Utah Criminal Defense Attorney in Salt Lake City
Will a traffic ticket be considered a probation violation in
Utah?
In most Utah criminal cases, a traffic ticket will not be considered a
probation violation. But the specific probation requirements imposed by
a judge will be different in each case. If a person is unsure of the
terms of probation, an experienced
criminal defense attorney can help.
Based in Salt Lake City, criminal lawyer Stephen Howard provides legal
services to clients throughout Utah.
Contact us today to arrange for a
confidential consultation.
Probation Conditions in Utah Criminal Cases
When a person is placed on probation in Utah, a nearly universal
condition imposed by judges will be that the person must violate
any state, local, or federal laws. Read literally, this could include
traffic tickets. Some judges will
specifically state that a minor traffic violation will not be treated
as a violation of probation. But even if it is not specifcally stated,
a traffic ticket will usually not trigger an order to show cause and
most
Utah judges will not revoke probation for a minor traffic violation.
Although
it is rare, Utah law does allow a judge to impose conditions of
probation that can include having no traffic violations while on
probation. If a person has a driving record with an excessive number of
traffic
violations, or if the present case involved both
traffic and criminal charges, a judge may be more likely to inlude
traffic violations in the conditions of probation. But in such circumstances, the
judge
can be expected to specifically state that minor traffic violations
will be considered probation violations.
A
DUI,
driving
with metabolite,
or
impaired driving charge will not be considered a minor traffic
violation by most Utah judges, and will likely result in an order to
show cause being issued. Driving on a suspended or revoked license,
driving without registration, or driving without insurance are also
likely to trigger an order to show cause.
Status of Traffic Tickets under Utah Law
It is surprising to many people to learn that Utah law classifies many
minor traffic violations as
misdemeanor offenses. Even a parking ticket
can be charged as a criminal misdemeanor.
While
most traffic citations will not appear on an official criminal history
report, court dockets and orders will often record minor traffic
offenses as misdemeanor convictions. Even if you are never required to
go to court, even if you resolve the case with a "voluntary bail
forfeiture" (paying the fine without admitting guilt), the case can
still be entered in the court records as a criminal conviction.
Finding a Utah Criminal Attorney in Salt Lake City

Based in
Salt
Lake City, criminal defense attorney Stephen Howard offers
legal services to clients throughout Utah. He has extensive
experience defending
probation
violations and orders to show cause. His
track record
in defending
felony and misdemeanor includes not guilty verdicts, dismissals, and
appellate reversals in some of the most serious charges on the books in
Utah.
If you are facing an order to show cause for a probation violation, or
if you have a pending criminal charge,
contact
us now to schedule an initial consultation with
Utah criminal defense lawyer
Stephen Howard.
RELATED QUESTIONS:
Is there a time limit on when a probation violation can be filed?How do I get a 402 reduction after I complete probation?Can probation be terminated early?