Texas suspends your license when you reach 6 points within a 3-year period

The Texas Department of Public Safety uses a points system to track traffic violations. Once you accumulate 6 points in any 3-year period, the state automatically suspends your license for a set time. The suspension length depends on how many times you have been suspended before — your first suspension lasts 30 days, your second lasts 60 days, and your third or later suspension lasts 180 days.

Points stay on your record for 3 years from the date of conviction, not from the date of the violation. This means a ticket from January 2022 stops counting toward suspension in January 2025. If you accumulate 5 points and then stay clean for a year, new violations in that year still add to your total until the oldest violation falls off the 3-year window.

The state does not send a warning when you reach 5 points or tell you that suspension is coming. You find out when the notice of suspension arrives in the mail, usually 30 to 45 days after you reach 6 points. By that time, your license is already suspended, and you cannot legally drive.

Key Takeaways

  • Texas suspends your license automatically when you reach 6 points within any 3-year rolling period, with no warning beforehand.
  • Points are assigned based on the violation type — speeding 1 to 10 mph over the limit is 1 point, while reckless driving is 4 points.
  • Points expire 3 years after your conviction date, not after the violation date, so the timing of when you pay or plead matters.
  • Your first suspension lasts 30 days, your second lasts 60 days, and any suspension after that lasts 180 days.
  • You can request a hearing to contest the suspension, but you must do so within 10 days of receiving the notice.

How Texas assigns points to specific violations

Not all traffic violations carry the same point value. Speeding violations are worth 1 to 3 points depending on how far over the limit you were driving. Speeding 1 to 10 mph over the limit is 1 point. Speeding 11 to 20 mph over is 2 points. Speeding 21 mph or more over the limit is 3 points.

Other common violations carry different values. Running a red light or stop sign is 3 points. Unsafe lane change is 2 points. Reckless driving is 4 points. Driving with an expired license or suspended license is 6 points by itself — a single violation that reaches the suspension threshold alone. At-fault accidents where you were cited are typically 3 points, though the exact value depends on the citation issued at the scene.

Violations that do not result in a conviction do not add points. If you receive a ticket and later have it dismissed, or if you take a defensive driving course and the ticket is deferred, no points are assessed. The key is the final outcome — dismissal or deferral means zero points, regardless of what the original violation was.

When the 3-year window resets and how to track your points

The 3-year period is a rolling window, not a calendar year. If you received a ticket on March 15, 2022, that violation stops counting on March 15, 2025. If you get another ticket on March 20, 2025, you now have a new 3-year window that runs until March 20, 2028. The old violation from 2022 no longer counts, but the new one does.

You can check your current points by visiting the Texas Department of Public Safety website and using their online driving record lookup tool. You will need your driver's license number and date of birth. The record shows every conviction in the past 3 years and the points assigned to each one. This is the same record that insurance companies see, so it is worth checking regularly to know where you stand.

If you dispute a point value or believe a violation was recorded incorrectly, you can request a copy of your official driving record from DPS and review it for errors. If you find a mistake — for example, a violation that should have been dismissed but still appears as a conviction — you can file a correction request with DPS, though this process typically requires documentation from the court that handled the case.

What happens when you receive a suspension notice

The notice of suspension arrives by mail and includes the effective date of the suspension, the length of the suspension, and your right to request a hearing. The suspension becomes effective on the date stated in the notice, even if you have not yet received it. You cannot legally drive on that date, and driving during a suspension is a separate criminal offense that carries its own penalties.

You have 10 days from the date on the notice to request a hearing before the suspension takes effect. The hearing is held by the Department of Public Safety, not a court, and you can attend in person or by phone. At the hearing, you can present evidence that the points were assessed incorrectly or that the conviction should not have been recorded. However, you cannot argue that the point system itself is unfair — the hearing is limited to whether the points on your record are accurate.

