How much is a speeding ticket in Michigan?
set by the local courtcourt-set
15 mph over the limit, first offense, not in a work or school zone — the full arithmetic is on this page.
Michigan has no statewide fine amount for ordinary speeding: each local court sets its own schedule. What IS uniform statewide — the caps, the mandatory add-ons, the points — is decomposed on this page, and where only your court can name the final figure, the page says so instead of inventing one. For 15 mph over the limit, the honest answer is set by the local court — the page decomposes what is knowable statewide instead of inventing a total. What raises it: work zone, school zone (during school windows), emergency scene, school bus zone; work-zone speeding points (higher scale). Points: Two point scales exist. General roads: 1 point (more than 1, up to 5 over), 2 points (over 5, up to 10), 3 points (over 10, up to 15), 4 points (over 15). Limited-access freeways posted 55+: 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 points for 1–5 / 6–10 / 11–15 / 16–25 / 26+ over — the statute substitutes this gentler scale 'notwithstanding section 320a.' Every row on this page carries its citation — 6 primary sources (statute text, court fine schedules, DMV publications), each with a retrieval date, plus the local-variation caveat that applies in Michigan. This is a reference to what the law and the schedules print; it is not legal advice.
How Michigan sets it Michigan speeding is a civil infraction, and the dollar amount on the ticket comes from the schedule the local district court publishes — state law explicitly lets each district set its own fines and costs. The statewide frame: a civil fine capped at $100, costs capped at $100, and one flat $40 justice system assessment everywhere. On limited-access freeways posted 55 mph or more, the statute itself fixes minimum fines of $10–$50 by mph over (with its own gentler point scale).
The fine, tier by tier
| Speed over the limit | Base fine | What you actually owe | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–5 mph over the limit | set by the local court court-set | set by the local court court-set | MCL 257.628(9); MCL 257.907(2)(a), (4), (7), (12); MCL 257.629c(1) Fine set by the district court's schedule (statewide cap $100). On a limited-access freeway posted 55+ the statutory minimum fine is $10 and 0 points are entered; elsewhere more-than-1-up-to-5 over is 1 point. |
| 6–10 mph over | set by the local court court-set | set by the local court court-set | MCL 257.628(9); MCL 257.907(2)(a), (4), (7), (12); MCL 257.629c(1) Freeway (55+ limited access): minimum fine $20, 1 point. Elsewhere: 2 points. |
| 11–15 mph over | set by the local court court-set | set by the local court court-set | MCL 257.628(9); MCL 257.907(2)(a), (4), (7), (12); MCL 257.629c(1) Freeway (55+ limited access): minimum fine $30, 2 points. Elsewhere: 3 points. |
| 16–25 mph over | set by the local court court-set | set by the local court court-set | MCL 257.628(9); MCL 257.907(2)(a), (4), (7), (12); MCL 257.629c(1) Freeway (55+ limited access): minimum fine $40, 3 points. Elsewhere: 4 points (more than 15 over). |
| 26 mph and more over | set by the local court court-set | set by the local court court-set | MCL 257.628(9); MCL 257.907(2)(a), (4), (7), (12); MCL 257.629c(1) Freeway (55+ limited access): minimum fine $50, 4 points. Elsewhere: 4 points. Michigan has no mph threshold at which speeding itself becomes criminal. |
- state-set state law or a statewide schedule fixes this number.
- cap only the statute sets a ceiling; the court picks the amount within it.
- court-set no statewide number exists — the local court’s schedule decides.
The mandatory add-ons
These attach on top of whatever fine the court sets:
| Add-on | How it is computed | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Justice system assessment | $40 flat, ordered in addition to any civil fine and costs on every civil-infraction determination | MCL 257.907(12) |
| Costs of the action | Taxed by the judge or district court magistrate; may include the plaintiff's direct and indirect expenses, capped at $100 | MCL 257.907(4) |
Worked example: 15 mph over the limit, first offense, not in a work or school zone
| Line | Amount | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Civil fine — set by the district court's schedule; statutory cap shown | $100 | MCL 257.907(2)(a) |
| Costs — taxed by the court; statutory cap shown | $100 | MCL 257.907(4) |
| Justice system assessment (flat, statewide) | $40 | MCL 257.907(12) |
| Where it lands | set by the local court court-set |
The first two lines are statutory CAPS, not a bill — the actual fine and costs come from the schedule the district court where the ticket is returnable has adopted (MCL 257.907(7)), so two identical 15-over tickets in different districts total different amounts. Only the $40 assessment is identical statewide. One statewide floor exists: on a limited-access freeway posted 55 mph or more, the fine for 11–15 over must be at least $30 (MCL 257.629c), and that violation carries 2 points instead of the usual 3. No statewide total exists to print, so this page does not print one.
