The Kansas moving violations list is set by Kansas Administrative Regulation 92-52-9, which names more than 50 specific traffic offenses as moving violations for licensing purposes.1Legal Information Institute. Kansas Administrative Regulations 92-52-9 – Definition of Moving Violation Every conviction on that list goes on file with the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Driver Solutions division and stays there. Kansas does not use a point system, so each conviction is tracked by name and date, and hitting certain conviction counts within set time frames costs you your license.
What Counts as a Moving Violation in Kansas
If the offense involves the vehicle in motion or the driver’s conduct while operating it, it is a moving violation. Equipment problems like a broken taillight, parking tickets, and expired registration tags are non-moving violations and do not appear on your driving history the same way.
Municipal ordinances and county resolutions that mirror the state statutes count too, so a ticket from a city officer carries the same weight on your record as one from a state trooper. Equivalent convictions from other states are treated as Kansas convictions.
The Most Common Moving Violations
Speeding is the violation Kansas drivers see most. K.S.A. 8-1558 sets maximum speed limits at 30 mph in urban areas, 55 mph on county or township roads, 65 mph on most highways, and 75 mph on designated separated multilane highways.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-1558 – Maximum Speed Limits Driving above those limits, or too fast for current road conditions, triggers a conviction.
Reckless driving under K.S.A. 8-1566 covers anyone who drives with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property, a deliberately broad standard that gives officers and courts wide discretion.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-1566 – Reckless Driving, Penalties A reckless driving conviction also triggers mandatory license revocation under a separate statute, which makes it far more serious than a routine moving violation.
K.S.A. 8-1528 governs stop signs and yield signs. At a stop sign you must come to a complete stop and then yield to any vehicle or pedestrian already in the intersection or close enough to create a hazard.4Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-1528 – Stop Signs and Yield Signs – Duties of Drivers At a yield sign, you can slow rather than stop if the intersection is clear. Colliding with another vehicle after passing a yield sign without stopping is treated as automatic evidence that you failed to yield.
Following too closely falls under K.S.A. 8-1523, which prohibits following another vehicle more closely than is “reasonable and prudent” given speed, traffic, and road conditions.5Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-1523 – Following Another Vehicle Too Closely The vague standard means the officer has significant judgment in whether to write the ticket, and this citation shows up constantly in rear-end investigations.
Other common entries include improper lane changes, failure to signal a turn, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and running a red light. Any conviction on the list gets reported to the Division of Vehicles regardless of the fine amount.6Kansas Department of Revenue. Driver’s License Information
Kansas Speeding Fines by MPH Over
Kansas sets base speeding fines by statute rather than leaving them to judicial discretion. K.S.A. 8-2118 establishes a uniform schedule that scales with how far over the limit you were driving:7Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-2118
- 1 to 10 mph over the limit: $45
- 11 to 20 mph over: $45 plus $6 for each mph above 10 over. For example, 15 over would be $45 + $30 = $75.
- 21 to 30 mph over: $105 plus $9 for each mph above 20 over
- 31 mph or more over: $195 plus $15 for each mph above 30 over
These fines double in road construction zones and school zones.7Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-2118 A ticket for going 12 mph over in a school zone jumps from $57 to $114. Court costs and fees stack on top, which is why the total on the ticket usually looks higher than the base figure.
Texting and Cell Phone Use
K.S.A. 8-15,111 makes it illegal to write, send, or read any text-based communication while driving on a public road. That covers text messages, emails, and instant messages typed or read on a phone, tablet, or laptop.8Kansas State Legislature. Kansas Code 8-15,111 – Text Messaging, Prohibited – Exceptions Voice-operated hands-free messaging is exempt, as is dialing a phone number or reading a navigation or emergency alert.
Governor Kelly signed Senate Bill 366, which restricts cell phone use while driving in school zones and construction zones. Officers issue warnings in the initial phase, and after July 1, 2027, the violation carries a $60 fine.9Office of Governor Laura Kelly. Governor Kelly Signs Bipartisan Bill Reducing Distracted Drivers in Kansas Texting violations qualify as moving violations under K.A.R. 92-52-9, so they land on your driving record alongside speeding and other infractions.
Kansas Tracks Convictions, Not Points
Kansas does not assign points to your license the way Pennsylvania or New York does. Instead, the state tracks each moving violation conviction by name and date, and administrative consequences kick in once you reach specific conviction thresholds within set time frames.6Kansas Department of Revenue. Driver’s License Information
There is no mechanism to reduce points through a defensive driving course, because there are no points to reduce. Every conviction sits on your record, and the only thing that resets the clock is time passing without new violations. That changes how you should think about contesting a ticket. In a point-system state, one citation may not move the needle much. In Kansas, every conviction is a discrete event that counts toward the thresholds that trigger suspension or revocation.
