North Carolina Traffic Ticket Penalties
NC traffic violation penalties are uniform throughout the state, meaning they do not vary by county. An illegal passing ticket will cost four points on your driving record regardless if it occurs in Charlotte or Asheville. What does vary are the actual types of penalties. Depending on your offense, these may include the suspension or revocation of driving privileges, points added to your driving record, or even driving restrictions. Your license type (permit, CDL, etc.) also factors into the degree of the penalties.
Point SystemAny moving offense conviction in North Carolina will result in points being added to yourdriving record. If you accrue seven points the state may mandate enrolling in a driver improvement clinic. If you total 12 points within a three-year period you may face suspension. Depending on whether you've been suspended for points before, the suspension could last from 60 days to 12 months. On the bright side, reinstatement from a suspension will sponge your driving record clean of points.
Point amounts vary among violations, ranging from one for littering to five for passing a stopped school bus. For more information, visit our page on North Carolina's point system.
NC Driver's License Suspension, Revocation and CancellationThe terms associated with loss of driving privileges come with different meanings:
Suspended License―Driving privileges are temporarily terminated for a designated period of time; reinstatement can occur at the end of this period, and/or when certain conditions (completion of a driver improvement clinic, proof of auto insurance, etc) are met
Revoked License―Driving privileges are terminated indefinitely with no guarantee of reinstatement.
Canceled License―Driving privileges are void or terminated.
There are certain first-time traffic violations that mandate the immediate loss of driving privileges, and some of these include:
Penalties for Drivers Younger Than 18Driver's younger than 18 face closer scrutiny. In addition to the violations described above, you can also lose your driving privileges if:
Penalties for NC Commercial DriversRegardless of vehicle you were driving when ticketed, you must notify your employer within 30 days of being convicted of any moving violation.
First Offenses
Degree of penalties depends on past offenses. There are some first offenses that will result in the temporary termination of your driving privileges and these include:
Serious Traffic Violations
You'll also temporarily lose your driving privileges for being a repeat offender any designated serious violation within a designated time period. And these include:
Point SystemAny moving offense conviction in North Carolina will result in points being added to yourdriving record. If you accrue seven points the state may mandate enrolling in a driver improvement clinic. If you total 12 points within a three-year period you may face suspension. Depending on whether you've been suspended for points before, the suspension could last from 60 days to 12 months. On the bright side, reinstatement from a suspension will sponge your driving record clean of points.
Point amounts vary among violations, ranging from one for littering to five for passing a stopped school bus. For more information, visit our page on North Carolina's point system.
NC Driver's License Suspension, Revocation and CancellationThe terms associated with loss of driving privileges come with different meanings:
Suspended License―Driving privileges are temporarily terminated for a designated period of time; reinstatement can occur at the end of this period, and/or when certain conditions (completion of a driver improvement clinic, proof of auto insurance, etc) are met
Revoked License―Driving privileges are terminated indefinitely with no guarantee of reinstatement.
Canceled License―Driving privileges are void or terminated.
There are certain first-time traffic violations that mandate the immediate loss of driving privileges, and some of these include:
- Prearranged racing with another vehicle
- Speeding over 75 mph
- Passing a stopped school bus
- Driving more than 15 mph over the speed limit, if you are driving at a speed higher than 55 mph
- DWI
Penalties for Drivers Younger Than 18Driver's younger than 18 face closer scrutiny. In addition to the violations described above, you can also lose your driving privileges if:
- Suspended from school for more than 10 consecutive days
- You don't have either a high school diploma or a Driving Eligibility Certificate
Penalties for NC Commercial DriversRegardless of vehicle you were driving when ticketed, you must notify your employer within 30 days of being convicted of any moving violation.
First Offenses
Degree of penalties depends on past offenses. There are some first offenses that will result in the temporary termination of your driving privileges and these include:
- Driving while impaired, regardless of vehicle, with a blood alcohol count (BAC) of 0.08%
- Driving with a BAC of 0.04% while operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV)
- Using a CMV to commit a felony
- Vehicular manslaughter offense occurring while you were operating a CMV
- Operating a CMV while your CDL is suspended, revoked or canceled
Serious Traffic Violations
You'll also temporarily lose your driving privileges for being a repeat offender any designated serious violation within a designated time period. And these include:
- Excessive speeding
- Reckless driving
- Following too close
- Erratic lane changes
- Operating a CMV without owning a CDL
- Traffic offenses in a CMV in connection with fatal traffic accidents
- Operating a CMV without carrying your CDL
- Operating a CMV without proper endorsement
