Traffic Violations in Washington State: Fines, Deferrals, and DUI

Washington state traffic violation fines and penalties fall into two very different categories. Most tickets are civil infractions with base fines starting at $33 for minor speeding and climbing past $500 for certain violations, but the number printed on your ticket is roughly two to three times the base penalty once statutory assessments are added. Serious offenses like DUI, reckless driving, and hit-and-run are criminal charges with mandatory jail time, license loss, and total costs that routinely exceed $10,000. Washington doesn’t use a point system; the Department of Licensing tracks moving violations individually and suspends your license once you cross an accumulation threshold.

Speeding Fine Schedule

Base speeding penalties depend on how far over the limit you were driving and whether the posted limit is above or below 40 mph.¹

Where the speed limit is above 40 mph:

1–5 mph over: $33
6–10 mph over: $43
11–15 mph over: $58
16–20 mph over: $73
21–25 mph over: $88
26–30 mph over: $108
31–35 mph over: $133
36–40 mph over: $158
More than 40 mph over: $188

Where the speed limit is 40 mph or below:

1–5 mph over: $43
6–10 mph over: $48
11–15 mph over: $63
16–20 mph over: $83
21–25 mph over: $108
26–30 mph over: $133
31–35 mph over: $158
More than 35 mph over: $188

What you actually pay is significantly higher. Washington layers statutory assessments on top of every base fine, and the total on the ticket typically runs two to three times the number in the schedule. For any infraction not specifically listed, the default base penalty is $48.¹

School and Construction Zones

Speeding in a school zone or playground crosswalk zone automatically doubles the fine, and the court has no authority to waive, reduce, or suspend the doubled amount.² The same doubling applies in active highway construction zones with no judicial discretion to lower it.³ Going 15 mph over in a 20-mph school zone starts at a $63 base, doubles to $126, and then absorbs the standard assessments on top.

Other Common Infraction Penalties

Some non-speed infractions carry heavier base penalties than speeding:

Failing to stop for an emergency vehicle: $500
Driving without proof of insurance: $250
Second-degree negligent driving: $250

A civil infraction means no jail, no criminal record, and no right to a court-appointed attorney, though you can hire one at your own expense.⁴⁵ The infraction still lands on your driving record and insurers in most states can factor a ticket into your rates for three to five years, so a single citation carries a longer financial tail than the fine alone suggests.

Responding to Your Ticket

You have 15 days from the date the ticket was issued to respond, or 18 days from the mailing date if the notice came in the mail.⁶ Missing the deadline triggers a $52 failure-to-respond penalty, possible collections referral, and license suspension.

You have three choices on the back of the ticket:

Pay the fine. The case closes but counts as a finding that you committed the violation. It goes on your record and your insurer will see it.
Request a mitigation hearing. You’re admitting the violation and asking the judge to consider your circumstances and possibly reduce the fine. The infraction still goes on your record.
Request a contested hearing. You’re challenging whether the violation happened. The state has to prove it by a preponderance of the evidence, and if it can’t, the ticket is dismissed.

Check the box, verify your address, sign, and return the notice to the court on the front. Mail (certified for proof), courthouse drop-off, and online payment by case number are all typically available. Ignoring the ticket is the worst move: the Department of Licensing can suspend your driving privileges for unresolved citations, and getting reinstated adds a reinstatement fee to whatever you already owed.⁷

Deferral: Keeping a Ticket Off Your Record

Washington courts can defer a traffic infraction for up to one year, holding off on entering a finding against you. If you go the entire year without another traffic infraction, the court may dismiss the ticket entirely.⁸ Courts charge an administrative processing fee, typically around $150.

Eligibility is limited. You get one deferral every seven years for moving violations and one every seven years for non-moving violations. Commercial driver’s license holders and drivers who were operating a commercial vehicle when cited are ineligible, as are drivers charged with second-degree negligent driving involving a vulnerable road user.⁸ Pick up another infraction during the deferral year and the court can revoke the deferral and enter the original finding, leaving you with both tickets on your record.

License Suspension for Accumulated Violations

Instead of a point system, Washington counts moving violation convictions and suspends your license once you cross either of these thresholds:

Three moving violations in 12 months, or
Four moving violations in 24 months

Either one triggers a 60-day suspension followed by one year of probation. During probation, each additional qualifying ticket adds a 30-day suspension that runs consecutively with any other suspension already on your record. The Department sends a warning notice when you reach two violations in 12 months or three in 24 months.⁹

One detail helps: multiple infractions issued during the same traffic stop count as a single occasion for accumulation purposes. Cited for speeding and an improper lane change from one stop? That’s one violation toward the threshold, not two.

