New Ticket Process
Frequently Asked Questions

Recent amendments made to the Provincial Offences Procedure Act (POPA) have introduced a new ticket type, as well as a new process that removes uncontested POPA tickets from the courts. The new ticket type and process is being “phased in” over a period of time.  Effective March 2, 2020, only Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) POPA tickets will be issued using the new ticket type and follow the new dispute process.

The new MVA POPA ticket is called a violation ticket and it may be issued in electronic or manual form. Starting March 2, 2020, only the RCMP will issue MVA violation tickets electronically; other enforcement agencies (like municipal police) will issue these tickets manually.

NOTE:  Enforcement agencies (including the RCMP) will continue to manually issue the traditional POPA tickets (also known as P-tickets) for all non-MVA ticket offences, as well as youth MVA ticket offences.

The goal of the NB E-Ticketing initiative is to eventually have the majority of police forces able to issue electronic tickets for all eligible provincial offences.

What is the new ticket process?

If you receive a violation ticket (whether issued electronically or manually), you have three options:

1. Voluntarily pay the fine: You may voluntarily pay your ticket fine on or before the response due date indicated on the ticket that was issued to you. By paying the fine, you are voluntarily admitting guilt for the charge indicated on your ticket.
2. Dispute the ticket: You may complete a “Notice of Dispute” and file it with the NB provincial court indicated on your ticket on or before the ticket response due date. Provincial court staff will then schedule a court appearance and notify you of the date and time you must appear.
3. Do nothing: If you do not pay the fine on your ticket or file a Notice of Dispute with the court, by the ticket response due date, you are deemed convicted of the offence. You will receive a notice of your conviction indicating the fine that is owing and any consequences for non-payment.

What is the ticket response due date?

The response due date on your ticket is the date on or before which you must either pay your fine or file a Notice of Dispute. The response due date will be 45 days after the ticket was issued to you. The response due date may be adjusted at the time of issuance if it would fall on a weekend or statutory holiday; in that case your response due date will be the next day that is not a holiday or on a weekend.

A fine paid before the ticket response due date is considered a voluntary fine payment. Upon paying your fine, you are deemed convicted of the offence indicated on your ticket.

How long do I have to voluntarily pay the fine?

Your violation ticket will have a response due date, which will be 45 days from the date you were issued the ticket. You can voluntarily pay your fine within those 45 days (i.e. on or before your ticket’s response due date).

NOTE:  The response due date on your ticket may be adjusted at the time it is issued if the 45^th day would fall on a weekend or a statutory holiday; in that case the response due date will be the next day that is not on a weekend or a holiday.

Where do I pay the fine?

Fines may be paid:

1. In person at any Service New Brunswick centre
2. Online at www.snb.ca
3. By calling SNB Teleservices:  1-888-762-8600
4. By mail to:  Service New Brunswick, P.O. Box 1998, Fredericton NB  E3B 5G4.
   If you choose to mail your payment, you must mail it on or before the response due date on your ticket.

See Defaulted Fines for information related to payment of fines where the ticket response due date has elapsed.

You may complete a Notice of Dispute to indicate one of the following:

• you are pleading not guilty to the charge and are requesting a trial to contest your violation ticket; or
• you wish to plead guilty but are requesting a hearing to contest the imposition of the victim surcharge portion of the fine indicated on your violation ticket.

In either case, you must file the Notice of Dispute with the court indicated on your ticket. A Notice of Dispute form can be obtained from any provincial court or Service New Brunswick location, or online.

Once you have completed filling out the Notice of Dispute, you must file it by delivering it (by mail, email or fax, or in-person) to the court office on or before the ticket response due date (note that mailed notices must be postmarked on or before the response due date). Court staff will schedule a date and time for your trial/hearing.

How will I know when my trial/hearing is scheduled?

The Provincial Court will send you notification of the date and time scheduled for your hearing or trial, as the case may be. Section five of the Notice of Dispute form allows you to select your preferred form of communication to receive this notice (i.e. by mail, email or fax).

If the trial/hearing is rescheduled, provincial court staff will you of the new date and time.

What if I cannot attend my trial/hearing date?

You must notify the court before your scheduled date if you will be unable to attend. You should provide as much advanced notice as possible to allow time for court staff to notify the other parties involved (i.e. the prosecutor and the enforcement agency).

What if I missed my trial?

If you fail to appear for your trial or hearing, the judge may convict you in your absence. If that happens, you will receive a Notice of Default from the court, indicating the conviction, the amount of the fine imposed and the consequences for non-payment of a fine imposed.

If you have a valid reason why you failed to appear for your trial/hearing, you can request to have your conviction set aside by a judge. Contact the provincial court indicated on your ticket for more information for requesting to have a conviction set aside.

Can I appeal my conviction?

If you wish to appeal a conviction or sentence, you must file a notice of appeal within 30 days after the date of the conviction or sentence.

If you do not pay your fine or file a Notice of Dispute by the due date stated on your ticket, you will be deemed convicted of the offence and fined, and you will receive a Notice of Conviction by mail.

Expired tickets are sent to a central ticket processing office to be reviewed to confirm that the ticket is valid (i.e. complete). If the ticket is confirmed valid, you will receive a notice of your conviction, indicating the outstanding fine owing and the consequences for non-payment. Incomplete tickets will be cancelled and returned to the issuing enforcement agency and will not be subject to further prosecution.

Whether you are deemed convicted for failing to pay your fine or file a Notice of Dispute, or you were found guilty by a judge, you are considered “in default” and the fine imposed is due immediately. Depending on the amount of the fine, you will either have 90 days or 180 days to pay your fine (i.e. 90 days for fines less than $1200 and 180 days for fines of $1200 or more).

For motor vehicle-related in-default fines, you will have your driving privileges suspended if the fine is not paid within the required time.

Where can I pay my defaulted fine?

A defaulted fine may be paid in-person at any Service New Brunswick centre, or by mailing your payment to Service New Brunswick, P.O. Box 1998, Fredericton NB, E3B 5G4.