How Much Is a Speeding Ticket in Illinois: Fines and Penalties

A standard speeding ticket in Illinois costs $164 for anyone caught going 1 to 25 mph over the posted limit, a flat bail amount set statewide by Illinois Supreme Court Rule 526.1Illinois State Police. Speed Limit Enforcement That figure is the same whether you were clocked at 5 over or 24 over. The real cost of a speeding ticket, though, usually runs well past $164 once court assessments, insurance increases, and license-record consequences are added in — and once you hit 26 mph over, the ticket stops being a fine at all and becomes a criminal charge.

The Base Fine for 1 to 25 MPH Over

Illinois treats speeding of 1 to 25 mph over the limit as a petty offense. If you pay the ticket without contesting it, you forfeit $164 as bail and the case closes. The fine doesn’t scale within that range. Eight over and 23 over cost the same at the bail-forfeiture stage.1Illinois State Police. Speed Limit Enforcement

Simply paying is a guilty plea. It closes the ticket, but it also records a conviction on your driving record, which is where the real money starts leaking out.

Court Assessments Added to Every Ticket

The number on the ticket is not the final number. The Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act requires Circuit Court Clerks to collect mandatory assessments on every traffic offense. For a minor traffic offense, which covers standard speeding, the clerk collects $226 under Schedule 10 of the Act.2Justia. Illinois Code 705 ILCS 135 Article 15 – Assessment Schedules Counties with a population over 3 million, meaning Cook County, can add up to $28 more.

These assessments cannot be waived. If you pay the $164 bail and forfeit, the assessments are already baked in. If your case goes through court because you contested it or were placed on supervision, the $226 schedule applies. Either way, they’re built into the total.

School Zones and Construction Zones

Speeding in a school zone when children are present carries a minimum fine of $150 for a first violation and $300 for a second or subsequent violation, plus court-ordered community service.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/11-605 – Special Speed Limit While Passing Schools

Speeding in a construction or maintenance zone when workers are present carries a minimum fine of $250 for a first offense and $750 for a second offense.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/11-605.1 – Special Limit While Traveling Through a Highway Construction or Maintenance Speed Zone Two construction zone violations within two years, both with workers present, will also trigger a 90-day license suspension from the Secretary of State.5FindLaw. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/11-605.1 – Special Limit While Traveling Through a Highway Construction or Maintenance Speed Zone

These minimums are before court assessments, so plan on paying the fine plus the standard assessment schedule. Court supervision, the tool most drivers use to keep a ticket off their record, is not available for either of these offenses when children or workers are present.6Circuit Court of Cook County. Court Supervision That means a conviction goes on your record automatically.

Automated Speed Camera Tickets

Several Illinois municipalities, most notably Chicago, use automated speed cameras near parks and schools. Camera tickets are cheaper than officer-issued citations and work differently.

  • 6 to 10 mph over the limit: $35
  • 11 mph or more over: $100

The citation goes to the registered owner of the vehicle rather than to whoever was driving.7City of Chicago. Automated Speed Enforcement Frequently Asked Questions Because no officer observed a driver committing the violation, camera tickets are treated as vehicle-owner liability, similar to a parking ticket, and do not count as moving violations on your driving record. New cameras start with a 30-day warning period during which no fines are issued, and each license plate gets one additional warning the first time it’s captured in a new speed safety zone. You have 21 days from the citation date to contest by mail or in person.

26 MPH or More Over: Criminal Charges

Once a driver hits 26 mph over the posted limit, this is no longer a fine question. Illinois law classifies these offenses as misdemeanors, which means a criminal record.

Those are the ceilings. Most first-time offenders without prior records won’t serve jail time. But the criminal classification itself matters. A misdemeanor conviction shows up on background checks for employment, housing, and professional licensing. Aggravated speeding charges also require a mandatory court appearance; you cannot pay them online.

Insurance and Your Driving Record

A speeding conviction affects three things beyond the base fine: your driving record, your license status, and your insurance premiums.

The Illinois Secretary of State assigns severity points to each moving violation. When a driver 21 or older accumulates three or more moving violation convictions within any rolling 12-month period, the Secretary of State suspends the license.11Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Traffic Offenses Length depends on severity and overall record. Younger drivers face stricter thresholds.

Insurance is the hidden cost that dwarfs the ticket itself. A single speeding conviction typically raises premiums by roughly 20% or more, and that increase lasts about three years. Over that period, the additional premium easily exceeds the original fine.

Court Supervision Can Keep the Cost Down

For a standard speeding ticket, the single most important decision isn’t whether to pay but whether to request court supervision. Supervision is a special disposition that, if completed successfully, ends in dismissal rather than conviction. It does not count as a conviction for any purpose, and the clerk’s report to the Secretary of State is confidential and cannot be shared with insurance companies.12Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 5/5-6-3.1

When a judge grants supervision, the court typically requires a fine, attendance at traffic safety school, or both. The supervision period lasts four months.6Circuit Court of Cook County. Court Supervision Comply with every condition and the charge is dismissed. Miss a payment, skip traffic school, or pick up another ticket and the judge can enter a conviction and add fines.

Supervision is not available for every offense. Judges cannot grant it for school zone or construction zone speeding when children or workers are present, for passing a school bus that is loading children, or for a second offense of driving without insurance. For aggravated speeding at 26+ over, supervision may be available to a first-time offender at the judge’s discretion, but it’s far from guaranteed.

A driver who mails in $164 has recorded a conviction on their driving record, which triggers an insurance rate increase and counts toward the three-conviction suspension threshold. Appearing in court and requesting supervision can save hundreds of dollars in insurance costs over the following years.

CDL Drivers Face a Steeper Bill

Commercial driver’s license holders face a separate layer of consequences. Under federal regulations, speeding 15 mph or more over the posted limit qualifies as a “serious traffic violation.”13eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers A second serious violation within three years brings a 60-day disqualification from operating a commercial vehicle. A third within three years brings 120 days.

These disqualifications apply to convictions while operating a commercial vehicle, and under certain circumstances they can also be triggered by violations in a personal vehicle.13eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers A 60-day disqualification is two months of lost income for a professional driver. For CDL holders, even a routine 16-over ticket is a career-level concern, and fighting the charge or securing supervision is almost always worth the effort.

The Cost of Ignoring the Ticket

Failing to respond to a citation sets off escalating consequences. Starting in 2025, Illinois courts no longer automatically suspend a license the moment someone misses a court date. Instead, the clerk’s office sends reminders by mail, text, email, or phone. If a driver still fails to respond, pay, or show cause, the judge can enter a conviction and notify the Secretary of State, which leads to suspension.

The suspension stays in effect until the driver resolves the outstanding ticket, appears in court, and pays reinstatement fees. Driving on a suspended license is a separate criminal offense. The cheapest path is always to deal with the original ticket before any of that starts.