New Jersey Motor Vehicle Points System: Surcharges and Suspension

The New Jersey motor vehicle points system adds points to your driving record every time you’re convicted of a moving violation or pay the fine, which counts as admitting guilt. Two thresholds matter: six points within 36 months triggers a mandatory surcharge, and 12 points triggers a license suspension. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) runs the whole system, from tracking points to billing surcharges to restoring licenses after suspension.

Point Values for Common Violations

Every moving violation carries a specific point value. The more dangerous the conduct, the higher the count.¹

5 points: Reckless driving, tailgating, racing on a highway, passing a stopped school bus, and speeding 30 mph or more over the limit.
4 points: Improper passing, passing a stopped frozen dessert truck, unsafe driving (third or later offense within five years), and speeding 15 to 29 mph over the limit.
3 points: Handheld cellphone use while driving (third or later offense within 10 years of a second offense), and operating a construction vehicle over 45 mph.
2 points: Careless driving, running a red light, failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, speeding 1 to 14 mph over the limit, improper turn, wrong way on a one-way street, failure to stop for a police officer’s signal, leaving the scene of an accident with no injury, and driving to avoid a traffic signal.

Two things surprise people. Red light camera tickets carry zero points because they’re civil violations, not moving violations.¹ And improper passing is a four-point offense, the same as speeding 15 to 29 mph over the limit.

Speeding, Tier by Tier

Speeding under N.J.S.A. 39:4-98 breaks into three bands based on how far over you were going:

1 to 14 mph over: 2 points
15 to 29 mph over: 4 points
30 mph or more over: 5 points¹

The step from 14 over to 15 over doubles your points. If you’re already carrying anything on your record, one ticket in that middle band can push you into surcharge territory.

Out-of-State Tickets Still Count

Getting cited in another state doesn’t spare your New Jersey record. New Jersey participates in the Driver License Compact, which shares conviction data between member states.² When you’re convicted of a moving violation elsewhere, the MVC adds a flat two points to your record no matter what the other state’s schedule says.¹

That flat number cuts both ways. A five-point offense committed in New Jersey becomes only two points if committed out of state, but a minor offense that might not carry any points in the state that issued it still costs you two here. The data transfers electronically between state agencies, so there’s no practical way to avoid it.

Surcharges Start at Six Points

Financial penalties arrive well before your license is at risk. Under N.J.S.A. 17:29A-35, six or more points within a 36-month window brings a mandatory surcharge of $150 for the first six points, plus $25 for each additional point.³ A driver at eight points owes $200.

Point-reduction credits don’t help you here. The MVC counts your raw accumulation over the past 36 months for surcharge purposes, not the reduced total after defensive driving credit.³ A single bad year of driving can generate surcharge bills for up to three consecutive annual assessments. These charges are on top of any court fines and separate from whatever your auto insurer does with your premium.

If You Don’t Pay

Ignoring a surcharge bill escalates fast. Miss the due date without setting up an installment plan and the MVC indefinitely suspends your driving privileges and adds a $100 fee that has to be paid before you can drive again.⁴

If the balance keeps sitting, the MVC issues a Notice of Proposed Judgment. From there, a Certificate of Debt can be filed in New Jersey Superior Court for the full amount plus interest and collection costs.⁴ Once judgment is entered, payment has to be in certified funds like a postal money order or certified bank check. Paying by personal check or credit card after judgment delays the filing of the Warrant of Satisfaction by two months.

Suspension at 12 Points

Hit 12 points and your license gets suspended. The MVC sends a notice of scheduled suspension by mail explaining what comes next.⁵

Drivers who accumulate 12 to 14 points over more than two years may be offered the Driver Improvement Program as an alternative to a 30-day suspension. Completing that program avoids the suspension and takes three points off your record.⁶ Drivers who reach the threshold faster, or pile up more points, don’t get that option.

After your license is restored, you’re on probation for one year. A moving violation during that year triggers automatic re-suspension, and how long depends on how early in the probation year the violation happens: the earlier, the longer.

No Hardship or Work License

New Jersey has no work license, hardship license, or restricted permit available during a suspension. If your license is suspended for points, you cannot legally drive at all until the suspension is served and your license is restored. There is no exception for commuting, school, or medical appointments.

Once you’ve served the suspension, restoring your license costs $100. The MVC mails a Notice of Restoration when the paperwork clears.⁵ If both your driving and registration privileges were suspended, you owe a separate $100 fee for each.

How to Get Points Off Your Record

There are three routes to a lower point total, and they can be combined.

Automatic Reduction Over Time

For every 12 consecutive months you drive without a violation that adds points or triggers a suspension, three points come off your record automatically.⁷ If your total is under three when the credit applies, it drops to zero rather than going negative. No application needed.

Defensive Driving Course

A state-approved defensive driving course takes two points off, and you can only use this credit once every five years.⁷ The MVC charges a $75 administrative fee before you can schedule with a licensed provider, and the course itself has a separate enrollment fee.⁶

Driver Improvement Program

The Driver Improvement Program provides a three-point reduction and can be used once every two years.⁷ The MVC sometimes requires this program for drivers at 12 to 14 points in place of suspension, but you can enroll voluntarily for the credit even if it isn’t mandated.

How to Check Your Points

You can see your current point total by ordering a Driver History Abstract from the MVC. The abstract covers the past five years of moving violations, points, accidents, and suspensions.⁸

The abstract costs $15 however you request it. You can order online with a credit or debit card, mail in Form DO-21 with a check or money order, or visit an MVC agency in person.⁸ If you’re anywhere near six points and thinking about whether to fight a ticket, check first. Plenty of drivers don’t realize how close they are to a threshold until a new ticket pushes them over.

A Note on Insurance

Points typically drive up your auto insurance premium at renewal, and the effect can last several years. Those costs are entirely separate from the MVC surcharges above. New Jersey’s surcharge statute also authorizes a distinct tier of insurance surcharges for serious offenses like DWI, running $1,000 per year for three years per conviction.³

Commercial Drivers Face a Separate Federal System

Points on your New Jersey record are only part of the picture for CDL holders. Federal rules at 49 CFR 383.51 impose their own disqualification periods for specific convictions, and those apply on top of anything the MVC does.⁹

The federal system doesn’t use points. It categorizes offenses and counts convictions:

Major offenses (DUI, leaving the scene, using a commercial vehicle in a felony): A first conviction brings a one-year disqualification, or three years for hazardous materials. A second conviction is lifetime.
Serious traffic violations (speeding 15+ over, reckless driving, tailgating, improper lane changes, texting): A second conviction within three years brings 60 days of disqualification; a third within three years brings 120.
Railroad crossing violations: At least 60 days for a first, at least 120 for a second within three years, and at least a year for a third.⁹

Two serious traffic violations in three years pulls a CDL for 60 days even when New Jersey only assessed a handful of points for each ticket.

1
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. New Jersey Motor Vehicle Points Schedule
2
The Council of State Governments. Driver License Compact
3
Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes 17-29A-35
4
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Surcharge Facts
5
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. NJ MVC Suspensions and Restorations
6
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. NJ MVC Driver Programs
7
Justia. New Jersey Code 39-5-30.9 – Reduction of Points
8
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. NJ MVC Driver History Abstract
9
eCFR. Disqualification of Drivers 49 CFR 383.51