Florida Traffic Violation Codes: Fines, Points, and Penalties

Florida traffic violation fines and penalties run from a $25 base charge for going a few miles over the limit to felony prison time for a third DUI, and the number printed on the statute is almost never what you actually pay. Mandatory surcharges, court costs, and administrative fees roughly triple the base fine on most tickets. On top of the money, a conviction puts points on your record, can suspend your license automatically, and raises your insurance for years. What follows is what each of those pieces actually costs and how to keep the damage down.

What You Actually Pay

The base fines under Section 318.18 look manageable on their own. For speeding, they scale with how far over the limit you were caught:1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 318.18 – Enforcement; Penalties; Civil Actions

  • 1–5 mph over: warning, no fine
  • 6–9 mph over: $25
  • 10–14 mph over: $100
  • 15–19 mph over: $150
  • 20–29 mph over: $175
  • 30 mph or more over: $250 and a mandatory court appearance

Every moving violation then adds a mandatory $35 court cost, a $12.50 administrative fee, a $10 Article V assessment, a $3 radio system surcharge, and roughly $5.50 for criminal justice education and training. Some counties add their own local fees on top.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 318.18 – Enforcement; Penalties; Civil Actions The practical result: a $25 base fine for driving 6–9 mph over the limit usually costs about $130 by the time you finish paying. Nonmoving violations start from a $30 base fine and carry their own set of surcharges.

School bus violations are handled separately and cost more. Failing to stop for a school bus is a $200 base fine plus a mandatory $65 Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund surcharge, for a $265 minimum. Passing on the side where children enter and exit raises the base to $400, or $465 minimum. A second school-bus offense within five years triggers a license suspension of at least 180 days, and a violation causing serious injury or death carries a $1,500 fine plus a suspension of at least one year.2Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 318.18 – Enforcement; Penalties; Civil Actions

Ignoring a citation makes it worse. Miss the 30-day window and late fees accumulate, then the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles can suspend your license for failure to comply. Driving on that suspension is itself a criminal charge. Traffic fines are not tax-deductible, even if you were driving for work when you got the ticket.3Internal Revenue Service. Publication 463 (2025), Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses

Points, Suspensions, and Insurance

Every moving violation conviction adds points to your record. The DHSMV runs this system under Section 322.27, and points stay on your record for at least five years from the date of conviction — a longer window than many drivers realize.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.27 – Authority of Department to Suspend or Revoke Driver License5Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Points and Point Suspensions

Point values for common violations:

  • Speeding: 3 points, or 4 if you were more than 50 mph over the limit
  • Speeding that results in a crash: 6 points
  • Running a red light: 3 or 4 points depending on circumstances
  • Reckless driving: 4 points
  • Careless driving: 3 points
  • Failing to yield right of way: 3 points
  • Failing to stop for a school bus: 4 points
  • Leaving the scene of a crash with property damage: 6 points

Points trigger automatic administrative suspensions at three thresholds: 12 points in 12 months brings a 30-day suspension, 18 points in 18 months brings a 3-month suspension, and 24 points in 36 months brings a 1-year suspension.5Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Points and Point Suspensions These happen based on your record alone, without a separate court proceeding.

Insurance is the quieter cost. Insurers pull your driving record and price accordingly. A single speeding ticket in Florida raises average full-coverage premiums by roughly 8%, or about $300 more per year, and that increase runs for multiple renewal cycles.

Habitual Traffic Offender

A pattern of serious violations produces a much harsher outcome. Florida classifies you as a habitual traffic offender if, within five years, you rack up three or more convictions for major offenses — DUI, hit-and-run with injuries, any felony involving a vehicle, or driving on a suspended license — or fifteen convictions for any moving violations that carry points.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.264 – Habitual Traffic Offender Defined The designation carries a five-year license revocation.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.27 – Authority of Department to Suspend or Revoke Driver License

Your Three Options After a Ticket

For a noncriminal citation you have 30 days to act, and three ways to resolve it under Section 318.14:7The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Procedures

  • Pay the fine. This is a conviction. Points hit your record and your insurance will likely rise.
  • Elect a basic driver improvement course. You plead guilty, adjudication is withheld, no points are assessed, and the fine is reduced by 18%.
  • Request a hearing. You contest the citation, but you also give up the fixed civil penalty amounts. If the hearing officer finds you committed the infraction, they can impose a higher or lower fine.