When Moving Violations Cost You Your License
Habitual Violator Designation
K.S.A. 8-285 defines a “habitual violator” as anyone with three or more convictions within the preceding five years for certain major offenses.10Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-285 – Habitual Violator Defined – Other Definitions Those offenses include vehicular homicide, DUI, driving while suspended or revoked, hit and run, perjury related to vehicle registration, using a vehicle in a felony, and failing to maintain liability insurance. Any combination of three counts, and out-of-state convictions apply.
Once the Division of Vehicles identifies you as a habitual violator, it revokes your driving privileges for three years.11Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-286 This is a full revocation, not a suspension you can shorten with good behavior. Driving during the revocation period is itself a criminal offense that restarts the consequences.
Mandatory Revocation on First Conviction
Some offenses are serious enough that Kansas revokes your license on the first conviction, no prior record required. K.S.A. 8-254 lists them:12Kansas State Legislature. Kansas Code 8-254 – Mandatory Revocation of Driver’s License by Division of Vehicles
- Vehicular homicide
- Involuntary manslaughter committed while violating reckless driving or fleeing-and-eluding statutes
- Battery committed while violating reckless driving or fleeing-and-eluding statutes
- Failure to stop and render aid when an accident causes injury or death
- Reckless driving
- Using a motor vehicle in the commission of a felony
- Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer
Revocation is automatic once the conviction becomes final. The Division of Vehicles has no discretion to substitute a warning or suspension.
DUI Suspension Tiers
DUI runs through its own administrative framework under K.S.A. 8-1014 rather than the mandatory revocation statute. Suspension periods depend on how many prior alcohol or drug-related offenses you have and your blood alcohol concentration at the time:13Justia Law. Kansas Code 8-1014 – Suspension and Restriction of Driving Privileges
- First occurrence, BAC under 0.15: 30-day suspension, then restricted driving privileges
- First occurrence, BAC 0.15 or higher: one-year suspension, then one year restricted to a vehicle with an ignition interlock device
- Second occurrence: one-year suspension, then one year on ignition interlock
- Third occurrence: one-year suspension, then two years on ignition interlock
- Fourth occurrence: one-year suspension, then three years on ignition interlock
- Fifth or subsequent: one-year suspension, then 10 years on ignition interlock
The interlock requirement runs on top of the suspension. You do not drive at all during the suspension, and afterward you can only drive an interlock-equipped vehicle during the restriction period.
CDL Holders Face a Lower Threshold
Commercial driver’s license holders are held to a stricter standard. K.S.A. 8-2,128 defines “serious traffic violations” for CDL purposes, and the trigger is lower than for regular drivers.14Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-2,128 – Same – Definitions Speeding 15 mph or more over the posted limit automatically qualifies. So do reckless driving, improper lane changes, and operating a commercial vehicle without the correct license class or endorsement.
Under K.S.A. 8-2,142, a second serious traffic violation within three years brings at least a 60-day disqualification from any commercial vehicle, and a third within three years extends that to at least 120 days.15Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 8-2,142 These periods apply whether the violations happened in a commercial vehicle or a personal one. For a driver whose livelihood depends on the CDL, even 60 days can mean lost work.
Federal rules add another layer. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration prohibits CMV drivers from holding a phone to make calls or manually typing messages while driving, with fines up to $2,750 per violation for the driver and up to $11,000 for an employer who requires or allows it.16Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Mobile Phone Restrictions Fact Sheet Repeated violations of state cell phone laws while operating a CMV are classified as serious traffic violations under federal regulations and feed into the same disqualification framework.
Out-of-State Tickets Still Count
Kansas participates in the Driver License Compact, an agreement among most states to share traffic conviction data. When you get ticketed in another member state, that state reports the conviction to Kansas, and Kansas treats it as if it happened here. A speeding ticket in Missouri or a DUI arrest in Colorado shows up on your Kansas record and counts toward the habitual violator thresholds the same as an in-state conviction. The compact covers moving violations but excludes parking tickets and equipment violations.
What Convictions Do to Your Insurance
Moving violation convictions hit your wallet twice: the fine and court costs at sentencing, then higher insurance premiums for years afterward. Insurers pull your driving record when setting rates, and each conviction signals increased risk. A single speeding ticket can raise premiums by roughly 25% on average, and that increase typically persists for three to five years depending on the insurer. Reckless driving or DUI can double or triple your rates, and some insurers will drop you entirely, pushing you into high-risk pools that charge significantly more.
Because Kansas uses a conviction-based system with no points to work off, the record itself is what insurers see, for as long as their lookback period runs. If you believe a ticket was issued incorrectly, contest it before a conviction is entered, because once the court reports it to the Division of Vehicles, it stays.