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State Cert Guide

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Can I take defensive driving to dismiss a ticket in Kansas?

Kansas courts describe diversion as a voluntary alternative that gives a person facing certain charges the chance to avoid a conviction, and it may involve classes. The prosecutor on your case has a written policy and can tell you if you qualify. Call that office before you sign up for any course.

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The rule, fact by fact

Who needs it
The prosecuting attorney where your case is filed has a written diversion policyAsk the office that is prosecuting your ticket.
Verified. self-help.kscourts.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
What diversion asks
Diversion is voluntary and may require community service or classesA class is one possible term, not a given.
Same source and date as above
Repeat tickets
A driver convicted of three moving violations in twelve months may be suspendedCount your past year of tickets.
Verified. www.ksrevenue.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Call the prosecutor’s office where your case is filed. It has a written policy and is the place to find out if you qualify.

  2. Step 2. Ask what you would have to do. It may be classes or something else, so confirm before you pay for anything.

  3. Step 3. Finish what the prosecutor asks. If you meet the terms, the charges can be dropped.

Before you pay

Ask the prosecutor’s office before you pay for any course.

Check the deadline on your ticket so it does not pass while you wait for an answer.

Ask your insurer whether a course changes your rate.

Questions

Which court handles my ticket?

A traffic ticket may be filed in municipal court or district court, and the ticket may show the name and address of the court. A ticket from a county sheriff or a Kansas Highway Patrol member is filed in the district court for the county where the offense is alleged to have occurred.

I hold a commercial driver’s license. Can I qualify?

Not on a charge under chapter 8 of the Kansas statutes, if you held a commercial driver’s license when the violation was committed or at any later time before diversion is considered. That bar applies to a county or district attorney, and to a city attorney on a ticket under a city ordinance or county resolution that prohibits the same acts.

Does a past diversion count?

It can. A county or district attorney must consider at least a list of factors, among them whether you are a first-time offender and whether you have taken part before, according to a state certification.

What to do next

Call the prosecutor’s office where your case is filed. Then read the Kansas Courts Self-Help page on criminal and traffic law.

self-help.kscourts.gov

Sources we read