the middle one.

If your courtesy notice offers traffic school, the court wants the full bail shown on it plus an administrative fee of its own, which it does not refund, and the school charges a separate fee. You can ask for traffic school on the court's website, through its automated line at (415) 448-8230 or at the Traffic Clerk's Office, and the back of the notice explains each way. The court sets your time to finish and counts it from the day it receives your payment. Miss the due date and the court reports the ticket to the DMV as a conviction and keeps the bail and fees you paid.

The courtesy notice can be slow to arrive, and you still have to contact the court by the date on your ticket. That date is not a court date but the day to act by. Parking tickets never reach the court, and the Marin Parking Authority handles them everywhere except San Rafael. When you finish traffic school, the school notifies the DMV and the court reads the completion from the DMV through a secure website. The court gives no time for that step, so keep your Mirai Traffic School confirmation until the court closes your case.