If you wish to plead guilty or nolo contendere for most Municipal Court cases, your fine could be up to $1000 plus surcharges, and you could be subject to serve up to 12 months (state law violations) or six (6) months (local ordinance violations) in jail or on probation.  

If you are sentenced to probation, you may also be required to pay a monthly probation supervision fee.   

Pleading Guilty to a Traffic Offense

If you plead guilty to a traffic offense, points may be assessed on your driver’s license.  

A guilty plea to a moving violation will be reported to the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) as required by law, and the guilty plea will appear on your driving record.

Pleading Nolo Contendere to a Traffic Offense

You may plead nolo contendere (no contest) to a traffic offense, but only if you have not entered a nolo contendere plea to another traffic offense in the last five (5) years.  Whether to accept a nolo contendere plea is in the discretion of the Municipal Court Judge.

A nolo contendere plea to a moving violation will be reported to the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) as required by law, and the nolo contendere plea will appear on your driving record.  The difference between a nolo contendere plea and a guilty plea is that a nolo contendere plea does not result in points against your driver’s license.

However, since you are allowed only one nolo contendere plea every five (5) years, if you plead nolo contendere to this citation and you have another nolo contendere on your record from the last five (5) years, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) will consider this nolo contendere plea a guilty plea and points may be assessed against your driver’s license.  

Remember:   If you enter a nolo contendere plea, you cannot plea nolo contendere again to a traffic violation for the next five (5) years.