Example Declarations
Directions on how to use the templates below can be found here (click here).
21453: Automated Red-Light Enforcement Ticket
- Calculation shows light still yellow (best for violations of less than one second).
- Illegal speed trap argument (all red-light-camera tickets).
- Registered owner claims he is not the driver seen in photograph.
- Ticket arrives in mail 15 days or more after date of violation.
- (members only) Fifth Amendment (not self-incriminating) defense: “that’s not me in the photo”
- (members only) photo strategy for sending photos to the court
- (members only) Total Denial Defense: Obscured Face
- (members only) Total Denial Defense: Obscured Face (If there was a Passenger)
- (members only) You are the registered owner of car but clearly not the driver
- (members only) Driver a different gender than the person in the photo
- (members only) Defense combining Fifth Amendment (not self-incriminating) and obscured face arguments
- (members only) Were you cited driving a car you do not own? (Declaration of non-liability)
- (members only) Defense combining Fifth Amendment (not self-incriminating) and non-owner of cited vehicle
- (members only) Owner defense AFTER sending initial form identifying yourself as the driver
- (members only) Non-owner defense AFTER sending initial form identifying yourself as the driver
- (members only) Technical defense: inadequate signage leading up to intersection (requires homework)
- (members only) Technical defense: yellow light too short (requires homework)
- (members only) Question: In the “I wasn’t driving defense” can’t the judge ask you to identify who is driving? After all, it’s my car so I should know who’s driving it
- (members only) Question: Affidavit of Non-Liability: How do I claim not to be the driver in my TBD when the paperwork tells me to fill out the “affidavit of non-liability” if it’s not me driving?
21453: Failure to stop at a red light (police issued)
- 21453: Example one
- (members only) Failure to come to a complete stop for a right-turn on a red light
- (members only) Fifth Amendment (not self-incriminating) defense
23123: Cell-phone Ticket
- (members only) I was only checking the time on my cellphone
- (members only) Bluetooth phone: I was changing the music in my car
- (members only) Phone was in hands-free mode: I was dialing a number
- (members only) I had the phone in my lap – nowhere near my face
- (members only) Phone was in hands-free mode: Cellphone was in the cradle the whole time – I never touched my phone
- (members only) I was using the GPS function of my wireless device
21461(a): Failure to obey official traffic control devices / Violation of sign
21703: Following too closely (tail-gaiting)
22101: Disobeyed the directions of a sign or traffic control device
- (members only) Posted sign was not in my range of view or was too small
- (members only) Second right turn lane closed
- (members only) Did not follow posted sign to avoid an accident
- (members only) Posted sign has a limited time where it is legal to make a turn
- (members only) Ticket for violating CVC 22101 for making a U-turn
- (members only) Making a turn into or out of a private road or non-intersection (shopping district, gas station, home, etc.)
- (members only) Changing lanes across a solid white line
22102: U-Turn in a business district
- (members only) opening in road argument
- (members only) Area was not a business district argument
22348: Exceeding 100mph (2-point ticket)
- (members only) How to submit a trial by written declaration for a 22348
- (members only) “wobbler” plea bargain explained
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Going Opposite Direction
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Going Same Direction
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Parked on Side of Road
- (members only) Officer Pursuit WITHOUT Red Lights and a Siren
- (members only) Paced ticket with no police cruiser unit on ticket
22349(a): Maximum Speed Law (exceeding 65 MPH)
- Sped up Momentarily to Yield to Tailgater
- Speed Above 65mph was Safe for Conditions
- Speed of Traffic Made it Unsafe to Drive at 65mph
- Aircraft enforced, Illegal Speed Trap from Air
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Going Opposite Direction
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Going Same Direction
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Parked on Side of Road
- (members only) Officer Pursuit WITHOUT Red Lights and a Siren
- (members only) Paced ticket with no police cruiser unit on ticket
22349(b): Maximum Speed Law (exceeding 55 MPH)
- (members only) Road does not qualify as “divided” under 22349(b)
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Going Opposite Direction
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Going Same Direction
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Parked on Side of Road
- (members only) Officer Pursuit WITHOUT Red Lights and a Siren
- (members only) Paced ticket with no police cruiser unit on ticket
22350: Basic Speed Law (unsafe speed for conditions)
- Radar ticket. “Safe & reasonable speed” and “speed trap” argument.
