Speeding Ticket in Maryland: Fines, Points and Options

How much is a speeding ticket in Maryland?

Maryland treats a speeding violation as a misdemeanor under the Vehicle Law. Unless a section says otherwise, a person convicted of violating the Maryland Vehicle Law is subject to a fine of up to $500 ^[1]. That is the ceiling, not the usual amount.

For a payable citation, the amount printed on the ticket comes from the District Court of Maryland's preset fine schedule, which sets a fixed fine by speed band. We could not open the current schedule on the court's website when we checked in November 2026, so we do not list band amounts here. Use the amount printed on your citation, and treat any fine table you find online as a guide only until you check it against the court's current schedule.

Not every citation can simply be paid. State law lets you pay the fine only "if provided for in the citation," so some speeding charges require a court appearance, and the citation tells you which kind you have. For a broader comparison with other states, see how much a speeding ticket costs.

How many points is a speeding ticket in Maryland?

Maryland assigns points by how far over the limit you were. The points schedule in Transportation § 16-402 gives 2 points for speeding by 10 mph or more over the posted limit, 5 points for speeding 20 mph or more over a 65 mph limit, and 6 points for speeding 30 mph or more over the limit. Speeding below 10 mph over falls under "any moving violation not listed," which is 1 point ^[2].

Notice the gap: 25 mph over on a 45 mph road is still a 2-point violation under this schedule, while 20 mph over on a 65 mph highway is 5 points. Red light running by an officer's ticket (failure to stop for a steady red signal) is 2 points under the same section.

What happens as points add up

The MVA counts points within any 2-year period. At 3 points it sends a warning letter, at 5 points it requires a driver improvement program, at 8 points it suspends the license and at 12 points it revokes it ^[3]. Holders of Class A, B or C licenses are not called in for the program until 8 points.

To see how one more ticket would change your total, try the points calculator. The points guide shows how Maryland compares with other states.

Are speed and red light cameras legal in Maryland?

Yes. Maryland allows speed cameras, work zone speed cameras and red light cameras by statute, and none of them add points. Here is what the law says, as of November 2026:

Camera type	Where it can be used	Trigger	Civil penalty
Speed camera (§ 21-809)	School zones (weekdays, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.), certain residential districts in listed counties, Interstate 83 in Baltimore City and other listed roads	12 mph or more over	$40 at 12 to 15 mph over, rising by speed up to $425 at 40 mph or more over
Work zone camera (§ 21-810)	Highway work zones on roads posted 45 mph or more before construction	12 mph or more over	$60 at 12 to 15 mph over up to $500 at 40 mph or more; doubled if workers were present
Red light camera (§ 21-202.1)	Intersections where the responsible agency uses one	Entering on red	Up to $100

All three statutes say the same thing about your license: the violation is not a moving violation for assessing points, is not recorded on the driving record, and may not be considered for motor vehicle insurance ^{[4] [5] [6]}. Ignoring a camera ticket is still a mistake: for work zone cameras, the MVA can refuse or suspend the vehicle's registration if the penalty is neither paid nor contested.

Our speed camera guide and red light camera guide explain how these systems work. The camera laws map shows the rules in other states.

Should you pay, contest or take a driving course?

Maryland gives you several ways to answer a payable citation. Under Transportation § 26-204, you can pay the fine shown on the citation, appear in court yourself or through a lawyer, or, for offenses not punishable by jail, return the citation and ask for a hearing on sentencing instead of a trial. That hearing option means you do not dispute the facts and you waive the right to make the officer appear ^[7].

Paying. Paying the fine on the original charge resolves the citation and stops a possible suspension for not responding, according to § 26-204. Payment instructions are on the citation and on the Maryland Judiciary's official site ^[9]. Do not use a third-party payment service.

Probation before judgment. In court, a judge may stay the entry of judgment and place a driver on probation before judgment (PBJ). It requires the defendant's written consent, and a discharge from PBJ "is not a conviction" for the purpose of any disqualification or disability that the law imposes because of a conviction ^[8]. A PBJ is the judge's choice, not a right, and there are limits, for example for provisional license holders who already had one.

Driving courses. The driver improvement program is mainly something the MVA requires at 5 points. A judge can also make a course part of the case. We did not find an official Maryland rule that lets a voluntary course remove points, so ask the MVA before paying for one. If your license is close to 8 points, or you hold a commercial license, a licensed Maryland attorney can explain the stakes.

How does a ticket affect your insurance?

Maryland camera tickets are the easy part: by statute they may not be considered in providing motor vehicle insurance. Officer-issued speeding convictions are different. Insurers see the conviction on your driving record and apply their own rating plans, and we found no official Maryland table that turns a speeding conviction into a fixed premium increase.

The factors that usually matter are the speed band (a 6-point conviction looks very different from 1 point), how many violations are in the insurer's look-back period, your age and driving history, and the insurer itself. Our guide on how a speeding ticket affects insurance explains these factors.