Tickets in COMPASS - FAQs

How is the information found in the Tickets in COMPASS product different from the information that I already have access to through COMPASS?

The information currently available to District Attorneys and Courts only includes conviction data. District Attorneys and Courts do not currently have information about the original charge and the conviction.

What tickets are included in the Tickets in COMPASS product?

Tickets in COMPASS provides a 10 year look back on an individual’s ticket history. Tickets in COMPASS only includes tickets where the originating charge is:

  • A point bearing violation,
  • A drug or alcohol driving-related offense, or
  • An aggravated unlicensed operation offense.

Moreover, a ticket only displays if the disposition for the ticket is:

  • Guilty (either for the original charge or for a lesser charge),
  • Covered by another ticket, or
  • Pending (which includes an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal).


What tickets are not included in the Tickets in COMPASS product?

Tickets where the charge was dismissed or disposed of as a youthful offender are not included. Please also note that ticket information provided by Tickets in COMPASS reflects the current records of the DMV, which are dependent upon reporting by law enforcement and the court system, and may not be the complete or accurate representation of the status of the final disposition of any charge or violation. Since the New York City Criminal Courts do not report arrests to the DMV, arrests and dispositions from these courts are not displayed.


Who may have access to the Tickets in COMPASS product?

Access to Tickets in COMPASS is restricted to Courts, District Attorneys, paralegals and investigators working under the supervision and control of such Offices and also to other prosecutors authorized by a District Attorney’s Office to prosecute traffic tickets.

Are there any terms of use that Tickets in COMPASS users must comply with?

Yes. DMV may terminate access to Tickets in COMPASS at any time, without prior notice, in the event of any unauthorized access or misuse of the information provided by Tickets in COMPASS.

  1. The individual that signs the agreement is responsible for ensuring compliance with the terms of Tickets in COMPASS by individuals that they designate as authorized users.

  2. The Tickets in COMPASS function must only be used in conjunction with the prosecution of traffic tickets.

  3. User access credentials must not be shared with anyone.

  4. Users may only access personal information contained in the Tickets in COMPASS function in conformance with the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994 (DPPA) (18 U.S.C. §2721, et seq.). Users must report suspected or confirmed violations of the DPPA to the DMV Information Security Office, within one (1) business day of discovering any such violation:

  5. Users must agree to indemnify, keep and hold harmless the State of New York, its agents, officials and employees, from any and all claims for injury or damage to person or property, deaths, losses, damages, suits directly attributed to the negligent, improper or unauthorized use or dissemination of personal identifying information provided hereunder.

  6. Record keeping:

    • Users must maintain records of searches made using the Tickets in COMPASS function for 5 years from the date the search was conducted.

    • Records of searches conducted must be promptly provided to DMV upon request.

    • Records must be organized to permit retrieval by the license number of the subject of the search.


How are tickets displayed in the Tickets in COMPASS product?

Tickets included in Tickets in COMPASS are displayed in order by most recent violation date first to oldest violation date last. If there aren’t any points associated with the disposition there will be a blank value for points. The points listed are always the points associated with the disposition. Also, the "Tickets" section will not appear in a license record for a motorist who does not have any tickets that fall within the criteria for display.

Each ticket listed in the ‘Tickets’ section displays the following information:

Ticket - This is the number on the ticket that was issued to the motorist.

Charge - This is the description for the original violation cited on the ticket.

Disposition – This is the description of the violation for which the motorist is convicted.

Disposition Displays:

  1. If a ticket is pending in a court, including tickets Adjourned in Contemplation of Dismissal (ACOD), this field displays "PENDING". If a "PENDING" ticket results in a disposition of "NOT GUILTY" or "DISMISSED", all originating ticket information for that ticket is removed from the system and will no longer display.

  2. If a ticket is pending in a court, and bail has been forfeited, this field displays "PENDING/BAIL FORFEITED". If a "PENDING/BAIL FORFEITED" ticket results in a disposition of "NOT GUILTY" or "DISMISSED", all originating ticket information for that ticket is removed from the system and will no longer display.

  3. If the ticket is combined with and covered by another ticket, the disposition displays "COVERED BY ANOTHER TICKET".

  4. If the ticket results in a conviction, the description of the violation for which the motorist is convicted displays, whether this is the same violation as the originating charge or a different violation. If the disposition is for a different violation, the description of the violation is displayed, unless the violation is a local ordinance. In this case, the disposition displays as "LOCAL ORDINANCE".

Please note, that when the disposition displays as "PENDING" or "PENDING/BAIL FORFEITED", the "POINTS" field does not display.

Court – This is the name of the court where the ticket is or was returnable.

Violation Date – This is the date when the violation occurred and the ticket was issued.

Disposition Date – This is the date the ticket was disposed of.

Points – These are the points posted to the motorist license record based on the violation the motorist was convicted of.


I still have questions about Tickets in COMPASS. What should I do?

Please email any questions you have to [email protected]