You recently moved to New York, so you’re used to traffic laws from your home state. When you got a traffic ticket living there, you had the option to plead no contest if you wanted to do so. You didn’t have to admit guilt or say that you weren’t guilty. This gave you a third option as the case proceeded.

But can you still do that now that you live in New York? Or are the laws so much different here that you don’t have that option anymore?

You Cannot Choose No Contest

New York law does not give you the option to choose no contest. You can simply choose if you are pleading guilty or not guilty.

The way that you plead is going to have a big impact on your case. There are some circumstances in which you may be able to work with the district attorney to find another solution, but the vast majority of drivers simply have to choose between those two options: guilty or not guilty.

This may worry you. Perhaps you were hoping to plead no contest, or maybe you want to try to get the charges reduced. There are options to do things like this, especially if you’re interested in pleading guilty to a lesser charge to reduce the cost of the infraction. It doesn’t happen in every case, but it can in some cases.

The key is to know what legal steps to take. Doing something like this is not easy and requires a lot of skill and understanding of the process. But the ramifications of choosing guilty are massive, so make sure you think through exactly what would be best in your situation.