Traffic tickets are very common in Loudoun County and many tickets can simply be prepaid. Prepayment of traffic violations is a guilty plea to the charge and it is wise to speak to a Loudoun County traffic lawyer first because there may be consequences that can be avoided. Many traffic violations carry DMV demerit points that can affect insurance rates, your driving record, and certain jobs. Loudoun County is the third-most populous County in Virginia and has many roads that are routinely patrolled by police. The Loudoun County Parkway, Route 28, Route 7, and the Dulles Toll Road are some of the major roads we see where people are issued traffic summonses by Loudoun County Sheriffs, State Troopers, and Dulles Toll Road Officers (MWAA).
We are in court everyday and would be happy to speak about your case. There are many things we can do to lessen the impact of the charge on your record. We offer a free consultation and can be reached at 703-273-4100 or you can use the contact form below.
The Loudoun County Traffic Court
When you receive a ticket from a Loudoun County Sheriff, Virginia State Trooper, Dulles Toll Road Officer, Town of Leesburg Police, Town of Middleburg Police, or Town of Purcellville Police, your case will be heard in the Loudoun County General District Court. The courthouse is located at 18 East Market Street Leesburg, VA 20176 and you will mostly likely be in either courtroom 1D or 2F. Your case will be heard at either 8:30am, 10:00am, or 1:30pm and you should arrive at least 20 minutes prior to your court time so you can get settled in. It should be noted that the Loudoun County Courthouse currently does not allow cellphones into the courthouse. If you bring your cellphone with you to court you will be asked the check your cellphone in a locker until conclusion of your case.
Once court starts the Judge will call the cases by officer. When your officer's name is called you will be called upon soon thereafter and should be ready. Once your case is called you will have the opportunity to enter a plea of guilty, no contest, or not guilty to the charge. Upon pleading guilty or not contest, the Judge will ask the officer for a brief statement of what happened. You will then have the opportunity to explain why you did what you did and provide any mitigation evidence you have prepared. The Judge will then hand down their sentence. Depending on the charge, a sentence may range from a reduction of the charge with a fine, a fine on the charge as it was written (no reduction of the charge), or a fine with some jail time and/or license suspension. If you plead not guilty, there will be a trial and you will need to convince the Judge you are not guilty of the charge.
If you have a Loudoun County Traffic Lawyer, the proceedings will be a bit different. We handle everything in front of the Judge and you won't need to do much. First, we speak to the prosecutor assigned to the case on the morning of your court date. We speak to the prosecutor because it gives us an opportunity to negotiate a plea agreement for your case. We negotiate a plea agreement because it avoids the uncertainty of trial and if we can achieve a better outcome than we would likely get in front of the Judge it is a win. If, however, the prosecutor does not offer a reduction of the charge or what we feel is better than a Judge would do in the case, pleading not guilty and having a trial is the more appropriate avenue.
Common Moving Violations in Loudoun County
Many traffic tickets issued in Loudoun County are moving violations and carry DMV points. If you prepay the ticket (if available) or are found guilty of the charge, the clerk's office sends an abstract of the conviction to the VA DMV where it is posted on the driving record and points are assessed according to the severity of the charge. The reason this can be a big deal is the DMV will tell your insurance company of your updated driving record upon request. In addition, if enough points are assessed in a short period of time, your driver's license can suspended for "excessive point accumulation."
Below is a list of the most common tickets we see and regularly represent clients for in Loudoun County:
3-Point Offenses:
- Speeding 1-9 mph over the posted speed limit
- Improper Lane Change
- Improper Turn
- Improper U-Turn
- Right or Left Turn on Red
- Driving without Lights
- Failure to Obey Highway Sign
- Stopping on a Highway
- Evading Traffic Control Device
- Driving without a License
- Texting While Driving
- Watching Television While Driving
4-Point Offenses:
- Speeding 10-19 mph over the posted speed limit
- Failure to yield right-of-way
- Following too closely
- Improper signal
- Disregard Crossing Guard
- Passing stopped school bus (non-reckless)
- Failure to obey traffic signal
6-Point Offenses:
- Speeding 20 mph or more over the speed limit
- Reckless Driving (such as):
- Failure to Yield to Emergency Vehicle
- Accidents
- High Speed
- Driving While License Suspended
- DUI/DWI
- Eluding
- Hit and Run
Defending Traffic Tickets in Loudoun County
When you receive a summons to appear in the Loudoun County Courthouse, we strongly recommend you speak to a Loudoun County traffic lawyer. Depending on the charge, driving record, and circumstances surrounding the charge, it is important to prepare properly. Many people believe that doing a driver improvement course for court is a good idea and they are correct. The case may also require additional mitigation such a speedometer calibration, community service, or providing documentation evidencing to the court how this ticket can negatively impact your job or life. In addition to mitigation, depending on the case, there may viable defenses to your ticket to have it dismissed completely.
You may not have to appear in Court in Loudoun County
Depending on the charge, we may be able to appear on your behalf for your court date so that you don't need to personally appear for court. This is on a case-by-case basis but is acceptable in many cases when we feel we can simply work the case out with a prosecutor. When we appear for our client's traffic case in the Loudoun Courthouse, we call the client from the courthouse to keep them apprised of how things are going. If what we have negotiated with the prosecutor is acceptable, we go before the Judge for entry of our plea agreement. If any issues arise or it appears we should have a trial, the case is rescheduled to a later date and our client will appear at that time.
Your Free Consultation and Final Thoughts
Anyone who received a traffic ticket in Loudoun County is offered a Free Consultation by us. Whether you are on the fence about prepaying a ticket and simply want more information or are looking to fight your ticket, we would be happy to discuss your available options. We are in court everyday and routinely appear in front of the same Judges and work with the same prosecutors. If you drive for a living and have a CDL or simply want to avoid insurance rate increases we can help.