State of New York Non-Resident Violator Compact Notice of Failure to Comply

This is the title of a notice you may have received from the New York Department of Motor Vehicles. This means that according to a court in New York State, you are an out-of-state driver and failed to answer a traffic ticket by pleading guilty or not guilty. Alternatively, you failed to appear in court for a pretrial conference or trial. This notice should not be ignored. If you fail to comply with the court, the New York DMV will suspend your driving privileges in New York State. If you drive in New York with suspended privileges, you are subject to arrest and criminal charges. New York can legally do this to out-of-state motorists. New York State cannot suspend your out-of-state license but can suspend your New York privileges.

Even if you never drive in New York again, you are not in the clear, and should not ignore this notice. In most situations, your home state will suspend your license. There is a reciprocal agreement between most states to suspend the license of a motorist who fails to reply to a ticket in a sister state. We have found that the home state usually suspends the license a few months after New York suspends the New York driving privileges. We have also seen where the home state suspends years later.

If you receive this notice, it does not mean that you have to plead guilty to the violation. In fact, this is probably a bad idea. If you plead guilty to the New York violation it will likely show up on your out-of-state driving record. You may see points added to your record and you may see increases in your insurance rates.

The good news is that you can avoid a suspension and get your ticket reduced without having to leave your state. New York State law allows an attorney to go to court in the place of their client to handle a traffic ticket. This means you can stay home while your attorney answers the ticket for you, makes sure you do not get suspended, and works on getting your charges reduced or dismissed.

The attorneys at the Benjamin Goldman Law Office have handled this type of situation hundreds of times. We are confident that we can help you as well. Our firm practices throughout New York State. We can help in busy courts like in Brooklyn and rural courts like Wayland. Feel free to contact us to discuss your situation. Consultations are free.