How Much Is a Speeding Ticket in Virginia? Fines, Fees, and Points

A speeding ticket in Virginia typically costs about $110 to $150 once you combine the base fine with mandatory court fees. The fine itself is $6 for every mile per hour over the posted limit, so 10 over is $60 before anything else is added. Costs climb quickly in school zones, work zones, and residential areas, and at certain speeds the ticket stops being a traffic infraction and becomes reckless driving, a criminal misdemeanor carrying up to $2,500 in fines and jail time.

How Virginia Calculates the Base Fine

Virginia sets the base speeding fine at $6 for each mile per hour you exceed the posted limit.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-878.3 – Prepayment of Fines for Violations of Speed Limits Ten over costs $60. Fifteen over costs $90. Simple math, until you’re in a zone where the per-mile rate goes up:

These enhanced rates come from Virginia’s Uniform Fine Schedule.3Virginia’s Judicial System. Uniform Fine Schedule – Part Three B Traffic Infractions A driver caught 12 over in a residential area owes $296 in fines alone: $96 from the per-mile calculation plus the $200 flat surcharge, before any court costs.

Court Fees Added to the Fine

Every traffic infraction in Virginia carries a fixed court processing fee of $51 on top of the fine.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 16.1-69.48:1 – Fixed Fee for Misdemeanors, Traffic Infractions If the charge is a misdemeanor rather than an infraction, the fixed fee rises to $61. When you face multiple charges from the same incident, only one fixed fee applies, and it’s the higher one if the charges cross categories.

For a standard highway ticket at 15 over, plan on roughly $141 out of pocket: $90 in fine plus $51 in court fees. Some courts assess small additional fees beyond the statutory minimum, so the exact total may run a little higher.

When a Speeding Ticket Becomes Reckless Driving

Virginia draws a hard line where speeding stops being a traffic infraction and becomes a criminal offense. You face reckless driving, a Class 1 misdemeanor, if you drive 20 mph or more over the posted limit, or faster than 85 mph regardless of the limit.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-862 – Exceeding Speed Limit This catches a lot of people on interstates where the limit is 70 and going 86 crosses the threshold.

The penalties jump sharply:

Because reckless driving is a misdemeanor, it shows up on criminal background checks. That can affect employment, security clearances, and professional licensing for years after the fine is paid.

How a Speeding Ticket Affects Your Insurance

The fine and court costs are the part you pay once. The insurance increase keeps costing you. Insurers pull your driving record when setting premiums, and a speeding conviction signals higher risk. Most companies raise your rate after a ticket, with the surcharge typically lasting three to five years.

The size of the increase depends on the insurer, your prior record, and the severity of the offense. A low-level speeding ticket usually produces a moderate bump. A reckless driving conviction can trigger steep surcharges, since insurers treat it as a serious offense. Even a modest rate increase of $15 to $20 per month adds $540 to $720 over three years, often more than the ticket itself. Shopping around after a conviction is one of the few ways to limit the damage, because different insurers weigh violations differently.

Paying vs. Contesting the Ticket

You can pay a Virginia speeding ticket online, by mail, by phone, or in person at the General District Court clerk’s office. Payment must be received by the last business day before your scheduled court date.9City of Virginia Beach. Paying Fines and Pre-payable Citations

Here’s what most drivers don’t realize: paying the ticket is the same as pleading guilty. Virginia law treats your payment as a waiver of the court hearing and an automatic guilty plea, even if you never signed a written waiver.10Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-254.1 – Procedure in Traffic Infraction Cases That guilty plea goes on your driving record, triggers demerit points, and gets reported to your insurer. Once you’ve paid, there’s no going back.

To fight the ticket, show up in court on the date listed on your summons. You can represent yourself or hire a traffic attorney. For a standard speeding infraction, attorney fees typically range from $150 to $500 depending on the jurisdiction and complexity. Reckless driving cases usually cost more because they involve criminal defense work.

Reckless driving charges are not prepayable. You must appear in court regardless. Given the potential jail time and criminal record, most people benefit from legal representation on a reckless charge.

Demerit Points on Your Record

Virginia’s DMV also assigns demerit points, separate from what you pay:11Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Points and the Driver Improvement Program – The Points System

Demerit points remain active for two years from the offense date. The conviction itself stays on your record longer: five years for a standard speeding ticket and 11 years for reckless driving.13Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Moving Violations and Point Assessments Enough demerit points can lead to a mandatory driver improvement clinic, probation, or suspension.

What Happens If You Ignore the Ticket

Skipping your court date is a separate criminal offense. If you were charged with a misdemeanor such as reckless driving, failure to appear is itself a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.14Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-128 – Penalties for Failure to Appear Even for a plain infraction, ignoring the court date can produce a bench warrant.

Unpaid tickets can be sent to collections, and your license may be suspended until you resolve the charge. Between reinstatement fees, the original ticket, and the cost of clearing a suspended license, ignoring a ticket almost always costs more than handling it on time.

CDL Holders Face Federal Consequences

Commercial driver’s license holders face federal penalties on top of Virginia’s state ones. Under federal rules, speeding 15 mph or more over the limit counts as a “serious traffic violation” for CDL purposes, whether you were driving a commercial vehicle or your personal car.15U.S. Department of Transportation. CDL Holder Convicted of Excessive Speeding

A second serious violation within three years triggers a 60-day disqualification from operating any commercial vehicle. A third within that window extends the disqualification to 120 days.16eCFR. 49 CFR Part 383 Subpart D – Driver Disqualifications and Penalties Federal rules also prohibit states from letting CDL holders use traffic school to keep a conviction off their record.

Out-of-State Drivers

A Virginia speeding ticket follows you home. Virginia belongs to both the Driver License Compact and the Nonresident Violator Compact, which together ensure your home state finds out about the conviction and that you cannot ignore it.17CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts. Driver License Compact

Under those agreements, your home state treats a Virginia conviction as if it happened locally and may assess its own demerit points. Your insurer will see the violation regardless of which state issued the ticket. Ignore the citation entirely and Virginia notifies your home state’s motor vehicle agency, which will warn you that your license will be suspended until the Virginia charge is resolved.