Missed Court in Alaska: What Happens Next

What Alaska law says can follow a missed court date: whether it is a separate crime, the driver’s license rule for traffic cases, what happens to bail, and the court’s own next steps. It runs in your browser and nothing is stored.

What kind of case was the court date for?
How was the person released before the date?

Pick the state, the kind of case and how the person was released to see what that state’s law says.

Alaska failure to appear law

In Alaska, missing a required court date after release can be charged as its own crime. The statute grades it by the kind of case:

  • Released on a felony charge: class C felony. Failure to appear after release on a felony charge is a class C felony. (AS 11.56.730)
    Failure to appear is a (1) class C felony if the person was released in connection with a charge of a felony
  • Released on a misdemeanor charge: class A misdemeanor. The second tier of the same statute makes failure to appear a class A misdemeanor (release on a misdemeanor charge or as a material witness). (AS 11.56.730)
    (2) class A misdemeanor if the person was released in connection with a (A) charge of a misdemeanor, while awaiting sentence or appeal after conviction of a misdemeanor; or (B) requirement to appear as a material witness in a criminal proceeding.

The statute’s mental-state words are “with criminal negligence”, so the reason the date was missed can matter.

When a date is missed, the court’s order is called a bench warrant (Alaska R. Crim. P. 41(h)(1)).

Driver’s license after a missed traffic date in Alaska

The court may suspend the license of a person who fails to appear as required by a citation for a moving-vehicle offense; the suspension lasts until the person appears or pays. (AS 28.15.181(g))

The court may suspend the driver's license, privilege to drive, or privilege to obtain a license of a person who fails to appear in court as required by a citation for an offense involving a moving motor vehicle

Bail and bonds after a missed date in Alaska

On a missed appearance the judge forfeits the security, but the forfeiture judgment cannot be enforced until a hearing is held or, if none is requested, 30 days after notice. (Alaska R. Crim. P. 41(h)(1))

Window to ask the court to set the forfeiture aside: Hearing on request; enforcement waits 30 days after notice of the forfeiture judgment.

To compare what posting bail costs in Alaska, see the Alaska bail bond calculator.

How to deal with a missed date in Alaska

Only the court that set the date can recall a warrant or give a new date. Contact that court’s clerk, or the lawyer or public defender on the case, who can ask the court to recall or quash the warrant.

What this page does not do

  • It does not check whether a warrant was issued in any case or whether anyone will be arrested.
  • Whether a separate failure-to-appear charge is filed is the prosecutor’s decision; what happens to bail is the court’s.
  • It collects nothing; your choices stay in your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is failure to appear a crime in Alaska?

Yes. Released on a felony charge: class C felony under AS 11.56.730; Released on a misdemeanor charge: class A misdemeanor under AS 11.56.730.

Is missing court a felony in Alaska?

In some cases. released on a felony charge: class C felony under AS 11.56.730. Otherwise: released on a misdemeanor charge: class A misdemeanor under AS 11.56.730.

Will Alaska suspend my license for missing a traffic court date?

The court may suspend the license of a person who fails to appear as required by a citation for a moving-vehicle offense; the suspension lasts until the person appears or pays. The rule is in AS 28.15.181(g).

Sources

Checked against the sources above on October 20, 2026.

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