There is no course you can take to get points off your license in Alabama. The state does not run a defensive driving program that subtracts points once they have posted, which is the first thing to understand before you spend money on the wrong fix. What you can do is keep points from landing in the first place by contesting the ticket, negotiating the charge down or getting it dismissed in court, or waiting 24 months for the points to expire on their own. Which route makes sense depends on how close you are to the 12-point suspension threshold and whether the ticket has already been adjudicated.
Wait for Points to Expire
Every point drops off your record 24 months after the date of the underlying offense, not the date of conviction. A speeding ticket written on March 15, 2025 clears on March 15, 2027, whether the court processed it quickly or dragged its feet.1Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 760-X-1-.07 – Suspension and Revocation of Driver License Under the Point System
Waiting is a reasonable plan if your total is low and nothing new is pending. It stops being reasonable near the suspension line. Alabama suspends your license for 60 days at 12 points in a rolling two-year window, and the ladder climbs from there up to a 365-day suspension at 24 points.1Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 760-X-1-.07 – Suspension and Revocation of Driver License Under the Point System If you are sitting at 10 points with months to go before any expire, one more ticket pushes you over, and the only way to prevent that is to deal with the pending citation before a conviction gets reported.
Contest the Ticket Before It Becomes a Conviction
Points are automatic once the court reports a conviction. They never attach to a dismissal or a not-guilty finding. That makes the window between citation and court date the only time you have real leverage.
Plead Not Guilty, and Don’t Pay the Fine
Paying your ticket is legally the same as pleading guilty. If you pay before court, you have waived the trial and accepted the points. To preserve your options, enter a not-guilty plea through Alabama’s Online Traffic Resolution system or appear in person on the date printed on the citation.2Alabama Traffic Service Center. Alabama Traffic Service Center – Alabama’s On-Line Traffic Resolution System
Through OTR you may be offered a choice between an in-person hearing and a Zoom hearing, though the judge decides which format is granted. Some charges cannot be resolved online at all and require you to appear.2Alabama Traffic Service Center. Alabama Traffic Service Center – Alabama’s On-Line Traffic Resolution System
What a Trial Actually Looks Like
Most Alabama traffic violations are criminal misdemeanors, so the state has to prove the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. You can present evidence, call witnesses, and cross-examine the officer. Dashcam video, GPS data, photos of blocked or missing signage, and testimony from a passenger can all raise doubt. Win the trial and no points are entered. Lose it and you still have room to ask the prosecutor or judge about alternatives before the sentence is finalized. For a 5- or 6-point violation that would move you toward suspension, a traffic attorney is often worth the fee.
Negotiate a Reduction or Deferred Disposition
Even when the evidence is solid, you do not have to take the charge as written. Alabama prosecutors negotiate plea deals in traffic cases routinely, and the point difference between the original charge and the reduced one is where the real value sits.
A frequent outcome: a reckless driving charge carrying 6 points is reduced to a basic moving violation carrying 2. The fine may barely change. Your record changes a lot. Four points saved can be the difference between keeping your license and losing it for two months.
Some municipal and district courts also offer a form of deferred disposition. The judge agrees to dismiss the charge once you complete conditions the court sets, which might include a safe driving course, a clean period with no new violations, or community service. A dismissal means no conviction gets reported, and no points attach. This is a judicial practice, not a statewide program, so availability depends entirely on the court and the judge handling your case. Ask the court clerk or your attorney whether it is on the table for your charge.
What About a Defensive Driving Course?
If you have been searching, you have seen the advice to take a defensive driving class and watch the points come off. That advice is written for states that run such a program. Alabama does not. Completing a course does not automatically subtract anything from your record.
A course can still help indirectly. A judge weighing a reduction or a deferred disposition may look favorably on a driver who completed one before the hearing, and showing up with a certificate signals initiative. But the credit is discretionary, and no judge is required to give it any weight. The removal of points comes from the court’s ruling, not from the class itself.
Check Your Record Before You Do Anything
Before deciding which route to take, confirm what is actually posted. You may have fewer active points than you assume, or you may find an error that needs fixing. Alabama lets you buy a copy of your driver record for $5.75 through ALEA’s online portal or in person at any ALEA driver license office.3Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Driver Records, Crash Reports, and Driver License Reinstatements
Compare the record against your own paperwork. Every listed violation should match a conviction you actually received. Dismissals should show as dismissals. Anything older than 24 months should be gone. If you completed court-ordered conditions that produced a dismissal but the record still shows a conviction, call the clerk’s office of the court that handled the case and get it corrected. Reporting errors between courts and ALEA happen, and catching them is on you.
Tickets From Other States Count Too
Alabama is a member of the Driver License Compact, an agreement among 45 states and Washington, D.C. to share traffic conviction information.4Council of State Governments. Driver License Compact When another member state reports your conviction, ALEA assigns points under Alabama’s own schedule, as if the offense happened here.1Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 760-X-1-.07 – Suspension and Revocation of Driver License Under the Point System State law also authorizes the ALEA secretary to suspend or revoke based on out-of-state convictions for conduct that would be grounds here.5Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-5A-195 – Cancellation, Suspension, or Revocation of Driver License
To contest an out-of-state ticket, you have to do it in the courts of the state that issued it. Ignoring the citation does not stop it from reaching Alabama; it just removes your chance to fight it before the points land.
If Your License Is Already Suspended
Once a point-based suspension is in effect, there is no shortcut back. You cannot drive legally until the suspension period ends and you complete reinstatement, and driving on a suspended license is a separate criminal charge that creates problems far larger than the points that got you there.
Reinstatement after a point suspension requires a $100 fee paid to ALEA, either online through the driver license portal or in person at an ALEA driver license office. Personal checks are not accepted; use a money order, cashier’s check, cash, or credit card.3Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Driver Records, Crash Reports, and Driver License Reinstatements Your insurer may also require an SR-22 certificate before restoring full coverage, which carries its own cost and its own rules about keeping continuous coverage.