North Carolina traffic tickets.
North Carolina runs two separate point systems. The one that costs you money is not the one the DMV keeps.
How it works in North Carolina.
The District Court Division of the General Court of Justice, prosecuted by the District Attorney.
The DMV suspends at twelve or more points within three years, sixty days for a first suspension, six months for a second, a year for a third. On reinstatement all previous points are cancelled.
Speeding 10 mph or less over in a zone under 55
1 insurance point, a forty percent premium surcharge
More than 10 over at a total speed of 56 to 75
2 insurance points, fifty five percent
A DWI
12 insurance points, a three hundred and forty percent surcharge
From 1 July 2025
Convictions carrying four or more SDIP points, excluding speeding, surcharge for five years rather than three
Two point systems, and the expensive one is not the DMV’s.
There is a second, completely separate point system run under insurance law, the Safe Driver Incentive Plan, and its numbers bear no relation to the DMV’s. Speeding ten miles per hour or less over in a zone under fifty five is one insurance point, which is a forty percent premium surcharge. More than ten over at a total speed of fifty six to seventy five is two points and fifty five percent. A DWI is twelve points and a three hundred and forty percent surcharge.
The DMV points are what suspend your licence. The SDIP points are what empty your wallet. And a Prayer for Judgment Continued attracts no insurance surcharge unless anyone in the household used a PJC in the preceding five years. It is a per household benefit, not per driver.
Common violations and what they carry.
Speeding in excess of 55 mph
G.S. 20-16
Three DMV points.
Running a red light
G.S. 20-16
Three DMV points.
Failure to yield
G.S. 20-16
Three DMV points.
Following too closely
G.S. 20-16
Four DMV points.
Illegal parking
Non moving
No points at all.
Reckless driving
G.S. 20-16
Four DMV points.
Passing a stopped school bus
G.S. 20-16
Five DMV points, the highest on this list.
Some speeds revoke you regardless of points: thirty days for more than fifteen over while also exceeding fifty five, or over eighty miles per hour. The conviction retention period and the DMV's PJC allowance are not verified.
What actually helps here.
Improper equipment, and a PJC
The DA may reduce the charge, and the classic landing spot is improper equipment, which carries no listed DMV points and a separate $50 fee.
A Prayer for Judgment Continued lets a judge continue judgment so no conviction is entered. For insurance purposes no surcharge applies unless anyone in the household used a PJC in the preceding five years.
A Driver Improvement Clinic
Deducts three DMV points.
It can be used once every five years.
Appear or pay in full by the court date
After twenty days a failure to appear issues, a fee is added, and the DMV suspends indefinitely until it is resolved.
Yes, often
The state courts' own guidance says an attorney may appear on your behalf in some traffic cases and you will not be required to attend.
Read this first.
How it works
You send us the ticket. That is your entire job. Four steps and a flat fee in writing.
What we fight
Speeding, red light, cell phone, reckless driving, suspended licence and CDL tickets.
Send us the ticket
Free review, no obligation, and a straight answer about whether fighting it is worth your money.
Send us the North Carolina ticket.
Free review, no obligation, and a straight answer about whether fighting it is worth your money. Representation in North Carolina is provided by an attorney licensed in North Carolina.