For general information on your SOT, instructions on how to file a Notice of Intent, and information on payments, please refer to the menu at the left.
In most instances, you will have been convicted in your absence and you will receive a notice of conviction by mail showing the fine you must pay, default time, and a date on which the fine must be paid.
Your fine may be sent to another government department for collection. If you were convicted of any motor vehicle related offence, the Registry of Motor Vehicles may refuse to renew your driver’s license or vehicle permit, or to provide you with any other service, until the fine is paid. Also, they will charge you an additional fee to regain that privilege.
You should speak to a lawyer about this.You can attend court and explain it wasn’t you, plead not guilty, and prepare for a trial. If you find out about it after a conviction has been entered in your absence and you have received a notice of conviction, you can apply to the court to have the conviction set aside. A trial date may then be given to you.
None. Paying the fine is an admission of guilt to the offence that was charged on the ticket. The judge will not see your letter. It will not be kept in a file. If you do not wish to be found guilty of the offence charged on your summary offence ticket, you should plead not guilty and go to trial.
Contact the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Their general inquiries phone number can be found in the blue pages of your telephone book, or visit the Registry of Motor Vehicles web site.
A Fine Option Program (FOP) is available for some summary offences. Contact the Fine Option Program coordinator and ask if you are eligible to participate in that program. Note that offences under the Motor Vehicle Act are not eligible for this program. The Halifax telephone number is 424-8297. The Nova Scotia toll free number is 1-866-443–6995.
The judge may grant adjournments for valid reasons, particularly when you apply for such an adjournment well before the trial date. Call your local provincial court administration office at the address on the ticket and explain your situation.
Within 60 days of your conviction date, you may visit the court of jurisdiction's administrative office and ask that your conviction be struck. A Justice of the Peace will strike your conviction, provide you with a certificate, and a trial date at which you can now appear to contest the ticket.
Beyond 60 days of your conviction date, you may also visit the administrative office and request a hearing before a Provincial Court Judge with regard to your ticket, but in this case, an application fee will apply.