I missed the traffic court hearing. Can I still dispute my ticket?

Last reviewed October 2025 by the Clicklaw editors

If you didn’t attend the hearing, the ticket will be considered “not disputed.” This means that the conviction will apply to your driving record and you’ll need to pay the full fine. If you had a good reason for missing the hearing, you can try requesting another one.

File an affidavit

The Offence Act says you can go before a justice to give a reason why you missed the hearing and request a new date. You do this by filing an affidavit at the registry of the provincial court where your ticket was set to be heard. The type of affidavit depends on how long ago the hearing was. (See sections 15 (9.1) and 16 (2) of the act.)

The forms can be found at Provincial violation ticket forms:

Your affidavit will be reviewed by the court. It’s a good idea to include supporting documents that show why you missed your hearing.

Challenge a denied application

If the application is denied, you can file for a judicial review of the court’s decision on your affidavit, which looks for errors in the decision. This review happens in Supreme Court. You may want to seek legal advice beforehand, as cases before Supreme Court are a long and formal process.

The Community Legal Assistance Society has a helpful guide on judicial review, written for those who are representing themselves (going through the process without a lawyer).

Helpful resources

  • Traffic Court Hearing (Provincial Court of British Columbia): Information about traffic ticket hearings, including tips on etiquette and what happens in the courtroom from when your name is called to when the decision is announced.
  • Motor Vehicle Violation Tickets (Law Students’ Legal Advice Program): This section from the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program Manual goes over how to prepare for traffic court, how to dispute your ticket, and what happens if you miss the court date.

Helpful services

  • Ticket information in BC (Government of British Columbia): Information about violation tickets, including traffic tickets, paying fines, and disputing tickets.