Diversion is a form of judicial relief that may be offered, at the Court"s discretion, to offenders deserving of leniency. The City Court Judge determines who receives diversion based on the merits of a defendant"s Case as well as the defendant"s background (good driving record, MVR and no criminal history).

The Judge makes decisions regarding diversion after hearing a Case when the defendant appears in the Courtroom. That includes Not Guilty Hearings between Officers and defendants, as well as Guilty/No Contest discussions between defendants and the Judge.

The standard forms of diversion available in this Court include:

For violations involving Equipment Repairs, Insurance, Driver License, Vehicle Registration/Tag, and Animal Tag/Rabies violations, the Judge has set-up possible "relief" options available by mail, at a Court Service Counter, or in Court if you prefer.

(For example, the standard "relief" on Driver License or Registration violations will be "Dismissed upon the payment of Court Costs" ($96.50 per moving violation) with proof of current Driver License/Registration.)

If this is your first ticket (traffic or otherwise), or if the last time you received a traffic ticket was over four years ago, you are a good candidate for diversion. That means that under normal circumstances, if you appear before the Judge in Court with a plea of Guilty or No Contest, there is a fair chance the Judge may offer you Judicial Diversion on one (1) violation with a ruling of "Dismissed upon payment of Costs"…

(This is NOT a guarantee of Judicial Relief/Diversion! Other factors may play a part in the Court's ruling. For example, if you have an unpaid Citation or Parking Ticket with this Court, your driving record will have less impact with the Judge/Court)

What does it mean when the Judge says…

$96.50 is what that means, since that is the amount due (per charge) in most such rulings by the Judge. $96.50 represents "Court Costs" on a Moving violation. Since it does not include a FINE, this charge will not add any "points" to your driving record (MVR). If the Judge makes this statement in reference to a Non-Moving violation, the amount due in "Court Costs" is $64.50. Non-Moving violations do not add "points".

Probation is a form of Court relief sometimes offered to a defendant by the Judge in which the FINE is DISMISSED contingent upon the terms of the probation.

City Court's Defensive Driving Course program provides classroom education regarding the "rules of the road." The National Safety Council Approved, 8-Hour Course is taught by KPD in Knoxville. (A chart listing other approved 8-Hour TDOS-Approved Defensive Driving Courses taught in Knoxville is shown below.) Defendants may be eligible to attend traffic school as an alternative sentence to keep "points" from a Moving violation off of a defendant's MVR (driving record). When a defendant completes the school, the FINE is officially DISMISSED. Following are City Courts "rules" regarding Traffic School…

Persons convicted of under-aged consumption of alcohol automatically lose their driving privileges for a period up to one year. As an alternative sentence, defendants may be entitled to attend the Youth Substance Abuse (YSAP) Program. Upon successful completion of YSAP, a defendant must reappear before the Judge to have his/her case dismissed.