A civil infraction in Nevada is a non-criminal traffic violation — the category most routine tickets have fallen into since January 1, 2023. A speeding ticket, a rolled stop sign, or a broken taillight no longer carries any risk of arrest, jail, or a criminal record. The maximum civil penalty is $500 per violation, though mandatory court assessments and fees push the total you actually owe higher.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484A.7043 – Penalties You have 90 days to pay or request a hearing.
What Makes a Ticket Civil Rather Than Criminal
Nevada’s rule is broad by default. Any traffic violation in Chapters 484A through 484E of the Nevada Revised Statutes is a civil infraction unless the statute specifically says otherwise. Speeding, running a stop sign, equipment failures, and parking violations all fall on the civil side. Prosecutors can also choose to treat most traffic misdemeanors as civil infractions instead of filing criminal charges, with DUI charges under NRS 484C.110 and 484C.120 as notable exceptions.2Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484A – Traffic Laws Generally – Section: NRS 484A.7049
Several offenses stay criminal regardless. Reckless driving is still a misdemeanor; a first offense carries a fine of $250 to $1,000 and possible jail time of up to six months.3Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484B.653 – Reckless Driving, Organization of Unauthorized Speed Contests and Driving in or Facilitating Unauthorized Trick Driving Displays Prohibited DUI remains a criminal matter with license revocation and possible vehicle impoundment.4Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Traffic Laws and Safety Hit-and-run, vehicular manslaughter, and driving on a suspended license are also criminal. If you’re unsure which category your ticket falls into, look at the form itself; civil infractions use a different citation and process than criminal complaints.
What You’ll Actually Pay
The $500 cap applies to the base civil penalty for most infractions, and many common violations carry base fines well below that ceiling.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484A.7043 – Penalties The number on your citation will be higher than the base fine, though, because Nevada tacks on mandatory administrative assessments and court fees.5Las Vegas Justice Court. 2023 Changes to Traffic Violations What you owe is the sum of the penalty, the assessment, and the fees. A handful of specific statutes authorize penalties above $500, so if your fine looks higher than expected, check the citation language.
Points on Your License
Civil doesn’t mean consequence-free. When the court enters a judgment, it reports the outcome to the Nevada DMV, which assigns demerit points based on the severity of the violation.6Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Demerit Point System Common values:
- 1 point: speeding 1–10 mph over the posted limit
- 2 points: speeding 11–20 mph over, failure to dim headlights, or driving too fast for conditions
- 3 points: speeding 21–30 mph over
- 4 points: speeding 31+ mph over, or reckless driving
Accumulate 12 or more points in any 12-month period and your license is automatically suspended for six months.6Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Demerit Point System Points drop off 12 months after the date of conviction on a rolling basis. The infraction itself stays on your driving history longer, but the points stop counting toward suspension after that window closes. Reinstating a suspended license requires a reinstatement fee and any additional DMV requirements.
You can voluntarily attend a state-approved traffic safety school once every 12 months to reduce the points on your record. The school reports completion directly to the DMV.7Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Traffic Safety Schools One catch: if traffic school is ordered as part of a plea bargain, it earns no point reduction. Only voluntary enrollment counts. Traffic safety school also doesn’t satisfy DUI school or minor driver education requirements.
Your 90-Day Deadline
You have 90 calendar days from the date of the citation to respond.5Las Vegas Justice Court. 2023 Changes to Traffic Violations The citation identifies the court with jurisdiction, usually a Justice Court or Municipal Court depending on where the stop happened.8Nevada Appellate Courts. Pay a Ticket Two options: admit responsibility and pay the full amount, or request a hearing to contest it. Most courts take payments online, by mail, or in person. If you’ve lost the citation, contact the clerk of the court listed on the original document; many courts offer online lookup by driver’s license number or name.
Contesting the Citation
Before your hearing, the court requires you to post a bond equal to the full penalty, assessment, and fees on the citation.9Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484A – Traffic Laws Generally – Section: NRS 484A.7041 You can post a traditional bond or deposit cash. If the judge finds against you, the bond is forfeited toward your penalty. If you’re found not responsible, the money comes back. People who truly cannot afford the bond can request a waiver, and anyone who qualifies as a legal aid client must be excused.
At the hearing, both you and the officer can present testimony and evidence. The standard is preponderance of the evidence — whether it’s more likely than not that you committed the infraction. That’s lower than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard used in criminal cases.10Nevada Legislature. Justice and Municipal Court Rules for Civil Traffic Infractions – Section: Rule 3.6 A finding of not responsible dismisses the charge, keeps points off your record, and returns your bond.
Appealing a Decision
You have 7 calendar days after the court enters judgment to file an appeal.11State Bar of Nevada. Administrative Order 2024-01 – Civil Traffic Infractions To pause enforcement of the penalty during the appeal, you have to post another bond equal to the monetary penalty and assessments ordered by the court.
Two situations wipe out your appeal rights entirely. If you failed to respond within the 90-day window, you cannot appeal the default judgment. And if you requested a hearing but didn’t show, you lose the right to appeal as well. The practical lesson: respond on time and show up, even if you’re not sure yet whether you want to fight the ticket.
What Happens If You Ignore the Ticket
Missing the 90-day deadline or skipping a scheduled hearing produces a default judgment. You owe the full penalty, assessments, and fees, and you lose the ability to contest or appeal.
Once the penalty becomes delinquent, Nevada law authorizes additional collection fees. For delinquencies under $2,000, the court can add up to $100. For amounts between $2,000 and $5,000, the fee is up to $500. Above $5,000, it’s 10% of the total delinquent amount.12Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484A – Traffic Laws Generally – Section: NRS 484A.7047 The city or county can also hire a licensed collection agency, with the agency’s compensation coming from those collection fees. A $300 ticket you ignored can easily grow to $400 or more, and the debt still has to be cleared before your driving record can be.
Record, Insurance, and Employment
Civil infractions do not create a criminal record. Nevada’s definition of “record of criminal history” excludes even traffic misdemeanors in most cases.13Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 179A – Records of Criminal History Civil infractions sit below misdemeanors on the severity scale and fall outside that definition entirely. A standard criminal background check will not show one.
The infraction does appear on your DMV driving record, though. Employers who run a motor vehicle record check — common for delivery drivers, truckers, and jobs involving company vehicles — will see it. For jobs that don’t involve driving, your traffic history typically doesn’t come up. Insurance is a different matter. Your insurer can pull your driving record, and infractions (speeding especially) can trigger a rate increase at renewal. The actual impact depends on the insurer, your overall driving history, and the specific violation.
A Warning for CDL Holders
Commercial driver’s license holders face a separate layer of federal consequences, even for violations committed in a personal vehicle. Under 49 CFR 383.51, certain “serious traffic violations” can disqualify you from operating a commercial vehicle when they accumulate. The list includes speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, following too closely, reckless driving, improper lane changes, and any traffic violation connected to a fatal crash.14eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
- Two serious violations within 3 years: 60-day CDL disqualification
- Three or more serious violations within 3 years: 120-day CDL disqualification
Speeding 15 mph over the limit qualifies. In a personal car that’s a civil infraction worth a couple of points and a few hundred dollars. For a CDL holder, a second such ticket within three years means two months off the road commercially. If your livelihood depends on your CDL, even a routine civil infraction is worth contesting or routing through traffic school to keep the record clean.