Criminal Traffic Offenses

Some violations cross into criminal territory. These carry jail time, heavier fines, and a permanent record. They also require a court appearance and give you the right to a jury trial and appointed counsel if you can’t afford a lawyer.

DUI

DUI penalties escalate with your blood alcohol concentration and any prior offenses within the past seven years.¹⁰ For a first offense with no priors in seven years:

BAC below 0.15: mandatory minimum of 24 consecutive hours in jail (up to 364 days) and a fine between $350 and $5,000. The court may substitute at least 15 days of electronic home monitoring for the jail minimum.
BAC of 0.15 or higher, or a test refusal: mandatory minimum of 48 consecutive hours in jail (up to 364 days) and a fine between $500 and $5,000. The court may substitute at least 30 days of electronic home monitoring.

Every DUI conviction requires an ignition interlock device on any vehicle you operate; the statute uses “shall,” not “may.”¹⁰ You also must complete a victim impact panel program. Interlock rental runs roughly $70 to $100 per month, on top of alcohol evaluation fees and higher insurance premiums. A first DUI frequently costs over $10,000 all in.

A passenger under 16 in the car makes it worse: an extra 24 hours of mandatory jail per child, an additional $1,000-and-up fine per child, and a longer interlock requirement.¹⁰

Refusing the Breath Test

Driving on Washington roads means you’ve already given implied consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has reasonable grounds to suspect impairment. Refusing brings a separate administrative penalty from the Department of Licensing on top of any criminal case. A first refusal within seven years is a one-year license revocation; a second or later refusal within seven years is a two-year revocation.¹¹ A refusal also pushes your DUI penalties into the higher BAC ≥ 0.15 tier even without a test result, so refusing to avoid evidence often backfires.

Reckless Driving

Driving with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine up to $5,000.¹² Prosecutors sometimes offer a reckless driving plea as a reduction from a DUI charge, since it doesn’t carry the same mandatory minimum jail time, interlock requirement, or license consequences. Whether that offer is available depends on the facts and the prosecutor’s office.

Hit and Run

Washington law requires you to stop, identify yourself, and render aid if you’re involved in an accident. The penalty scales with the severity of the crash:¹³

Accident causing death: Class B felony, up to 10 years in prison.
Accident causing injury: Class C felony, up to 5 years in prison.
Accident involving an attended vehicle, property damage only: gross misdemeanor, up to 364 days in jail.

Any hit-and-run conviction also triggers mandatory license revocation by the Department of Licensing.¹³

Driving While License Suspended

DWLS is a criminal offense charged in three degrees. First-degree DWLS applies when the underlying revocation stems from a serious offense like DUI or vehicular assault and is a gross misdemeanor. Second-degree DWLS covers suspensions tied to accumulated violations or failure to appear, also a gross misdemeanor. Third-degree DWLS, typically an administrative suspension for something like unpaid fines, is a simple misdemeanor. Penalties get lighter across the degrees, but all three create a criminal record separate from the infraction that caused the suspension.

CDL Consequences

Commercial driver’s license holders face a separate layer of federal disqualification rules that apply regardless of whether you were driving a commercial vehicle when cited. Serious violations include speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, and traffic violations tied to a fatal accident.¹⁴ Federal disqualification periods for CDL holders convicted of serious violations while operating a commercial vehicle:

Two serious violations in three years: 60-day CDL disqualification
Three or more serious violations in three years: 120-day CDL disqualification

These apply even when the conviction comes from an infraction rather than a criminal charge. Because CDL holders can’t use Washington’s deferral program at all, there’s no built-in mechanism to keep the ticket off the record.⁸ For commercial drivers, a contested hearing is almost always worth the effort, since the career cost of a conviction dwarfs the fine.

1
Washington Courts. IRLJ 6.2 Monetary Penalty Schedule for Infractions
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.61.440 – Speed Restrictions in School and Playground Zones
3
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.61.527 – Speed Restrictions in Highway Construction Zones
4
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.63.020 – Traffic Infractions
5
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.63.090 – Hearings, Rules of Procedure, Counsel, Burden of Proof
6
Washington State Courts. IRLJ 2.1 – Notice of Infraction
7
Washington State Department of Licensing. Unresolved Traffic Citations
8
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.63.070 – Response to Notice
9
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.20.2892 – Traffic Infractions for Moving Violations
10
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.61.5055 – Alcohol and Drug Violators, Penalty Schedule
11
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.20.3101 – Implied Consent, Test Refusal Penalties
12
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.61.500 – Reckless Driving, Penalty
13
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.52.020 – Duty in Case of Accident
14
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers