Where do I answer a Nassau County police ticket that is not going to a village court?
Most likely at the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, the TPVA, which has left its old Cooper Street building in Hempstead and now operates at 801 Axinn Avenue in Garden City. It is not a village justice court. The county created it in 1992 as an adjunct of the District Court to process traffic and parking infractions at volume: a county prosecutor negotiates and a Judicial Hearing Officer decides. Speeding tickets cannot simply be paid online, because the agency lists them as requiring an appearance. Settle on a strategy before the return date.
Nassau County TPVA
Address: 801 Axinn Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530
Phone: 516-572-2700
Email (general questions): TPVA.ASSIST@nassaucountyny.gov
Walk-in court hours: Weekdays, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 to 3:30 p.m., holidays excluded
Night court: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., usually the first and third Wednesdays of the month
Veterans Court Program: Third Thursday of each month at 2:00 p.m.
Who decides cases: Judicial Hearing Officers
Bring government-issued photo ID or security will not let you in, and dress conservatively, since a hearing officer can adjourn rather than hear someone considered inappropriately dressed.
Who Files Tickets With the Agency
The TPVA writes no tickets. It receives them, mostly from the Nassau County Police Department, whose eight precincts patrol the unincorporated hamlets of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay. A county officer’s stop in Levittown, Elmont or Hicksville will usually be returnable here. New York State Police troopers on the parkways also write tickets in the county, and the summons names the venue where you must answer.
A village with its own court, such as Freeport or Lawrence, keeps its tickets, and a criminal charge goes to the District Court in Hempstead. Since the agency cannot act until the police transmit a ticket, look yours up on the county portal first; if it is missing near the return date, mail a not guilty plea so a misfiled ticket cannot become a default.
Roads, Charges and Camera Notices
Hempstead Turnpike, Sunrise Highway, Jericho Turnpike, Old Country Road and Northern Boulevard generate red light, turning, lane change and handheld phone summonses all day, while the Southern State, Northern State, Meadowbrook and Wantagh parkways produce the speeding cases.
Two categories behave differently. Charges for driving uninsured, unregistered or unlicensed can be dismissed by mail with proof you were valid on the date of the stop, and certain equipment tickets are dismissed on timely proof of repair. Red light camera notices carry no points; after a November 2024 court decision the county set them at $50 without added fees, and the agency says camera fines cannot be reduced for a plea.
Three Bills From Three Different Offices
Three separate decision makers price a ticket here. The TPVA sets the court cost. Its published schedule, dated January 2017, lists many first-offense moving violations at a $200 fine plus an $88 state surcharge, and passing a red light at $338 in total. The county then adds a $55 Public Safety Fee and a $45 county Driver Responsibility Fee on any outcome except not guilty, with more for late answers and defaults.
The Department of Motor Vehicles prices the second bill and ignores what you paid the county. It records points: three for a red light or failure to yield, five for a handheld phone or texting, three to eleven for speeding. Six points within eighteen months brings a state Driver Responsibility Assessment of $100 a year for three years plus $25 a year per point above six, a separate charge from the similarly named county fee. Eleven points puts the license at risk.
Your insurer writes the third bill at renewal after reading your abstract, and it usually outweighs the other two. That is why a reduction to a lower-point or non-moving charge beats a smaller fine. If the court costs are a hardship, New York now allows interest-free installment plans; you apply in person to the hearing officer with a financial disclosure form.
How We Handle Nassau County TPVA Cases
We book the agency’s attorney appointments at least ten days ahead so files are ready, then meet the TPVA prosecutor with your abstract already reviewed and a target charge in mind, and any agreement goes to a Judicial Hearing Officer for approval. Without a fair offer, we try the case, where the ticketing officer testifies under oath and faces cross-examination.
For most traffic infractions we appear for you, so you keep your workday. If the stop also produced a misdemeanor such as DWI or aggravated unlicensed operation, that part belongs in District Court and may require your presence.
Drivers have given the firm more than 2,000 five-star reviews, and the first consultation is free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Nassau traffic agency still on Cooper Street in Hempstead?
No. The TPVA operates at 801 Axinn Avenue in Garden City, main line 516-572-2700. Older summonses and directory listings may still show the Hempstead address, so check before you drive.
Can I pay a Nassau County speeding ticket online and move on?
Not at the TPVA. Its fine schedule marks speeding charges as requiring a court appearance, and speeding is excluded from the plea bargain by mail program. Either you appear or a lawyer appears for you.
How does the plea bargain by mail program work?
You mail an application covering every ticket from the same stop. A TPVA prosecutor reviews your record and mails back an offer or a rejection; declining costs nothing extra, and an accepted offer still needs a hearing officer’s approval. Repeat charges within eighteen months, speeding and school bus passing are among the exclusions.
DMV says my license will be suspended over an unanswered TPVA ticket. What now?
Move before the date on the notice. The suspension starts at 12:01 a.m. that day, weekends and holidays included, and the agency suggests resolving things two weeks ahead. Once suspended, you must appear at the TPVA to lift it and pay a $70 state lift fee, and driving meanwhile risks a criminal charge.
What does the free case review cover?
We look at the charge, the issuing agency, your abstract and the likely prosecutor offer, then tell you whether fighting makes sense, at no cost. Call or text 646-397-9529.
Free Case Review
If your summons is returnable to the TPVA in Garden City, send it to us before you answer it. Call or text 646-397-9529, or use the form on this page, and we will review it for free.