If you request a hearing, the officer must appear to testify. If the officer doesn’t show, the citation is typically dismissed.

Traffic School: The Point-Avoidance Tool

Electing a basic driver improvement course keeps points off your record, cuts the fine by 18%, and prevents formal adjudication, which is why insurers often don’t treat it as a conviction. The eligibility rules are strict: once every 12 months, no more than eight times in your lifetime, not available to commercial license holders or drivers cited in a commercial vehicle, and not available if you were caught going 30 mph or more over the limit.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Procedures State-approved courses run online or in person and typically cost $20 to $80.

Criminal Traffic Offenses You Can’t Pay Off

Some violations require a court appearance and carry jail exposure. Paying a fine doesn’t resolve them.

DUI

A first DUI under Section 316.193 carries a fine of $500 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail, and the court can order an ignition interlock device.8Florida Senate. Florida Code Title XXIII Chapter 316 – 316.193 Driving Under the Influence; Penalties If your blood-alcohol level is 0.15 or higher, or if a passenger under 18 was in the vehicle, the fine range rises to $1,000–$2,000, maximum jail time extends to nine months, and the interlock device becomes mandatory for at least six continuous months.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 316.193 – Driving Under the Influence; Penalties A third DUI within ten years is a third-degree felony.

Driving on a Suspended License

Knowingly driving with a suspended or revoked license under Section 322.34 escalates fast. A first offense is a second-degree misdemeanor, up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. A second is a first-degree misdemeanor, up to one year in jail and $1,000. A third requires at least 10 days in jail. A third or later offense becomes a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison when the underlying suspension involved DUI, refusing a breath or blood test, a fatal or serious-injury crash, or fleeing law enforcement.10The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 322.34 – Driving While License Suspended, Revoked, Canceled, or Disqualified

Reckless Driving

Reckless driving under Section 316.192 is criminal on a first offense: up to 90 days in jail and a $25 to $500 fine. A second conviction doubles the exposure to six months and $50 to $1,000. Reckless driving that causes property damage or injury is a first-degree misdemeanor, and reckless driving causing serious bodily injury is a third-degree felony.11Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 316.192 – Reckless Driving

Leaving the Scene

Leaving the scene of a crash involving only property damage is a second-degree misdemeanor under Section 316.061, up to 60 days in jail, and the court can order restitution.12The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 316.061 – Crashes Involving Damage to Vehicle or Property Leaving the scene of a crash involving injuries or death is a felony.

Extra Penalties for Commercial Drivers

If you hold a commercial driver license, federal rules classify a range of common violations as “serious traffic violations” when committed in a commercial vehicle: speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, and texting while driving.13eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers A second serious violation within three years disqualifies your CDL for 60 days. A third within three years disqualifies it for 120 days. Those disqualifications stack on top of Florida’s own penalties rather than replacing them, and because traffic school is off-limits for commercial vehicle citations, there’s no way to keep the conviction off your record.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Procedures

If You Live Out of State

A Florida ticket doesn’t stay in Florida. Under the Nonresident Violator Compact, ignoring a Florida citation prompts the state to notify your home state’s motor vehicle agency, which then suspends your license until you resolve the ticket. There is no expiration on that suspension.

Under the Driver License Compact, Florida also reports convictions of out-of-state drivers to their home state. For serious offenses — DUI, vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run with injuries, or any felony involving a vehicle — your home state must treat the conviction as if it happened locally. For lesser violations, your home state applies its own rules. Either way, insurance rates back home can rise from a Florida ticket the same as they would from a local one.

Statutes Behind the Common Violations

Florida’s moving violations are governed by Chapter 316 of the statutes, the State Uniform Traffic Control Law.

Common nonmoving violations sit in a mix of statutes.