Oh no! You have received a dreaded speeding ticket. in Massachusetts  You stick it over the visor in your car with the intent on sending it in right away.  But the days tick by, and soon you have passed by the 20 day window that you are given to appeal the ticket.  

A common question that arises with Massachusetts tickets is whether it is too late to fight the ticket.  Here is a breakdown of when you still have an opportunity to do so, and when it is too late.

1.  Within the 20 days to appeal the ticket- If you are within the 20 days after receipt of the ticket, you must sign the back, request a hearing, and send a check for $25.00 made payable to Mass DOT in order to get a hearing.  If you do this, the RMV will forward the ticket to the court, who will scheduled your hearing.

2. You pay the ticket within 20 days- If you pay the citation, unfortunately you have lost your right to appeal.  Paying the ticket is an admission of responsibility.  There is nothing you can do at this point.

3. You pass the 20 days and did nothing- In this case, it is possible to still appeal.  The RMV hearings officers have the discretion to manually enter in a request for an appeal.  You must wait until you receive a notice of suspension for payment default and go to see one of the hearings officers. The can enter the hearing request for you.

4. You received the notice of suspension and the suspension has started- Once the suspension has started the RMV hearings officers cannot enter the request for the hearing, so unfortunately you are out of luck.

5. You appealled the ticket, but missed the court date- In this situation, it is up to the clerk of courts in whichever court defaulted you.  You must file a motion with the clerk, who has the abilty to reschedule the hearing.

If you are fighting a speeding ticket, it is always a good idea to speak to an attorney familiar with the system.  Contact our office for a consultation.