- (members only) LASER / LiDAR ticket. “Safe & reasonable speed” and “speed trap” argument.
- Radar ticket. “Radar beam spread” argument (best for tickets of 10mph or less above limit in medium to heavy traffic).
- Radar ticket. Radar ticket in a school zone.
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Going Opposite Direction
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Going Same Direction
- (members only) Radar ticket. Cop Parked on Side of Road
- (members only) Officer Pursuit WITHOUT Red Lights and a Siren
- (members only) Paced ticket with no police cruiser unit on ticket
- (members only) updated “Speed Trap” defense combined with new radar technical defenses. It is for use in a 22350 case where radar is employed.
- (members only) Road conditions not listed
- (members only) Speed trap explanation
22356: Exceeding Posted Speed of 70 MPH (Aircraft Enforcement)
22450: Failure to Stop at Stop Sign
- Failure to stop “behind” limit line
- Failure to stop “long enough”
- (members only) Passenger witness statement
- (members only) Officer was hiding behind the corner
- (members only) Officer was distracted by giving out multiple citations to other drivers
- (members only) Officer was unsure if I stopped. I was pulled over several stops later.
- (members only) Taking the 5th, avoiding self-incrimination
22454: Passing a School Bus (Red Lights Flashing)
27315 Mandatory Seat Belt Law
- (members only) I was driving a pickup truck – officer could not see
- (members only) Tangled seat belt
- (members only) Un-did my seatbelt to get registration, officer thought I was not wearing seatbelt
2818: Crossing Electronic Beacon Flare or Cone Patterns
- (members only) Vehicle blocking view of the cones/flares
- (members only) New to / unfamiliar with, area
Parking tickets
Parking tickets are civil and not criminal, so a different set of rules apply for contesting – no declarations. Also, you are presumed guilty, not innocent, so the burden of proof is on you and it’s much higher. That said, I’ve beaten my own parking tickets with these examples below:
- (members only) Parking meter broken – gum in slot
- (members only) Sign obscured by a tree
- (members only) Sign too far to see
- (members only) Sign defaced by graffiti
- (members only) Sign knocked down
- (members only) Blocking access road
- (members only) Parked in red zone under burnt out street light
- (members only) Failing to cramp wheels to curb
- (members only) I do not own the vehicle
- (members only) Notice of delinquent parking violation – Example response
- (members only) Directions: How to file for informal and formal reviews
- (members only) Directions: Informal review and formal review templates
And lastly…
- The “Idiot’s” Five-Second Declaration for all violations
Don’t see your ticket?
Above, I have listed some of the declarations I have for the most common violations. I can’t list all of my declarations here: I literally have thousands of them, many each for every vehicle code in the book. I stopped adding my new declarations to the site in 2003, after they started appearing – unaltered and unedited – on competitor websites (the ones that charge you $200 to write the declaration for you – what a rip! Just write it yourself! It’s not rocket surgery!).
If you are looking for one in particular that you don’t see here and you’re a member, please email me with the members-only email address I sent you when you paid. If you’re not a member, this might be a good time to become one. :-).
Forms
- TR-205: Request for a Trial by Written Declaration (PDF)
- TR-220: Request for a New Trial (Trial de Novo)
- Discovery form
About Members-Only Declarations
Members-only declarations listed on this page are available on an individual basis by email only. There is no membership section where you log in to see members-only declarations.
If you are a paid member with a ticket of this type and violation, this declaration example can be emailed to you once I receive your membeship fee and one of us has had a chance to review your registration information. This can often take up to a day. Please be patient.
Also, we do not work at night. We have regular business hours just like everybody else. So, if you register at 11:00 PM, the soonest response you can expect is late morning the following day.
I have newer, updated versions of all the declarations on this page. (The old ones are still good but the new ones are better.)
If you are NOT a paid member, please support the site by becoming one. Paying your membership fee allows me to continue maintaining this website and helping unfairly ticketed motorists like you.
As a Ticket Assassin Member, your membership fee supports my website. As such, I will support and encourage your fight to win your case. My twenty years of experience in fighting traffic tickets is at your disposal, including ongoing research into contesting strategies.