How to contest a traffic ticket in court in Puerto Rico

A Review Petition for a Traffic Administrative Violation is a civil, not criminal, proceeding in which whoever received a fine — the “parte recurrente” — asks the court to review the ticket. The case is filed against the Department of Transportation and Public Works, or against the municipality when the administrative violation is under a municipal ordinance. The whole process runs through the Tribunal Electrónico, with a request called “Revisión de multas administrativas y boletos de tránsito”. At the hearing the court hears the petitioner’s evidence under oath and then the sworn statement of the officer who issued the ticket. If the officer does not appear, the judge confirms they were properly summoned, hears the sworn evidence and issues a determination.

Any adult can bring a Review Petition under Ley 22, on their own or through a lawyer. The Judiciary’s page sets no further eligibility requirements; what the court does verify at the hearing is four things: that the review was filed on time, within 30 days of the fine being served; that the DTOP Secretary was notified within 5 days of the petition being filed; that the law-enforcement officer was summoned; and that the ticket was properly completed under Ley 22.

• Filing the petition within 30 days of the fine being served: the court verifies this at the hearing.Verified against the official source
• Notifying the petition to the DTOP Secretary, or to the municipality that issued the ticket, within 5 days of filing the petition.Verified against the official source
• Stating in the request the reason the review is being sought.Verified against the official source
• Identifying the vehicle: make, model, colour, plate and year, plus your driver’s licence number.Verified against the official source
• Including the place or municipality where the fine was issued, the date, and the officer’s identification: name, badge number and assigned station.Verified against the official source
• Presenting sufficient evidence at the hearing, through sworn testimony and documents where applicable, to support the grounds of the request.Verified against the official source

• A digital copy of the administrative fine or ticket: the Tribunal Electrónico lets you upload a photo of it.
• Any documents supporting the grounds of your request, where applicable, to present at the hearing.

1. 1

   Step 1: Count the 30 days from when you were served

   The deadline to file is 30 days from when the fine was served on you. It is not a suggestion: it is one of the four things the court verifies at the hearing. If it has lapsed, the petition will not help you and the route is to pay the ticket.

2. 2

   Step 2: Fill in the request on the Tribunal Electrónico

   File remotely through the Tribunal Electrónico, or with the technology available at the nearest courthouse during business hours. You complete the “Revisión de multas administrativas y boletos de tránsito” request, where you must state the reason you are seeking review and identify the vehicle — make, model, colour, plate, year — and your driver’s licence number. Also the place or municipality where the fine was issued, the date, and the officer’s name with badge number and assigned station. And you must upload a digital copy of the ticket: a photo works.

3. 3

   Step 3: Pay $6.00 per ticket

   Each fine you want reviewed carries a $6.00 internal revenue stamp, cancelled through the Tribunal Electrónico. If you have no credit card for the electronic payment, the case confirmation number lets you pay in person at the nearest courthouse, at the Superior Civil Clerk’s windows. You can also buy the stamps through Colecturía Digital or authorized providers, or send the fee by email or regular mail to the corresponding Clerk’s Office.

4. 4

   Step 4: Notify the DTOP or the municipality within 5 days

   This is the step that sinks the most cases. Once filed, you have 5 days from the filing to serve the request on the DTOP Secretary — or on the municipality that issued the ticket, if the violation was under a municipal ordinance. The court verifies it at the hearing. If you are unsure how to serve it, you can ask the staff at the corresponding court Clerk’s Office.

5. 5

   Step 5: The hearing: you first, the officer after

   You will be notified of the date and time of the hearing, which can be in person or by videoconference, and the court sets it within no more than 60 days. At the hearing you must present sufficient evidence through sworn testimony and documents, where applicable, to support the grounds of your request. Then the sworn statement of the officer who issued the ticket is heard. If the officer does not appear, the judge confirms they were properly summoned, hears the sworn evidence and issues a determination. Due process is guaranteed: proper notice, the chance to be heard and to examine the evidence against you. If you have a lawyer, they may cross-examine witnesses.

6. 6

   Step 6: The ruling

   If it is “no ha lugar”, the judge will tell you to pay the ticket at the DTOP or a collector’s office. If it is “ha lugar”, you are relieved of paying the ticket and the DTOP Secretary is ordered to cancel the lien created by the fine. The ruling can be given orally at the hearing or notified afterwards by email or postal mail, and the court issues a written resolution within 5 days of the hearing.

Through the Judiciary’s Tribunal Electrónico, or with the technology available at the nearest courthouse during business hours. To send the fee by mail, the Judiciary publishes one address per judicial region: sumacaguadilla@poderjudicial.pr, sumacaibonito@poderjudicial.pr, sumacarecibo@poderjudicial.pr, sumacbayamon@poderjudicial.pr, sumaccaguas@poderjudicial.pr, sumaccarolina@poderjudicial.pr, sumacfajardo@poderjudicial.pr, sumacguayama@poderjudicial.pr, sumachumacao@poderjudicial.pr, sumacmayaguez@poderjudicial.pr, sumacponce@poderjudicial.pr, sumacsanjuan@poderjudicial.pr and sumacutuado@poderjudicial.pr.

• Letting the 30 days from service of the fine lapse.
• Filing the petition and forgetting to notify the DTOP Secretary or the municipality within the following 5 days.
• Notifying the DTOP when the ticket came from a municipality under a municipal ordinance, or the reverse.
• Filing without the digital copy of the ticket, which is required.
• Leaving out the officer’s identification — name, badge number and station — that the request asks for.
• Paying a single $6.00 stamp when several tickets are being reviewed: it is $6.00 per fine.
• Not showing up at the hearing or arriving without evidence: the grounds must be supported by sworn testimony.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Poder Judicial de Puerto Rico

  Poder Judicial

  poderjudicial.pr

• Judiciary’s Tribunal Electrónico

  Poder Judicial

  poderjudicial.pr