A red light ticket in VA costs $50 flat if a camera caught you, or up to $350 in fines plus $51 in mandatory court costs if a police officer wrote the citation. The two tickets look similar on paper and differ enormously in consequence: the camera version is a civil penalty that ends when you pay it, while the officer-issued version is a moving violation that adds points to your license and typically raises your insurance for years.
Camera Ticket Cost
Virginia localities can run red light camera programs under Va. Code § 15.2-968.1, which authorizes counties, cities, and towns to impose a civil monetary penalty on the vehicle’s operator for failing to obey a traffic signal.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-968.1 – Use of Violation Monitoring Systems to Enforce Traffic Light Signals and Certain Traffic Control Devices The penalty is $50.2Red Light Cameras – Virginia Beach Police Department. Red Light Cameras
Because the citation is civil rather than criminal, it works more like a parking ticket than a moving violation. It arrives in the mail addressed to the vehicle’s registered owner. Paying it creates no criminal record, adds no demerit points, and does not affect your insurance. The $50 is the full cost unless you decide to contest it in court, in which case court fees apply.
Officer-Issued Ticket Cost
When an officer personally witnesses the violation, the ticket falls under Va. Code § 46.2-833 and carries a maximum fine of $350.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-833 – Traffic Lights; Penalty The actual fine depends on the court and jurisdiction, so identical violations in neighboring counties can produce different amounts. This is a traffic infraction, not a misdemeanor, but it is still a moving violation and it goes on your driving record.
Virginia law adds a fixed court cost of $51 for traffic infractions heard in district court. That $51 is non-negotiable and gets divided among several state funds, including victim-witness programs and courthouse maintenance. If you skip your court date, another $35 fee is added unless you can show good cause for the absence.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 16.1-69.48:1 – Fixed Fee for Misdemeanors, Traffic Infractions Online payment portals may charge a small processing fee on top. A single officer-issued red light ticket can realistically cost $400 or more once everything is added up.
Points and the Insurance Hit
Virginia’s DMV assigns four demerit points for failing to obey a traffic signal.5Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Moving Violations and Point Assessments Those points stay active for two years from the offense date, and the underlying conviction remains visible on your record for three years. Camera tickets, being civil penalties, add no points at all.
Four points alone triggers no administrative action, but points stack. Adult drivers who accumulate 12 points within 12 months, or 18 points within 24 months, face a mandatory driver improvement clinic. Drivers under 18 hit those thresholds sooner: nine points in 12 months or 12 in 24. You can offset points by earning one safe driving point per year with no violations or at-fault accidents, up to five. A voluntary driver improvement course adds five safe points.
Insurance is where the real money is. A red light conviction on your record signals risk to insurers, and national data shows drivers with a red light violation pay roughly $500 or more per year in additional premium compared to drivers with clean records. Over the three years the conviction remains visible, the added premium alone can far exceed the original fine. Camera tickets do not appear on your driving record and do not produce this increase.
If You Don’t Pay
Virginia no longer suspends a driver’s license solely for unpaid court fines and costs.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. End License Suspensions for Unpaid Court Fines and Costs Ignoring the ticket entirely is a different story. Failing to respond to a summons or failing to appear at a scheduled hearing can still result in a license suspension and the added $35 fee.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 16.1-69.48:1 – Fixed Fee for Misdemeanors, Traffic Infractions There is a real distinction between “can’t pay yet” and “never responded.”
Unpaid fines do not disappear. Courts can send the debt to collections, which can damage your credit, and wages and bank accounts may be subject to garnishment. Camera tickets carry more limited consequences since they are civil, but they can still be pursued through collections.
How to Pay or Contest
Virginia’s court system runs an online portal for paying traffic tickets in general district and circuit courts.7Virginia’s Judicial System. How to Pay Traffic Tickets and Other Offenses You will need the citation or summons number printed on the ticket. Some localities operate separate portals for camera-generated citations, so check the instructions on the notice itself.
Most jurisdictions let you prepay the fine and court costs by the deadline on the ticket. Prepaying counts as a guilty plea. You can pay online, mail a check or money order to the clerk’s office address on the citation, or pay in person at the clerk’s office.
To contest the ticket, notify the court before the summons deadline that you want a hearing, and the court will mail you a date. For camera tickets, contesting means the $51 court cost applies if you lose, turning a $50 ticket into more than $100. That math is worth thinking through before requesting a hearing on a camera citation. Whether you pay or contest, keep the confirmation number or receipt until the matter fully clears your record.