A traffic ticket in Arkansas puts points on your driving record, comes with a fine that typically runs from about $50 to several hundred dollars, and — if ignored or stacked with other tickets — can lead to a license suspension or jail time. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) tracks every moving violation on a point system, and 14 points inside a three-year window triggers an administrative hearing that can cost you your license.1Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Driver Improvements What you do in the first few weeks after the citation matters as much as the violation itself.
How to Respond to the Citation
Your ticket lists the citation number, the district court with jurisdiction, and either a “respond by” date or a scheduled court appearance. That date is a hard deadline. Miss it and you have a second, separate criminal charge on top of the first one.
For minor moving violations, Arkansas lets you skip court entirely by mailing in a signed waiver of appearance along with the fine and court costs. On the waiver, you plead either guilty or no contest (nolo contendere), and the court enters the conviction.2Justia. Arkansas Code 16-17-136 – Waiver of Appearance and Trial Many courts also accept payment through the state’s online portal.3Arkansas Online Court Payment. Arkansas Online Court Payment Either way, points are assessed. Paying the ticket is a guilty plea, not a fee — the conviction goes on your record.
If you want to contest the ticket, you plead not guilty at your arraignment in district court. The judge sets a trial date, the officer has to appear and present evidence, and the burden of proof is on the state. Win, and the charge is dismissed with no points. Lose, and the conviction lands the same as if you had paid by mail.
Points and What They Cost You
Every time a court reports a moving-violation conviction, the DFA adds points to your record. At 10 points, the DFA mails a warning letter. At 14 points inside three years, you are scheduled for an administrative hearing that can end in suspension.1Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Driver Improvements
The DFA’s schedule assigns points by violation:4Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Violations and Points
- Speeding 1–10 mph over the limit: 0 to 3 points, depending on how the officer codes the citation.
- Speeding 11–14 mph over: 4 points.
- Speeding 15–20 mph over: 4 to 5 points.
- Speeding 21–30 mph over: 5 points.
- Speeding 31 mph or more over: 8 points.
- Reckless driving: 8 points.
- Racing on a public highway: 8 points.
- Following too closely: 3 points.
- Improper turn: 3 points.
Beyond the point system, a sentencing court can also suspend your license for up to one year on any moving-violation conviction, order you to retake the driver’s test, or send you to a driver training school.5Justia. Arkansas Code 27-50-306 – Additional Penalties on Conviction of Moving Traffic Violations More than three violations in any twelve-month period is itself a Class C misdemeanor, even if each ticket was minor.6Justia. Arkansas Code 27-50-302 – Classification of Traffic Violations
Some tickets carry jail exposure on their own. Speeding more than 15 mph over the limit, hazardous driving, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and leaving the scene of a property-damage-only accident are Class C misdemeanors with up to 30 days in jail. Reckless driving is a Class B misdemeanor with up to 90 days. A first offense of racing on a public highway is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year.6Justia. Arkansas Code 27-50-302 – Classification of Traffic Violations7Justia. Arkansas Code 5-4-401 – Sentence
When You Have to Appear in Court
The mail-in waiver does not cover DWI or any other offense the statute flags for mandatory appearance.2Justia. Arkansas Code 16-17-136 – Waiver of Appearance and Trial If the citation doesn’t make it obvious, call the clerk of the court listed on the ticket before mailing anything. Showing up when you didn’t need to is easy; failing to show up when you did is a new criminal charge.
What Happens If You Ignore the Ticket
Failure to appear is a stand-alone offense in Arkansas, and the class matches the underlying charge. If the original ticket was a simple violation, failure to appear is a Class C misdemeanor with up to 30 days in jail. If the original charge was a Class A misdemeanor, so is the failure to appear.8Justia. Arkansas Code 5-54-120 – Failure to Appear
The court will also issue a bench warrant, which stays active until you resolve it. Any traffic stop after that can end in arrest. The DFA can suspend your license for unpaid fines or a missed court date, and reinstatement adds another $100 per suspension order on top of what you already owed.9Justia. Arkansas Code 27-16-508 – Fee for Reinstatement – Definition A $150 speeding fine can turn into several hundred dollars in additional penalties once a warrant and a suspension are stacked on it.
Whether It’s Worth Fighting
The math usually comes down to where you already sit on the point system. A three-point speeding conviction on a clean record is an annoyance. That same conviction when you already have 11 points is the difference between keeping your license and losing it. Contesting also makes sense when you have a genuine defense — the officer’s radar reading, the road sign’s visibility, mistaken identity of the vehicle — because the state has to prove its case at trial and the officer has to appear.
If you lose at trial, the conviction and the points are entered the same as if you had paid the ticket. There is no penalty for pleading not guilty beyond the time it takes.
Driving Course for Ticket Dismissal
Arkansas has no statewide right to erase a ticket by taking a defensive driving course. Whether it’s an option depends on the judge in the court handling your case. Some district courts routinely offer point reduction or dismissal in exchange for completing a National Safety Council program; others don’t offer it at all.
Ask the clerk of the court before you enter a plea. Once you plead guilty and pay, the conviction is on your record, and most courts will not reopen it to accept a course after the fact.
Out-of-State Tickets and Out-of-State Drivers
Arkansas is a member of the Driver License Compact. If you hold an Arkansas license and get a moving violation in another member state, that conviction is reported back and the DFA assesses points as though it happened in Arkansas. If you hold an out-of-state license and get a ticket in Arkansas, your home state is notified and may take its own action. Parking and other non-moving violations are outside the compact.
Ignoring an out-of-state ticket is especially risky. The issuing state can notify Arkansas, and Arkansas can suspend your license until you resolve it.
Getting Your License Back After a Suspension
Reinstatement for a points-based, failure-to-appear, or other administrative suspension is $100 per suspension order on your record. If you have several unresolved tickets, the orders and the fees stack.9Justia. Arkansas Code 27-16-508 – Fee for Reinstatement – Definition
A DWI-related suspension is separate. First-offense DWI carries a six-month suspension, and before the DFA restores your license you have to finish a state-approved alcohol education or treatment program, attend a Victim Impact Panel, install an ignition interlock device for a period equal to the suspension, and pay a $150 reinstatement fee.10Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. DUI, DWI, BUI, BWI Offenses DWI convictions are tracked outside the point system, so a DWI suspension happens regardless of how many points you have.
You can pay reinstatement fees online through the DFA’s MyDMV portal, by mail, or in person at any state revenue office.11Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Pay Driver’s License Reinstatement Fee