Missouri · Tickets, Points & Your Record
How many points is a speeding ticket in Missouri?
Two or three — and who wrote the ticket decides. A state-law speeding charge (think highway patrol) is 3 points on your license. The same speed on a county or city ordinance ticket is 2. In Missouri, the officer’s agency changes your point math. Here’s the whole schedule and the limits before you lose your license. You will also see the court-ordered program that keeps eligible points off entirely.
Verified against RSMo 302.302 and the DOR’s official point chart
Ticket in hand? Check if DIP can keep the points off →
Same ticket, who wrote it
The paperwork is part of the penalty. Bars show the state-charge value; the label carries the ordinance value.
The whole table
Missouri’s point schedule, violation by violation
| Violation | State law | County ordinance | Municipal ordinance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Stop sign | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Any other moving violation | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Careless and imprudent driving | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Failure to maintain financial responsibility (no insurance) | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Knowingly letting an unlicensed driver drive | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Driving while intoxicated, first conviction | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Driving while intoxicated, second or later | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Leaving the scene of an accident | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| Driving while suspended or revoked | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Any felony involving a motor vehicle | 12 | — | — |
Points land when you are convicted. A felony is never an ordinance ticket, so those cells show a dash. Two notes on the chart. DOR’s Form 899 labels speeding as “more than 5 MPH over the posted limit.” That wording is the chart’s, not the law’s, so count any state speeding charge as 3. The 4-point careless-and-imprudent line is the state charge written “in violation of subsection 4 of section 304.016.” As a county or city ordinance ticket, it is 2.
What accumulating does
How many points before you lose your license in Missouri?
4 points · 12 months
The state mails an advisory letter. No sanction yet — but you’re on the radar and halfway to a suspension.
8 points · 18 months
Suspension: 30 days the first time, 60 the second, 90 the third and after. This is the threshold the DIP exists to keep you away from.
12 / 18 / 24 points
12 points in 12 months, 18 in 24, or 24 in 36. Any of the three revokes your license for a full year.
After reinstatement
You restart at 4 points, not zero. Your insurer also files an SR-22 (proof of insurance) with the state for two years. Starting at 4 means the next ticket puts you closer to 8 than a clean record would.
The good news
How long do points stay on your license in Missouri?
Points are not the conviction. The conviction itself generally leaves the record three years after the conviction date. If it helped cause a suspension, it stays five years from reinstatement. Some kinds of records stay permanently.
The way out
Better than decay: points that never land.
The DIP stops points before they start.
Ask the court — DIP is always its call. With permission, finish the 8-hour Driver Improvement Program within 60 days of the conviction. That is usually the day you plead guilty. The points for that conviction are never added. No waiting for them to come off. Nothing counting toward the 8-in-18-months suspension. Once every 36 months, $19.95 all-in. It can’t remove points already on your record — for those, clean years are the only tool.
First, make sure your ticket qualifies — the DIP eligibility guide covers the court-permission path and the exclusions. The Missouri course page has the course itself, hour by hour. Ticketed outside Missouri? Every state scores tickets differently.
Points questions, answered
Missouri ticket points FAQ
How many points is a speeding ticket in Missouri?
It depends who wrote the ticket — Missouri's signature quirk. A state-law speeding charge is 3 points. The same speeding as a county or municipal ordinance ticket is 2. Most city radar tickets are municipal, so they land at 2 points. A highway patrol stop is a state charge at 3.
Why do city tickets carry fewer points than state tickets?
That is how Missouri wrote the law. Each violation gets up to three values: state law, county ordinance, and city ordinance. The ordinance versions usually run lower. Same driving, different paperwork, different points. A stop-sign ticket is the widest gap: 2 points as a state or county charge, 1 as a city ticket.
What are Missouri's biggest point values?
Twelve points — instant license trouble. That's any felony involving a vehicle, leaving the scene as a state charge, or driving while suspended or revoked. DWI is 8 points for a first conviction and jumps to 12 for a second. No insurance is 4.
How many points before I lose my Missouri license?
Eight points in 18 months brings a suspension. That's 30 days the first time, 60 the second, 90 after that. Heavier totals bring a one-year revocation: 12 points in 12 months, 18 in 24, or 24 in 36. And at 4 points in 12 months, the state mails you an advisory warning letter.
Do Missouri points ever go away on their own?
Yes — Missouri takes points off on a fixed schedule. One full year with no new point conviction cuts your total by a third. A second clean year halves what's left. A third clean year zeroes it out entirely.
What happens after a point suspension ends?
Your total is reset to 4 points, not zero. So the next ticket matters more than usual. You will also need an SR-22 for two years. That is a form your insurer files with the state to prove you are covered. The two years run from the date the suspension or revocation began.
How long do tickets stay on my Missouri record?
A conviction generally comes off the record three years after the conviction date. If it contributed to a suspension or revocation, it stays five years from reinstatement. Some kinds of records stay permanently. Separately, administrative alcohol actions are permanent entries.
Does the Driver Improvement Program remove points?
No — it works earlier than that. With the court's permission, completing DIP means the points for that conviction are never assessed at all. It can't subtract points already on your record. For those, only the clean-year decay schedule helps.
How do I keep a ticket's points off my record entirely?
Ask your court for the Driver Improvement Program when you handle the ticket. The court decides. Plead, pay the fine, get the court's OK, and finish the 8-hour course within 60 days. The points are never assessed. Check the eligibility guide to see if your ticket qualifies.
Is careless and imprudent driving a big deal in Missouri?
As a state charge under the statute Missouri cross-references, careless and imprudent driving carries 4 points. That's double a city speeding ticket. As a county or municipal ordinance ticket it's 2. Either way, it is on the list of tickets a court may allow DIP for. The court still decides.
Keep the points off entirely.
Court permission + the 8-hour DIP = points never assessed. $19.95, everything included.
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