Michigan driver’s license points are added to your record every time you’re convicted of a moving violation, with values ranging from 2 to 6 points depending on how serious the offense is. Points stay on your record for two years from the date of conviction, and once you reach 12 points inside that two-year window, the Secretary of State orders a mandatory reexamination of your driving privileges.1State of Michigan. Chapter 2: Your Driving Record Two serious tickets can be enough to get you there.
Paying a traffic ticket counts as an admission of guilt, so the points post automatically the moment you send in the fine. There is no separate step required.
What Each Violation Costs
The general point schedule breaks violations into four tiers:1State of Michigan. Chapter 2: Your Driving Record
- 6 points: manslaughter or negligent homicide with a vehicle, operating while intoxicated, reckless driving, fleeing a police officer, leaving the scene of a crash without identifying yourself, refusing a chemical alcohol test, or any moving violation that causes death or serious injury.
- 4 points: drag racing, impaired driving, any bodily alcohol content for drivers under 21, speeding 16 mph or more over the limit, or failing to yield for emergency vehicles.
- 3 points: careless driving, running a traffic signal or stop sign, improper passing, speeding 11 to 15 mph over the limit, failing to stop at a railroad crossing, or disobeying a school bus stop signal.
- 2 points: speeding 6 to 10 mph over the limit, having an open alcohol container in the vehicle, a preliminary breath test refusal (under 21), and all other moving violations not listed above.
Under the general schedule, 2 points is the floor. Every moving conviction on a surface street costs you at least that much.
The Lower Schedule for Freeway Speeding
Speeding on a limited-access freeway with a posted limit of 55 mph or higher runs on a separate, reduced schedule:2Michigan Legislature. MCL 257-629c
- 0 points: 1 to 5 mph over
- 1 point: 6 to 10 mph over
- 2 points: 11 to 15 mph over
- 3 points: 16 to 25 mph over
- 4 points: 26 or more mph over
Seven over on I-96 is a 1-point ticket rather than the 2 points the same speed would earn on a city street. The freeway rule also creates the only 1-point violations in the state’s system, and there’s a separate trigger tied to them: six or more 1-point freeway speeding convictions within two years is enough for a reexamination on its own, even if your total point count is under 12.1State of Michigan. Chapter 2: Your Driving Record
What Happens When You Reach 12 Points
The Secretary of State sends warning letters as your points build. Those letters are administrative notices, not penalties. The real action begins at 12 points inside a two-year window, when the state orders a driver assessment reexamination.1State of Michigan. Chapter 2: Your Driving Record
For point-based referrals, the reexamination is handled on paper. A Driver Assessment analyst reviews your Michigan record without requiring you to appear. There’s no vision screening, no written test, and no road test at this stage; those steps come into play only in reexaminations based on physical or mental fitness concerns.3Michigan Department of State. Driver Assessment
The analyst issues an Order of Action with one of three outcomes:
- Restriction. You keep driving privileges under specific conditions written into your license and record.
- Suspension. Your privileges are pulled for a set period ranging from days to months. A suspension imposed under the point system cannot exceed one year.
- Revocation. Your license is revoked outright, and you must wait one to five years before applying for a new one.
Any of the three comes with a notice of your appeal rights and instructions for getting your license back.1State of Michigan. Chapter 2: Your Driving Record If a reexamination requires your appearance and you don’t show, your license can be suspended immediately and will stay suspended until you complete the process.3Michigan Department of State. Driver Assessment
How to Keep Points Off Your Record
Two strategies exist: complete the Basic Driver Improvement Course, or fight the ticket in court.
The Basic Driver Improvement Course
The BDIC is a state-approved traffic safety refresher. Finish it, and the Secretary of State will still add the violation to your record but won’t post the points, and neither the violation nor the points will be reported to your insurance company.4Michigan Department of State. Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) Eligibility
Eligibility is narrower than most drivers expect. All of the following must be true:
- You hold a valid, non-commercial Michigan driver’s license.
- You had 2 or fewer points on your record when the ticket was issued.
- The violation is worth 3 or fewer points.
- The violation was not a criminal offense.
- The ticket was not issued while you were driving a commercial vehicle.
- The violation was not for careless or negligent driving, even though careless driving is a 3-point offense.
- The ticket was issued in Michigan.
If you qualify, the Secretary of State mails a notification. You have 60 days from that notice to enroll in and complete the course. Extensions are not available. Miss the window and the points and violation post to your record and become visible to insurers.5State of Michigan. Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC)
The catch worth knowing: BDIC is a one-time-only benefit. Use it on a minor speeding ticket now and it won’t be available for a heavier ticket later.4Michigan Department of State. Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) Eligibility Some drivers choose to absorb the points on a low-stakes 2-point violation and save the option for a possible future 3-point conviction.
Contesting the Ticket
If the court dismisses the charge or finds you not guilty, no points are assessed. Paying the ticket, by contrast, is treated as an admission of guilt and the points post automatically.1State of Michigan. Chapter 2: Your Driving Record A driver already sitting at 8 or 9 points on a 4-point ticket has real reason to think twice before mailing the check.
Out-of-State Tickets
Michigan is one of a small number of states that does not participate in the Driver License Compact, the interstate agreement most states use to share traffic conviction information. Out-of-state violations do not transfer to your Michigan record the way they would in a DLC state. That said, Michigan can still learn about serious offenses, especially alcohol-related convictions and license actions, through other reporting channels. Assuming an out-of-state ticket will stay invisible isn’t a safe bet.
The Cost Beyond Points
The Secretary of State’s action is only one layer. Insurance carriers pull driving records to price risk, and a single speeding ticket can raise premiums by roughly 25 percent. An OWI conviction often doubles or triples rates, and some insurers drop drivers entirely after a major violation, forcing them into the high-risk market at much higher prices.
Employers that require driving pull records too. Transportation companies, delivery services, and any job with a company vehicle typically check history before hiring and periodically after. Multiple violations or a suspension can end candidacy for those roles.
Extra Rules for CDL Holders
Federal regulations layer their own consequences onto commercial driver’s licenses, independent of Michigan’s point count. Under FMCSA rules, “serious traffic violations” can trigger CDL disqualification. The list includes speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, and texting or using a handheld phone while operating a commercial vehicle.6eCFR. 49 CFR Part 383 Subpart D – Driver Disqualifications and Penalties
Two serious traffic violations within three years bring a 60-day CDL disqualification. A third inside that same window pushes the disqualification to 120 days. These periods apply whether the violation happened in a commercial vehicle or your personal car, so a weekend speeding conviction can cost a CDL holder work on Monday.6eCFR. 49 CFR Part 383 Subpart D – Driver Disqualifications and Penalties
Checking Your Record
You can order a copy of your Michigan driving record online or by mail through the Secretary of State. The fee is $15 per record, or $16 for a certified copy.7Michigan Department of State. Record Sales Pulling it periodically is worth the cost if you’re near the point threshold or applying for a job that expects a clean history. Errors are uncommon but not unheard of, and catching one early is far easier than reversing a reexamination it caused.