A traffic ticket or citation is a document written by a police officer that alleges the driver (operator) of a motor vehicle committed a violation of state or local traffic laws while the motor vehicle was moving (also known as a moving violation).

A ticket or citation issued to the owner of a motor vehicle for violation of a state or local law that is alleged to have occurred while the vehicle was not moving (such as a parking violation)—and tickets or citations issued to pedestrians or operators of bikes, skateboards, or other non-motor vehicles for illegal use of streets, sidewalks, and other driveways—are known as nonmoving violations. A ticket or citation for illegal parking or another nonmoving violation usually requires the person to pay a fine by a certain date or appear in court to contest the charge.

A traffic ticket or citation usually requires the driver to pay a fine by a certain date or appear in court to contest the charge. In some states traffic violations are low-level misdemeanor criminal offenses—but in other states traffic tickets are classified as infractions or civil offenses. If a ticket or citation is classified as a criminal offense the driver's guilt or innocence will be determined by a jury or judge. But if a ticket or citation is classified as a civil infraction, violation, or offense the driver will be determined (adjudged) to be responsible or not responsible.

In Missouri, traffic tickets or citations are issued for moving violations when a driver is alleged to have broken traffic laws while the vehicle is in motion, such as speeding or running a red light. Nonmoving violations, on the other hand, pertain to incidents where the vehicle is stationary, like parking violations, or to offenses by pedestrians or operators of non-motor vehicles. When issued a traffic ticket in Missouri, the recipient typically has the option to pay the fine by a specified date or to appear in court to contest the charge. Traffic violations in Missouri can be classified as infractions, which are non-criminal, or as misdemeanors, which are criminal offenses. The classification determines whether a judge or jury will adjudicate the case. For infractions, the process is administrative, and the driver can be adjudged responsible or not responsible without a jury. For misdemeanors, the process is more formal, and guilt or innocence is determined by a judge or jury in a court setting.