If you do not request a hearing within 10 days, or if you request one and lose, the suspension takes effect as scheduled. You then have the option to pay a reinstatement fee (currently $100) and meet any other requirements, such as completing a defensive driving course, before you can get your license back.

Defensive driving courses and point reduction

Texas allows you to reduce points on your record by completing an approved defensive driving course. You can remove up to 3 points from your record once every 12 months by taking the course. The course must be approved by the Texas Education Agency, and you can take it online or in person.

The course typically takes 6 to 8 hours and costs between $20 and $50, depending on the provider. After you complete it, you receive a certificate that you must send to DPS along with a request form. DPS will then remove up to 3 points from your record, starting with the oldest violations first. This reduction does not happen automatically — you must submit the certificate and request form yourself.

There is a limit to how much you can reduce your record this way. You can only use a defensive driving course once every 12 months, and you can only remove points that are still within the 3-year window. If you have 8 points on your record, a course removes 3, leaving you with 5. If you take another course 12 months later, it removes 3 more, bringing you to 2. This strategy works best if you catch yourself before reaching 6 points.

Reinstatement requirements after suspension

To get your license back after a suspension, you must pay a reinstatement fee to DPS. The fee is $100 for a suspension due to points. You also cannot have any other suspensions pending — if you have been suspended for other reasons (such as failure to pay a fine or failure to appear in court), those must be cleared first.

Some suspensions require additional steps. If your suspension was due to a serious violation like driving with a suspended license, you may need to provide proof of insurance or pass a written test before reinstatement. Check your suspension notice for any special requirements listed.

After you pay the reinstatement fee, your license is restored when ready if you meet all requirements. You do not need to renew your license or take a new test. Your points remain on your record for the full 3-year period from conviction, so if you have 6 points and get suspended, paying to reinstate does not erase those points — they still count toward a second suspension if you accumulate more violations.

How points affect insurance and future violations

Insurance companies use your driving record to set your rates, and points directly impact what you pay. A single point can raise your premium by 10 to 15 percent, depending on your insurer. Multiple points compound the effect — 6 points might raise your rate by 50 percent or more. This increase typically lasts for 3 years, matching the point retention period.

Some insurers will drop you entirely if you accumulate too many points or if you are suspended. When you shop for insurance after a suspension, you may find that standard insurers will not cover you and you have to use a high-risk pool, which costs significantly more. This financial impact often lasts longer than the suspension itself.

If you accumulate points again after a suspension, the second suspension is longer (60 days instead of 30), and the third is even longer (180 days). The point system is designed to escalate penalties for repeat offenders, so staying clean after a suspension is critical to avoiding longer suspensions down the road.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do points from out-of-state tickets count toward Texas suspension?

Yes. Texas counts violations from other states through the Interstate Compact, an agreement between states to share driving records. A speeding ticket from California or Oklahoma will add points to your Texas record and count toward suspension. The only exception is violations from countries outside the United States.

Can I get points removed before the 3-year period ends?

Only through a defensive driving course, which removes up to 3 points and can be used once every 12 months. You cannot petition DPS to remove points early for any other reason. Points automatically expire 3 years after conviction, but you cannot speed up that process.

What if I was speeding but the officer made a mistake on the ticket?

If the ticket contains an error — wrong speed listed, wrong vehicle description, wrong date — you can contest it in traffic court before you are convicted. If you are convicted despite the error, you can appeal the conviction, but this requires an attorney and is a lengthy process. The faster route is to contest the ticket before conviction.

Does paying a ticket when ready stop points from being added?

No. Points are added when you are convicted, not when you pay. If you plead guilty or no contest, or if you are found guilty in court, the conviction is recorded and points are assigned. Paying the fine does not change the conviction or the points. Only a dismissal or deferral stops points from being added.

Can I request a hearing to challenge the point value itself?

No. A suspension hearing allows you to challenge whether the violation was recorded correctly, but not whether the point value is fair. The point values are set by state law, and you cannot argue against them in a DPS hearing. Your only option is to contest the original ticket in traffic court before conviction.