You may stroll into traffic court thinking the fine for your traffic ticket is only $50. But don't assume you will pay that. Traffic ticket fines can have other charges that include: Surcharges. For example, some states have surcharges that fund a safety program or victim's assistant fund. Court costs. Many jurisdictions assess court costs even if you don't appear in court. Interest and penalties. You will only pay these if you are late. Traffic ticket fines are also based in some jurisdictions on whether or not it is your first offense. Officers usually know this at the time of the traffic stop because they check your record with the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state. Speeding fines for first offenders are generally much lower. And speeding traffic ticket fines are usually calculated by how much you were going over the speed limit. The faster you go, the more you will pay.