Failure to Appear Status and Penalties
If you missed your court date for either a criminal or traffic citation, you are in failure to appear status and a bench warrant may be issued for your arrest. In addition, your driver’s license may be suspended (see additional circumstances below).
You may be able to avoid further penalties by scheduling an appearance before a judge at a Failure to Appear (FTA) hearing. Also, your driver’s license may be reinstated according to the following guidelines.
FTA Hearings
The court schedules FTA hearings on a first come-first serve basis. Since FTA hearings may not be scheduled every day (note: FTA hearings are not scheduled on Fridays), the number of defendants scheduled on a given day is limited. FTA cases are generally heard at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. If your case is in FTA status, you should contact the court for more information. The court is open to the public at 7:00 am.
Defendants wanting to appear on the 11:00 am FTA court docket should arrive no later than 10:00 am. Defendants wanting to appear on the 3:00 pm FTA court docket should arrive no later than 2:00 pm. Those arriving after the cut-off times or after the dockets have reached capacity will be scheduled for the next available FTA court session which may be the next day. For further assistance, please contact the court at (404) 658-6940.
Note: FTA hearings will not be scheduled on Fridays.
Suspension of license due to Failure to Appear (FTA) in Court
Georgia Code requires the following penalties for those failing to appear in court for traffic violations.
375-3-3-.12 Suspension of License for Failure to Appear
(a) Suspension. The Department shall suspend the driver's license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state of any person who has failed to respond to a citation to appear before a court of competent jurisdiction of this state or of any other state for a traffic violation other than a parking violation. The Department shall forthwith notify such person that his license is to be suspended subject to review as provided for by law.
If your license was suspended for failure to appear you must:
- Obtain a 912 license reinstatement form or clearance letter from the court.
- Take the 912 form or clearance letter to the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) to have your driving privileges reinstated. There will be an additional fee which is payable to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. Only the DDS can reinstate your driving privileges.
For more info on the Georgia Department of Driver Services:
Phone (678) 413-8400
www.dds.ga.gov