CHARLOTTE -- If you want to avoid the time, cost and hassle of standing in line at your courthouse, listen up. For most people who have received a citation for something like an expired tag, driver's license or insurance, there’s a new program that allows you to fix the problem, without ever stepping foot in a courthouse.

It’s called ECAD, or Electronic Compliance and Dismissal Program. The state court rolled it out earlier this summer as a way to modernize the system and make it more efficient.

Once you get the problem fixed, you fill out an appeal online. The program cross-checks with the DMV. If the problem is fixed, a notification is sent to the district attorney’s office.  What took several minutes per case now can be handled in a second.

"It's much more efficient than having district attorneys staffing a courtroom to handle 30,000 cases a year. We can dismiss a case with a touch of a button," said Mecklenburg County ADA Robyn Withrow.

Last year, the state handled 220,000 of these types of cases.

Information Regarding Electronic Compliance and Dismissal

Cases eligible for requesting dismissal online should meet the following criteria

  • Requests for dismissal through ECAD must be made prior to seven business days from the scheduled court date.
  • Only traffic violations pertaining to driver license, registration and inspection are eligible to request dismissal online.
  • If two offenses appear on the citation, both offenses must be eligible for online request for dismissal.

Cases currently ineligible for requesting dismissal online

  • If your citation indicates that you MUST appear in court, your citation is not eligible for online dismissal.
  • If you have already requested dismissal of your case online through ECAD, you cannot submit additional requests for the same case.
  • If you have previously failed to appear in court on the scheduled court date, you will have to address the case in person.

Notification of status

  • If you have submitted a request for dismissal online through ECAD, you should receive email confirmation of your submission and of any status changes once the district attorney's office has ruled on your request, provided you have entered a valid email address. You are responsible for checking the status of your request online and for appearing in court on the scheduled court date if your request is not approved.

Payment

  • There is no cost associated with requesting dismissal of your case online through ECAD.

System availability

  • Electronic Compliance and Dismissal is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.