How Many Points Is a Speeding Ticket? State-by-State

How do driver's license points work?

A point system is how a state DMV keeps score. When you are convicted of a moving violation, the DMV records the conviction and assigns it a number of points. Points add up over a set window, and once your total within that window crosses a line, the DMV acts: a warning letter, a required course, probation or a suspension.

Three details decide how a system feels in practice:

• The value of each violation. New York gives 3 points for 1 to 10 mph over and 11 points for more than 40 mph over ^[1]. California gives most speeding tickets 1 point ^[3].
• The window. Points count for a set period. New York counts 24 months from the violation date, not the conviction date ^[1]. California looks at 12, 24 and 36 months at once.
• The threshold. New York may suspend at 11 points in 24 months, Maryland at 8 points in 24 months and Georgia at 15 points in 24 months.

Points come from convictions: a ticket you pay counts, while a ticket that is dismissed usually does not. That is why the choice to pay, contest or take a course matters as much as the points value itself.

How many points is a speeding ticket in each launch state?

Here is how the seven states we cover in depth compare, as of November 2026. Each row comes from the state's DMV, statute or official handbook.

State	Points for speeding	Suspension level
New York	3 (1 to 10 mph over) to 11 (more than 40 over)	11 points in 24 months may suspend
California	1; 2 for over 100 mph	4 in 12, 6 in 24 or 8 in 36 months
Texas	No points	4 convictions in 12 months or 7 in 24
North Carolina	3 if over 55 mph, otherwise 2	12 points in 3 years may suspend
Virginia	3 (1 to 9 over), 4 (10 to 19), 6 (20 or more)	18 in 12 months or 24 in 24 months
Maryland	1 (1 to 9 over), 2 (10 to 29), 6 (30 or more)	8 points in 24 months
Georgia	0 (under 15 over), then 2, 3, 4 or 6 (34 or more)	15 points in 24 months

Sources for the table: New York ^[1]; California ^[3]; Texas ^[5]; North Carolina ^[6]; Virginia ^[7]; Maryland ^{[10] [11]}; Georgia ^[14].

A better way to compare is to count tickets. In California, four ordinary speeding tickets in a year reach the probation and suspension level. In New York, two tickets for 21 to 30 mph over (6 points each) pass 11 points. In Georgia, tickets for less than 15 mph over add no points at all ^[14]. The same driving can be harmless in one state and a step toward suspension in the next. Our points calculator runs these numbers for any state.

Which states don't use points?

In our 50-state table, 11 jurisdictions have no license point system: Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. "No points" does not mean no consequences. Most of these states count convictions instead.

• Texas suspends a habitual violator with 4 or more moving violation convictions in 12 months or 7 or more in 24 months ^[5].
• Washington suspends for 60 days after 3 or more moving violation infractions in a year or 4 or more in two years, with a warning letter first ^[15].
• Oregon counts convictions and preventable crashes: 5 within 24 months brings a 30-day suspension ^[16].

What happens when you reach the limit?

A suspension is rarely the first step. Most point states build a ladder of warnings and courses before they take the license, so knowing where you stand on the ladder tells you how much room is left.

• Maryland spells the ladder out in law. Within any two years, 3 points brings a warning letter, 5 points requires a driver improvement program, 8 points brings a suspension and 12 points a revocation ^[11].
• California sends a warning letter at 2 points in 12 months and a notice of intent to suspend at 3. At 4 points in 12 months it orders one year of probation that includes a six-month suspension ^[3].
• Virginia suspends for 90 days at 18 demerit points in 12 months or 24 in 24 months, with an option of a speed-limiting program instead, and requires a driver improvement clinic ^[8].
• Georgia suspends at 15 points in 24 months ^[14].

The warning letter is the most useful notice a DMV sends: it means the next conviction or two can cost you the license. Probation periods also change the math. In California, a single new 1-point violation while on probation brings a further suspension, so the margin for error shrinks after the first action. Commercial license holders can face additional rules on top of these, which is one reason to talk to a licensed attorney before answering a ticket if you drive for a living.

Do camera tickets add points?

Usually not. In most states, a mailed speed or red light camera ticket is a civil penalty against the vehicle owner, not a moving violation conviction against the driver. New York's law says a New York City school zone camera ticket is not a conviction, is not put on the driving record and cannot be used for insurance ^[13]. Maryland's speed camera law says a citation is not a moving violation for points, may not be recorded on the driving record and may not be considered for insurance ^[12].

The exceptions matter if you live there. Arizona reports city photo enforcement tickets to the MVD with 2 points for a red light and 3 for speeding ^[17]. In California, a traditional red light camera ticket is a regular 1-point conviction, while the newer speed camera pilot issues no-point civil tickets. Missouri is listed as an exception in our data, but we could not confirm it on an official page. Our camera laws map shows each state's rules.

Can you remove points with a course?

Several states let a course offset points, hide them or keep a ticket from counting, and each works differently:

• New York: a PIRP course subtracts up to 4 points when the DMV calculates a suspension, but the points stay on the record ^[1].
• Georgia: a certified defensive driving course removes up to 7 points, once every 5 years ^[14].
• Virginia: a driver improvement clinic can add 5 safe driving points, once every 24 months, which offset demerit points ^[9].
• North Carolina: completing a DMV driver improvement clinic deducts 3 points ^[6].
• California and Texas: traffic school keeps a California point confidential, and a Texas driving safety course can get an eligible ticket dismissed. See the state pages for the rules.

How do you check your points?

Order your own driving record from your state DMV. New York sells a driving record abstract through MyDMV for $7 ^[2]. California offers your record online for $2 with a MyDMV account ^[4]. Use the official DMV site only; the "DMV link" in the table above goes to each state's page. Points also affect what insurers see; our guide to how a speeding ticket affects insurance explains the factors.