How Long Does a Speeding Ticket Stay on Your Record? (2024)

Speeding tickets may not be criminal charges, but they can still add points to your license and cause your insurance premiums to rise. If you’re hoping to have a clean driving record once again, you might wonder just how long speeding tickets stay on your record and what you can do to get them removed faster.

How long does a speeding ticket stay on your record? Here’s a closer look:

What to Do if You Get a Speeding Ticket

If you get a speeding ticket, you can either fight it or pay it. But choosing between these two options can be a difficult decision.

There are some cases where it may be worth fighting a ticket, such as the following:

• You already have points on your record and one more ticket will result in license suspension

• You know you didn’t commit the violation

• The ticket you’re given contains errors

• You only committed the violation to avoid an accident

On the other hand, choosing to pay the ticket is often a wiser option over investing the time and energy necessary to successfully fight it. Furthermore, the attorney fees you may pay to fight the ticket may exceed the cost of the ticket itself.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Ticket From a Speed Camera?

Many states rely on speed cameras to catch speeding drivers. If you get caught by one of these, you can expect to receive a speeding ticket in the mail within 14 days. If you don’t want to wait that long, you might be able to look up your ticket online. Some states allow you to pay online as well.

If You Pay a Ticket, Does It Go on Your Record?

Some people mistakenly think that traffic tickets disappear once you pay them. Unfortunately, that is not the case. When you pay a ticket, you’re effectively admitting guilt, which means any tickets will go on your driving record before you pay it and stay there after you do so, too.

You also might wonder what happens if you don't pay a speed camera ticket. The answer depends on where you live. Some states may issue a warrant for your arrest, while other states may send the debt to collections, where it can damage your credit.

How Much Does Insurance Increase After a Speeding Ticket?

To an insurer, a speeding ticket is a sign that you may be more likely to cause an accident. As such, receiving one can cause a major increase in your insurance premiums. Estimates vary, but many experts believe that for your first speeding ticket, you can expect your insurance to increase by about 18%. Subsequent tickets result in steeper increases: For a second ticket, your premiums can rise more than 30%.

How Long Does a Speeding Ticket Stay on Your Record?

Points and convictions stay on your driving record for a minimum of one year. Here’s a breakdown of the states by years a speeding ticket stays on your record:

One Year

The following states will only keep a speeding ticket on your record for a single year:

• Alaska

• Arizona

• Maine

• Mississippi

• New Mexico

• Pennsylvania

• Wyoming

As long as you don’t accumulate any more points for a year, you should be safe from license suspensions in any of these states.

One Year and Six Months

New York is the only state that keeps tickets on your driving record for one year and six months.

Two Years

The following handful of states keep tickets on your record for two years, which is still less time than average:

• Delaware

• Washington, D.C.

• Georgia

• Indiana

• South Carolina

• Tennessee

• Vermont

However, keep in mind that even after a ticket comes off your driving record, insurance companies may still consider it when making policy decisions.

Three Years

As evidenced by the number of states below, three years is by far the most common choice when it comes to how long speeding tickets will be kept on your record:

• Arkansas

• Connecticut

• Idaho

• Kansas

• Louisiana

• Maryland

• Missouri

• North Carolina

• North Dakota

• Oklahoma

• Rhode Island

• South Dakota

• Texas

• Utah

It might seem discouraging to have a ticket on your record for that long, but remember that many states have options for reducing the points on your license.

Three Years and Three Months

California is the only state that keeps speeding tickets on your record for three years and three months.

Five Years

Five years is at the higher end of the spectrum, but the following states will hold tickets to your record for that long:

• Florida

• Illinois

• Iowa

• Kentucky

• Nebraska

• New Jersey

• Virginia

• Washington

• West Virginia

• Wisconsin

Even though traffic tickets stay on your record for five years, you may see the points fall off your record sooner in states like Kentucky and West Virginia.

More Than Five Years

These states exceed the typical maximum of keeping a ticket on your record for five years:

• Alabama: Permanent

• Colorado: Permanent

• Hawaii: Ten years

• Massachusetts: Six years

• Michigan: Seven years

• Minnesota: Five to ten years

• Montana: Permanent

• Nevada: Permanent

• Ohio: Permanent

The good news is that even in these states, most major insurance companies will usually only look back three to five years when deciding your rates. The longer you go without getting a ticket or causing an accident, the less risky you look to instance companies.

How to Remove Points From Your Driving Record

Fortunately, you may not have to wait for years for the points from a speeding ticket to come off your record, as many states offer “point reduction” programs. Usually, these programs require you to take a defensive driving course.

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