What raises it
- Work zone, school zone (during school windows), emergency scene, school bus zone. The fine is double the fine otherwise prescribed for the moving violation. A moving violation of 3+ points in a work zone or school bus zone that injures someone is a misdemeanor (fine up to $1,000 or up to 1 year); causing death is a felony (fine up to $7,500 or up to 15 years). (MCL 257.601b(1)–(3))
- Work-zone speeding points (higher scale). Speed violations in a work zone under MCL 257.627(6) carry 3 points at 10 or less over, 4 points at more than 10 up to 15 over, and 5 points at more than 15 over — one point higher than the general scale at the top band. (MCL 257.320a(1)(w), (k), (g))
License points
Two point scales exist. General roads: 1 point (more than 1, up to 5 over), 2 points (over 5, up to 10), 3 points (over 10, up to 15), 4 points (over 15). Limited-access freeways posted 55+: 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 points for 1–5 / 6–10 / 11–15 / 16–25 / 26+ over — the statute substitutes this gentler scale 'notwithstanding section 320a.'
| Violation | Points |
|---|---|
| General: more than 1, up to 5 mph over | 1 |
| General: more than 5, up to 10 over | 2 |
| General: more than 10, up to 15 over | 3 |
| General: more than 15 over | 4 |
| Freeway 55+ limited access: 1–5 over | 0 |
| Freeway: 6–10 over | 1 |
| Freeway: 11–15 over | 2 |
| Freeway: 16–25 over | 3 |
| Freeway: 26 or more over | 4 |
A total of 12 or more points within 2 years triggers a Secretary of State reexamination, after which the Secretary may restrict, suspend (up to 1 year under this section), or revoke the license based on the record. (MCL 257.320(1)(d), (2), (4))
Local variation — the honest caveat
This is the definitional local-schedules state: 'Each district of the district court and each municipal court may establish a schedule of civil fines, costs, and assessments to be imposed for civil infractions that occur within the respective district or city' (MCL 257.907(7)). The fine and costs on a Michigan ticket come from that schedule, inside the statewide caps ($100 fine, $100 costs) — identical violations in different districts produce different totals. Only the $40 justice system assessment and the freeway minimum fines are the same everywhere. (MCL 257.907(7))
- MCL text read on legislature.mi.gov ('Michigan Compiled Laws Complete Through PA 20 of 2026').
- The freeway minimum-fine/point schedule in MCL 257.629c does not apply to trucks and vehicle combinations whose speed limits are set under MCL 257.627(5)–(7); those take points under 320a and fines under 907.
- Individual district court schedules were not collected; no typical-range for the fine is asserted anywhere on this page.
- A moving violation that causes an at-fault collision raises the civil fine by $25 (total fine still capped at $100) and carries 4 points (MCL 257.907(2)(b); MCL 257.320a(1)(l)).
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.
- MCL 257.628 — Speed limits; violation as civil infraction (official text, legislature.mi.gov)
retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-628 - MCL 257.907 — Civil infraction; civil fine, costs, justice system assessment; local schedules (official text, legislature.mi.gov)
retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-907 - MCL 257.629c — Speed violations on limited access freeways posted 55+; minimum fines and points (official text, legislature.mi.gov)
retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-629c - MCL 257.320a — Recording points for violations (official text, legislature.mi.gov)
retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-320a - MCL 257.320 — Reexamination; restriction, suspension, or revocation (official text, legislature.mi.gov)
retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-320 - MCL 257.601b — Moving violations in work zones, school zones, emergency scenes; doubled fines (official text, legislature.mi.gov)
retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-601b
This is not legal advice This page republishes what Michigan'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.