Traffic Fine Lookup

How much is a speeding ticket in Kentucky?

amounts written into the statute · 6 tiers · every row cited · sources retrieved 2026-07-17

at least $160cap only

15 mph over the limit, first offense, prepaid before the court date — the full arithmetic is on this page.

Kentucky writes speeding fines into state law itself — 1–5 mph over: at least $131 · 6–10 mph over: at least $146 · 11–15 mph over: at least $152. Where mandatory surcharges attach on top, this page itemizes them with their statutes. For 15 mph over the limit, the all-in figure is at least $160. What raises it: school zone with flashing lights; highway work zone (signed, worker present). Points: Speeding 10 mph or less over on a limited-access highway carries 0 points; 11–15 over on a limited-access highway, or 15 or less over on any other road, carries 3; 16–25 over carries 6. At 26 or more over there is no fixed point value — the Transportation Cabinet schedules a hearing with possible suspension. Every row on this page carries its citation — 7 primary sources (statute text, court fine schedules, DMV publications), each with a retrieval date, plus the local-variation caveat that applies in Kentucky. This is a reference to what the law and the schedules print; it is not legal advice.

How Kentucky sets it Kentucky is one of the few states where the statute itself prints the exact fine: KRS 189.394 assigns a dollar amount to every mph over the limit — $1 at 1 over, $30 at 15 over, $55 at 25 over — and beyond its chart the fine becomes a $60–$100 range with a mandatory court date. What the schedule does not advertise is the cost package: prepaying the citation is a guilty plea that also carries $130 in District Court costs statewide, so the $30 fine for 15 over leaves a driver owing at least $160.

The fine, tier by tier

Speeding fines in Kentucky by speed over the limit. “Base fine” is what the statute or schedule names; “what you actually owe” includes the mandatory add-ons where state law fixes them.
Speed over the limit Base fine What you actually owe Citation
1–5 mph over the limit $1 – $5 state-set at least $131 cap only KRS 189.394(1)

The statute sets $1 per mph over: $1, $2, $3, $4, $5. The total shown adds the mandatory $130 District Court costs to the low end of the tier; county-dependent fees can add more.
6–10 mph over the limit $16 – $20 state-set at least $146 cap only KRS 189.394(1)

The schedule jumps from $5 at 5 over to $16 at 6 over, then adds $1 per additional mph: $16, $17, $18, $19, $20.
11–15 mph over the limit $22 – $30 state-set at least $152 cap only KRS 189.394(1)

$2 per mph above 10 over: $22 at 11 over rising to $30 at 15 over.
16–20 mph over the limit $32 – $40 state-set at least $162 cap only KRS 189.394(1)

$2 per mph continues: $32 at 16 over rising to $40 at 20 over. The statute's chart is printed per speed limit and its 70-mph column ends at 15 over — 16+ over on a 70-mph highway is beyond the printed chart, so the $60–$100 provision and mandatory appearance apply there instead.
21–25 mph over the limit $43 – $55 state-set at least $173 cap only KRS 189.394(1)

$3 per mph above 20 over: $43, $46, $49, $52, $55. The chart prints these rows only for speed limits up to 50 mph; at higher limits these speeds fall past the printed cells and the $60–$100 provision applies.
More than 25 mph over (or any speed beyond the printed chart) $60 – $100 state-set at least $190 cap only KRS 189.394(2), (4); KRS 189.999(1)(c)

Not prepayable: the defendant "shall appear for trial and may not pay the fine to the clerk before the trial date" (KRS 189.394(4)), and KRS 189.999(1)(c) excludes speeding more than 25 mph over from prepayment. The judge sets the fine within $60–$100; the $130 costs attach on conviction.

The mandatory add-ons

These attach on top of whatever fine the court sets:

Add-on How it is computed Citation
District Court court costs $130 flat per case — the $100 base court cost of KRS 24A.175 plus the additional statutory costs of KRS 24A.176 and KRS 24A.1765, collected together; mandatory on conviction (prepayment is a guilty plea) and not waivable absent a poor-person finding KRS 24A.175; KRS 24A.176; KRS 24A.1765; Ky. AOC Circuit Court Clerks' Accounting Manual
Court facilities fee (county-dependent) $10 flat in Traffic "T" cases, "if applicable" — charged only in some counties per the AOC accounting manual Ky. AOC Circuit Court Clerks' Accounting Manual (District Criminal costs)
Library fee (county-dependent) Listed by the AOC accounting manual as applicable in some counties; no statewide amount Ky. AOC Circuit Court Clerks' Accounting Manual (District Criminal costs)

Worked example: 15 mph over the limit, first offense, prepaid before the court date

Line Amount Citation
Fine at exactly 15 over (statutory schedule) $30 KRS 189.394(1)
District Court court costs (statewide) $130 KRS 24A.175/24A.176/24A.1765; AOC accounting manual
Where it lands at least $160 cap only

KRS 189.394 prints $30 as the fine at exactly 15 over, and paying it to the circuit clerk before the court date is by statute a guilty plea with the fine AND court costs due — $130 statewide. That makes $160 the statewide floor; a $10 court-facilities fee (Traffic cases, some counties) and a county library fee can sit on top, and the school-zone and work-zone versions of the same speed carry different fines.

What raises it

License points

Speeding 10 mph or less over on a limited-access highway carries 0 points; 11–15 over on a limited-access highway, or 15 or less over on any other road, carries 3; 16–25 over carries 6. At 26 or more over there is no fixed point value — the Transportation Cabinet schedules a hearing with possible suspension.

Violation Points
10 mph or less over (limited-access highway) 0
11–15 mph over (limited-access highway) 3
15 mph or less over (non-limited-access highway) 3
16–25 mph over (any road or highway) 6

Accumulating 12 points within two years (7 for drivers under 18) triggers a Transportation Cabinet hearing and possible suspension. Points expire two years from the conviction date; the conviction itself stays on the record five years. (drive.ky.gov Kentucky Point System; KYTC point system chart)

When a court appearance is required

Speeding more than 25 mph over the posted limit (or beyond the printed chart) is excluded from prepayment — the defendant must appear for trial. KRS 189.999(1) also excludes from prepayment any offense that could result in suspension, offenses cited together with a non-prepayable offense, and defendants under 18. (KRS 189.394(4); KRS 189.999(1))

Local variation — the honest caveat

Both the fine and the $130 court-cost package are statewide; the county-variable tail is small — a $10 court-facilities fee applies to Traffic cases only in some counties, and some counties add a library fee. Past the chart (26+ over, or beyond the printed columns at higher limits) the case moves to an in-person docket where the judge sets the fine within the $60–$100 statutory range. (Ky. AOC Circuit Court Clerks' Accounting Manual; KRS 189.394)

Sources

Every figure above was compiled from these sources, with a verbatim quote of the sentence carrying each number stored in the dataset so any row can be re-checked against its origin.

This is not legal advice This page republishes what Kentucky's statutes, court fine schedules, and driver-licensing publications print, for reference. Amounts change on legislative cycles, and the court named on a citation is the authority on what is owed in that court. Nothing here is advice about any citation or case.