How many points is a speeding ticket in Florida? 3 or 4 — or none.
Straight answer first: up to 15 mph over is 3 points, more than 15 over is 4, and 6 if the speeding caused a crash. Points go on your record when you are convicted. They add up toward a suspension at 12 points in 12 months. Elect the Basic Driver Improvement course for an eligible ticket and adjudication is withheld, so no points are assessed for that ticket.
- Suspension tiers: 12 points in 12 months, 18 in 18, 24 in 36.
- The election: once per 12 months, 8 in a lifetime, 30 days to tell the clerk.
- Not for CDL holders, criminal charges, or 30 mph or more over.
What one speeding ticket costs
Eligible ticket, BDI elected: 0 points assessed. The ticket stays a paid citation. Your record does not take the hit.
Florida traffic ticket points, violation by violation
Only the values this site has checked against the statute. Other violations carry points too, and FLHSMV’s points page lists the full schedule. The third column is the part we sell.
| Violation | Points | Elect BDI and… |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding, 15 mph or less over the limit | 3 | No points assessed |
| Speeding, more than 15 mph over | 4 | No points assessed |
| Speeding, 30 mph or more over | 4 | Not eligible — the law rules it out |
| Speeding that caused a crash | 6 | Ask the clerk — it depends on the charge |
| Handheld phone in a school or work zone, first offense | 3 | Points waived — through the WCD course instead |
4 points One ticket for more than 15 over
- 0–11 No suspension
- 12–17 12 pts · 30 days
- 18–23 18 pts · 3 months
- 24+ 24 pts · 1 year
The gauge shows where one 4-point ticket sits against the three suspension tiers. Each tier counts points inside its own window: 12 months, 18 months, 36 months.
How many points before Florida suspends your license?
Three tiers in F.S. 322.27(3). The statute states each period as a ceiling — “not more than” — not a fixed term. Every point on the ladder came from a conviction.
12 points in 12 months — up to 30 days
Three 4-point tickets in one year get here. So do four 3-point tickets. Each one was a chance to elect traffic school instead.
18 points in 18 months — up to 3 months
The window widens and so does the suspension. After any point suspension, getting back on the road means the 12-hour ADI course, not traffic school.
24 points in 36 months — up to 1 year
Three years of points counted together. If you are here already, the hardship license guide explains how to ask FLHSMV to keep driving for work.
How to keep points off your Florida record
Florida has no course that removes points. It has an election that stops them from being assessed in the first place. Four moves, in order.
1. Check the ticket qualifies
Non-criminal moving violation. No election in the past 12 months. Lifetime elections left (Florida allows 8). No CDL. The four checks take a minute.
2. Tell the clerk within 30 days
The election belongs to your county Clerk of Court, not to any school. Pay the civil penalty and the election fee there. How to elect, step by step · what the clerk does.
3. Finish the 4-hour BDI course
Our Basic Driver Improvement course is $24.95 all-inclusive. We file the completion with FLHSMV, usually the moment you finish (within 48 hours if it has to be filed manually), and it reaches your court within 24–48 hours.
4. A phone ticket? Different course
A first handheld-phone ticket in a school or work zone is 3 points, and the Wireless Communications Device course is the one that waives them. Florida law says the points must be waived on completion.
Points, Answered
Florida traffic ticket points FAQ
How many points is a speeding ticket in Florida?
3 or 4. Up to 15 mph over the limit is 3 points. More than 15 over is 4. If the speeding caused a crash, it is 6. The values are in Florida Statute 322.27. Elect the Basic Driver Improvement course for an eligible ticket and none of those points are assessed.
How many points suspend a Florida license?
Three tiers, from the same statute. 12 points within 12 months means a suspension of up to 30 days. 18 points within 18 months means up to 3 months. 24 points within 36 months means up to a year. Every point on that ladder came from a conviction. Three 4-point tickets in one year reach the first tier.
Does traffic school remove points in Florida?
Not remove — prevent. Florida has no course that takes points back off a record. What the state offers is the election. Tell the clerk within 30 days of an eligible ticket that you are electing traffic school. Finish the course. Adjudication is withheld and no points are assessed for that ticket. Points already on your record stay.
Is the ticket dismissed when I elect traffic school?
No. The ticket stays a paid citation, and you still pay the civil penalty and any county election fee. What changes is your record. Adjudication is withheld, which means no conviction is entered, and no points are assessed. Electing may also cut the civil penalty by up to 18%. The clerk applies that (F.S. 318.14(9)).
How often can I elect traffic school in Florida?
Once in any 12-month period, and 8 times in your lifetime. Florida law sets both numbers (F.S. 318.14(9)), not any school. Use an election and the next one is a year away at the earliest. So the best ticket to spend one on is a ticket that would add points.
Which tickets can't keep points off through traffic school?
Three groups. A criminal charge, such as DUI, reckless driving or leaving the scene, is a different track with no election. Speeding 30 mph or more over the limit is ruled out by the statute. And Commercial Driver License holders cannot elect at all, whatever the ticket. The clerk always has the final say.
What about a phone ticket in a school zone or work zone?
That one has its own course. A first handheld-phone ticket in a school zone, school crossing or active work zone is a moving violation worth 3 points. Finish the Wireless Communications Device course and Florida law says those points must be waived (F.S. 316.306(4)(a)). Fines and costs may be waived; that part is the court's call.
I'm already suspended on points. What now?
Traffic school cannot lift a suspension. The state requires the 12-hour Advanced Driver Improvement course, which we don't sell, and a hardship license runs through your Bureau of Administrative Reviews office. Our hardship license guide walks the path. Once you're driving again, the election is how you keep the next eligible ticket from starting the count over.
The ticket is 3 or 4 points. It doesn’t have to be.
Elect traffic school with your clerk within 30 days, finish the 4-hour course, and no points are assessed for that ticket. $24.95, all-inclusive.