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When A Citation is Satisfied

Reference Number: MTAS-313
Reviewed Date: 09/26/2025

When the Defendant Satisfies the Citation
If a defendant was suspended for a Failure to Appear, and they make full payment of the entire citation, or if they enter into a new payment plan as required by T.C.A. 55-50-502, the court shall notify the Department of Safety of the compliance.

This can be done by three methods:

  1. Department of Safety's Court Portal found at this link. https://dl.safety.tn.gov/CourtPortal/_/
  2. Third Party Court Docket Software system.
  3. Court Action Reports that can be mailed into the Department of Safety at the address on the back of the form.

If the Court Erroneously Reports a Failure to Appear

While it does not happen often, sometimes a court will submit a driver as a Failure to Appear when in fact the driver was present in court after all. The driver then receives the FTA letter discussed earlier and typically notifies the court of the mistake.

If a court erroneously reports a FTA to the Department of Safety, the court should notify the Department of the mistake by submitting an amended Court Action Report detailing the mistake. When a court informs the Department of Safety the FTA was submitted erroneously, the Department will waive the normal $65 reinstatement fee so the driver is not responsible for paying that to be reinstated.

This corrected Court Action Report should be submitted to the Department of Safety's Court Liaison. The phone number and email for the Court Liaison is not intended to be public, so please consult with the MTAS Municipal Court Specialist for the proper contact information for the Court Liaison.