New York traffic violations we handle.
Every moving violation that puts points on your licence, in the five boroughs and across the state.
Every charge, and what it actually costs you.
Points shown are DMV points on your New York driving record. Fines shown are the statutory first offense range and do not include the mandatory surcharge, which is $88 in New York City and $93 in town and village courts. Insurance companies run their own separate point systems, and the DMV is explicit that the two are unrelated.
Speeding
VTL 1180
The most common ticket in New York and the one with the widest point range. Up to 10 over is 3 points, 11 to 20 is 4, 21 to 30 is 6, 31 to 40 is 8, and more than 40 over is 11, which is the suspension threshold on a single ticket.
Fines on a first offense run $45 to $150 up to 10 over, $90 to $300 up to 30 over with up to 15 days, and $180 to $600 beyond that with up to 30 days. School zone fines double. A work zone charge is now a flat 8 points regardless of speed, and two of them carry a mandatory 60 day suspension.
What gets argued is the calibration and certification record, whether the officer had a clean tracking history, the signage, and whether the location matched the zone charged. Worth knowing: a third speeding conviction within 18 months is a mandatory revocation, and no defensive driving course stops it.
Red light and stop sign
VTL 1111(d), VTL 1172
Frequently written on an officer's judgment call about the line and the light. A stop sign is up to $150. A red light is $75 to $225 outside New York City and $150 to $450 inside it.
There is a trade off you should know before you decide. Pleading guilty by mail to a first red light is a preset $190 in the city and $95 outside it. Go to a hearing and lose, and the judge is not bound by that schedule. Losing can cost more than pleading guilty would have.
What gets argued is where the vehicle was when the light changed, the officer's sightline and distance, the yellow interval, and whether the stop line was properly marked.
Cell phone and electronics
VTL 1225-c, VTL 1225-d
Five points on a first offense under either section, and New York enforces it aggressively. Fines run $50 to $200 first, $50 to $250 on a second within 18 months, and $50 to $450 after that.
The five points matter more than the fine. One cell phone ticket plus one 1 mph over speeding ticket puts you at 8 points, past the 6 point Driver Responsibility Assessment trigger, which is $300 over three years on top of everything else. For a junior or probationary driver a second conviction within 6 months is a mandatory revocation.
Holding a phone is not the same as using one, and that distinction, plus what the officer could see and from what angle, is where these are won or lost.
Failure to yield
VTL 1140 to 1145
Up to $150 on a first offense. Covers approaching an intersection, turning left, entering from a stop or yield sign, entering a roadway, and emergency vehicles.
VTL 1146 is separate and much more serious. Failure to exercise due care is now 5 points, raised from 2 on 16 February 2026. If it causes physical injury to a pedestrian or cyclist the fine is $500, and serious physical injury takes it to $750 with a mandatory suspension, with a rebuttable presumption of causation that shifts the work onto the driver.
These are usually written after a collision, so the report, the diagram, the point of impact and the sightlines carry the case. The officer frequently did not see it happen.
Improper or unsafe lane change
VTL 1128
Up to $150 on a first offense. A judgment call about signalling distance and whether the move was actually unsafe as opposed to merely close.
What gets argued is whether the lane markings were visible and what the officer's vantage point was. Outside the five boroughs this is one of the more negotiable charges.
Following too closely
VTL 1129
Up to $150 on a first offense. At 4 points this carries more points than a red light, a stop sign or an unsafe lane change, which surprises most people. It is also commonly added after a rear end collision.
What gets argued is the actual following distance, the speed, the road and traffic conditions, and whether another vehicle cut in.
Reckless driving
VTL 1212
A misdemeanor, not a violation, which means it is a crime. A first conviction is $100 to $300 and up to 30 days, and the $100 floor is in the statute so the judge cannot go below it.
It creates a criminal record that shows up on background checks, not just a driving record entry. And because it is a crime the TVB cannot hear it: even a ticket written in the five boroughs goes to criminal court, with a prosecutor and a different process entirely.
Do not simply pay this one. Paying is a guilty plea to a misdemeanor.
Aggravated unlicensed operation
VTL 511
Eleven points in all three degrees. This is the single biggest change of 2026: before 16 February 2026 it carried none, and it now carries the suspension threshold from one conviction.
Third degree is a misdemeanor at $200 to $500 or up to 30 days. Second degree is a misdemeanor at not less than $500 and up to 180 days, or $500 to $1,000 and not less than 7 days where the underlying suspension is alcohol related. First degree is a class E felony at $500 to $5,000 and a term of imprisonment.
The most common route here is second degree triggered by three or more suspensions on three separate dates for failing to answer or pay tickets. Unpaid tickets snowball into a criminal charge. This is a crime, so it does not go to TVB either.
CDL and commercial
Various sections
A conviction here is your livelihood. CDL holders cannot take a plea to a non moving violation the way other drivers can, and federal disqualification rules sit on top of the state points.
Fine ranges and disqualification periods: client to confirm.
Point values, fines and thresholds on this page reflect the New York DMV rules effective 16 February 2026. Last reviewed 18 August 2026.
Camera tickets are the one we tell people to keep.
Red light and speed camera notices carry no points and no licence consequence. The statute says so in terms: a camera ticket is not a conviction as an operator, does not go on your driving record, and cannot be used for insurance purposes. It is the vehicle owner's liability, the fine is capped at $50, and the TVB does not handle them at all.
If that is what you have, we will say so and you will not owe us anything. Nobody else in this category tells you that.
Not listed? Send it anyway.
If it is a New York moving violation we will tell you honestly whether it is worth fighting.