After pleading not guilty, the SC court clerk will notify you of the date and time you need to return for a pre-trial hearing ORtrial before a judge (or jury if you request it). You may be required to post bond (i.e. pay your ticket fine), which will be returned to you if you win your case.

Keep in mind, if you miss your court date(s), you could face the following penalties:

Suspended driver's license.

Warrant for your arrest.

If you still have questions about when and how to plead not guilty, call the South Carolina court handling your case. Your traffic citation includes the name and contact information for the SC court you should get in touch with.

What Does It Mean to Plead Not Guilty?

Entering a “not guilty" plea essentially means you believe you are innocent of any charges against you, and you're accepting your right to prove so in court.

Before entering your plea, make sure that you:

Will make thetime to appear in court (possibly on multiple occasions).

Are aware you could face jail time if convicted of a serious charge, like DUI or DWI.

Understand points might be added to your record, and lead to a suspended license.

Fight Your SC Traffic Ticket in Court

The process for fighting your SC traffic ticket can differ from court to court, though generally the steps to formally contest your citation will include a:

Pre-trial hearing.

Trial before judge or jury.

You can only request a trial before a jury in writing before your assigned trial date.

PRIOR to your first court appearance, you may want to hire a traffic ticket attorney. If you opt to represent yourself, you should have some familiarity with the rules and proceduresof South Carolinatraffic court.

In some cases, the SC court may appoint you counsel if you can prove indigence. For more information, contact the court in charge of your traffic citation.

Pre-trial Hearing

If you're required to return for a pre-trial hearing, you (or your attorney) will meet with a South Carolina state prosecutor to try and reach a plea bargain. A plea bargain could require any of the following:

If a plea bargain isn't agreed upon, you'll need to go to trial and plead your case before a judge or jury.

Guilty Pleas Could Mean Higher Insurance!

Although you may receive a lighter sentence, pleading guilty to your traffic charges can raise your car insurance rates! Before you agree to a plea bargain, make sure you fully understand how pleading guilty to a traffic citation can affect your autoinsurancerates.

Trial

When you stand trial before a judge or jury, the process will typically follow this structure:

NOTE: Per federal law, if you hold a valid commercial driver license, you MUST notify your employer of any non-parking traffic violations within 30 days of conviction. You must also notify the Department of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of a conviction issued outside the jurisdiction.

Filing an Appeal in South Carolina

If you're found guilty, you have 10 days to file an appeal with the court to request that your traffic charges and sentence be overturned. For more information on filing an appeal, take a look at the South Carolina Court of Appeals' FAQ page.

Defend Your Record with Defensive Driving

You can ease the pain of a guilty verdict by completing a South Carolina defensive driving course. You may be able to reduce the amount of points added to your driving record AND become a better driver at the same time.

Not Guilty Verdict

If the judge or jury agree that you're not guilty of the traffic charges brought against you, then:

All traffic charges are dismissed.

No points are added to your driving record.

You won't have to pay any fines or endure any penalties.

Your car insurance rates won't increase.

At this point, it's very important that you check your driving record to make sure it accurately reflects your dismissal. If left unchecked, a driver history error could lead to massive fines and even license suspension.