How Many Points Until Your License Is Suspended in Georgia?

In Georgia, your driver’s license is suspended once you accumulate 15 or more points within any 24-month period, which answers the core question of how many points until your license is suspended in Georgia for adult drivers.¹ Drivers under 21 face a far lower bar: a single conviction worth four or more points triggers suspension, and drivers under 18 lose their license at just four total points in 12 months.²

How the 24-Month Window Is Measured

The clock runs on arrest dates, not conviction dates. The 24-month window is measured from the dates of your previous arrests that produced convictions to the date of your most recent arrest that also resulted in a conviction.¹ Two tickets with arrest dates 23 months apart both count, even if one took a year to work through court.

Points reset to zero once a suspension period ends.¹ Points do not quietly expire while you’re still driving, though. The clean slate arrives only after you’ve served the suspension and completed reinstatement.

Stricter Thresholds for Younger Drivers

If you’re under 21, a single conviction for any of the following suspends your license automatically:

Any offense worth four or more points, such as aggressive driving or speeding 24 or more over the limit
Hit and run or leaving the scene of an accident
Racing on streets or highways
Fleeing or attempting to elude an officer
Reckless driving
DUI

You do not need to accumulate points over time the way an adult driver does.²

Drivers under 18 face a lower bar still. Four or more points in any 12-month period suspends the license regardless of whether any single ticket was a high-point violation. Two three-point moving violations within a year will do it. For a first suspension at this age, you can apply for reinstatement after six months.²

What Common Violations Are Worth

Georgia’s point values run from one to six per offense. Knowing where common tickets land tells you how close you are to the threshold.

Six-Point Violations

Passing a school bus unlawfully
Aggressive driving
Speeding 34 mph or more over the limit

Two to Four-Point Violations

Speeding 24 to 33 mph over: 4 points
Reckless driving: 4 points
Passing improperly on a hill or curve: 4 points
Speeding 19 to 23 mph over: 3 points
Disobeying a traffic signal or sign: 3 points
Disobeying a police officer directing traffic: 3 points
Speeding 15 to 18 mph over: 2 points
Open container of alcohol while driving: 2 points

One-Point Violations

Texting while driving
Using a wireless device improperly
Child safety restraint violation, first offense

Any moving violation not specifically listed carries three points by default, which is where following too closely and failing to yield land.³ One useful detail: speeding less than 15 mph over the posted limit carries zero points, and so does a conviction for driving “too fast for conditions.”⁴ You’ll pay the ticket, but it won’t move your total.

Checking Your Current Point Total

You can view your point count by creating an account through the DDS Online Services portal or downloading the DDS 2 GO mobile app.⁴ Both show your license status and points without a trip to a Customer Service Center. If you’ve picked up a couple of tickets recently, checking before your next court date is worth the few minutes.

Taking Points Off Before You Hit 15

Georgia lets you remove up to seven points from your record by completing a certified six-hour driver improvement course, commonly called defensive driving.⁵ This reduction is available once every five years.⁶ Sitting at 11 points after a run of tickets? Knocking off seven can keep you below the suspension line.

After completing the course, submit the original certificate of completion to DDS at a Customer Service Center or by mail to the Department of Driver Services, P.O. Box 80447, Conyers, Georgia 30013.⁴ Because the option only comes around once in five years, timing matters. Burning it on a minor two-point infraction wastes value you may need later.

What Happens When You Cross the Threshold

How long you lose your license at 15 points depends on how many times you’ve been there before:

First suspension: one year, with the option to apply for early reinstatement after completing the requirements under Georgia Code 40-5-84
Second suspension within five years: three years, with the same early-reinstatement option
Third suspension within five years: two years with no eligibility for early reinstatement or a limited driving permit during the entire period

The five-year measurement again runs between arrest dates that produced convictions, matching the methodology used for the 24-month accumulation window.¹

That third-suspension rule is harsh. No early reinstatement, no limited permit for work or medical needs, for two full years.

Limited Driving Permit

On a first or second suspension you may qualify for a limited driving permit if you can show extreme hardship, meaning you cannot reasonably obtain other transportation. The permit covers commuting to work and performing job duties, medical care and prescription pickup, attending school where you’re enrolled, court appearances, probation meetings and community service, recognized addiction support meetings, and driving an immediate family member without a valid license to work, medical care, or school. The application fee is $32, and the permit can be renewed once for $10.⁷ A third point-based suspension within five years takes this option off the table.

Reinstatement Fees

Once the suspension period runs or you qualify for early reinstatement, the fees for point-based suspensions are:

First offense: $200 by mail or $210 in person
Second offense: $300 by mail or $310 in person
Third offense: $400 by mail or $410 in person

Payment is also accepted online through DDS Online Services with a credit or debit card. DDS does not accept checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks at Customer Service Centers.⁸ Driving privileges are restored after DDS processes payment and verifies all outstanding requirements, including any unrelated suspensions on your record.

Convictions That Suspend You Without Points

Some convictions suspend your license regardless of your point total. DDS acts as soon as it receives the court record for any of these:

Vehicular homicide
Any felony committed using a motor vehicle
Hit and run or leaving the scene of an accident
Racing on streets or highways
Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer
Driving with a revoked, canceled, or suspended registration

The court must forward the conviction and your license to DDS within ten days.⁹ These suspensions run on a separate track. You could have zero points on your record and still lose your license the day after one of these convictions.

1
Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-57 – Suspension or Revocation of License
2
Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-57.1 – Suspension of Licenses of Persons Under 21 Years for Certain Offenses
3
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Points Schedule
4
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Points and Points Reduction
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Defensive Driving Program FAQs
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Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-86 – Reduction of Point Count
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Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-64 – Limited Driving Permits for Certain Offenders
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Reinstatement Fees and Payment
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Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-54 – Mandatory Suspension of License; Notice of Suspension