There are three different types of provincial offence notices which are issued - a ticket, called a Certificate of Offence, a parking infraction, or a summons to attend court. Once you have determined exactly what type of notice you have been issued, you will be able to determine how to proceed.
- Ticket, or Certificate of Offence
Issued by a police officer, for which you have 15 days to respond by choosing one of the following 3 options:
| Plea of Guilty - Payment Out of Court |
Plea Guilty With An Explanation |
Trial Option (Not guilty) |
If you choose this option, you are stating that you are guilty and you will pay the total "payable" amount indicated on the bottom of the ticket. Fines can be paid either in person, online or by mail to our office:
County of Huron Provincial Offences Office
1 Courthouse Square
Goderich, ON N7A 1M2
A return envelope and payment slip is provided with your ticket. Payments may be made by cash, cheque, money order, bank draft, or Mastercard and Visa. Cheques or money orders must be made payable to "Treasurer - County of Huron / POA". Please write the number of the offence notice on the front of the cheque / money order. Please do not mail cash or post-dated cheques. If paying in person, you also have the option of paying by debit card. |
If you choose this option you are pleading guilty to the offence but you wish to explain the situation to the Justice of the Peace in hope of a lesser fine amount or longer time to pay. You must attend the Provincial Offences Court Office that is shown on the back of the ticket within the time and dates shown.
It is important to be aware that a Justice of the Peace is unable to neither reduce the charge when choosing this option nor remove any demerit points applicable to that charge.
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If you wish to plead "not guilty" or plead "guilty" to a lesser charge you must sign your name under Option 3 of your offence notice and either mail or drop it off at the Provincial Offences office. Request for a trial must be made ASAP so your request can be processed in a timely manner; delays may result in automatic conviction of offence before our office is able to process your notice.
You will receive a notice of trial in the mail specifying the date and location for your trial. Please notify the office of any change in address so that your notice goes to the proper address. If you have requested a trial and you do not show up, you will be deemed not to dispute the charge and will be automatically sentenced under Section 9.1 in your absence and court costs may be applied.
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- Parking Infraction
Municipal Parking Infractions where you have a choice of paying the set fine or requesting a trial.
- Summons to attend court
These charges are more serious offences. The fine amount will be set in court by the Justice of the Peace. You will be given summons to appear in court on the specified date provided on the summons. If you do not attend court, you could be fined in absentia or a warrant issued for your arrest, depending on the charge.
For the County of Huron, all POA trials and matters are dealt with in the Goderich court, located in the Court House, 1 Courthouse Square, Goderich, Ontario.
POA Court Schedule
POA Court begins at 9:00 AM on Thursdays. Please contact the POA office at 519.524.8394 to verify as changes occur on occasion.
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