Traffic Fine Lookup

How much is a speeding ticket in North Carolina?

statewide schedule — one set of amounts everywhere · 4 tiers · every row cited · sources retrieved 2026-07-17

$221state-set

15 mph over the limit, first offense, waived (paid without a court appearance) — the full arithmetic is on this page.

North Carolina runs a statewide schedule, so the number printed is the number you pay anywhere in the state — 5 mph or less over: $201 · 6-10 mph over: $206 · 11-15 mph over: $221. Those totals already include every mandatory assessment and surcharge, and this page itemizes each one with its statute. For 15 mph over the limit, the all-in figure is $221. What raises it: school zone or school property; highway work zone. Misdemeanor speeding — a criminal charge, outside a fine table's scope, noted here as a fact. Points: DMV license points: 3 points for speeding in excess of 55 mph and for speeding in a posted school zone; other speeding falls under 'all other moving violations' at 2 points. (Commercial licenses carry higher values.) 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 North Carolina. This is a reference to what the law and the schedules print; it is not legal advice.

How North Carolina sets it North Carolina fixes what a waiving driver pays statewide: the Conference of Chief District Court Judges adopts a uniform schedule of preset fines for tickets paid without a court appearance ($10 to $50 for speeding), and the legislature fixes the court costs that ride on top — about $191 in itemized fees, which is several times the fine itself. Above 15 mph over the limit (or over 80 mph) speeding becomes a Class 3 misdemeanor rather than an infraction.

The fine, tier by tier

Speeding fines in North Carolina 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
5 mph or less over the limit $10 state-set $201 state-set AOC Traffic Waiver List (eff. Dec. 1, 2025), item A.1-A.2; G.S. 7A-304 costs chart (Jan. 1, 2026)

Waiver amount (paid without appearing). The $201 is the $10 preset fine plus $191 in itemized statewide costs.
6-10 mph over the limit $15 state-set $206 state-set AOC Traffic Waiver List (eff. Dec. 1, 2025), item A.1-A.2; G.S. 7A-304 costs chart (Jan. 1, 2026)
11-15 mph over the limit $30 state-set $221 state-set AOC Traffic Waiver List (eff. Dec. 1, 2025), item A.1-A.2; G.S. 7A-304 costs chart (Jan. 1, 2026)
16+ mph over the limit (waivable only where the actual speed is 55 mph or under) $50 state-set — AOC Traffic Waiver List (eff. Dec. 1, 2025), item A.2; G.S. 20-141(j1)

The '16 & over' preset fine exists only on the schedule for speeds of 55 mph or under. More than 15 over is a Class 3 misdemeanor by statute; because the criminal-only $2 DNA fee may then attach to the costs, no all-in total is asserted for this row. At speeds over 55 mph, more-than-15-over (and anything over 80 mph) is not on the waiver schedule at all — a court appearance is required.

The mandatory add-ons

Already inside the totals above — this is the arithmetic that turns the base fine into the payment:

Add-on How it is computed Citation
General Court of Justice fee (district court) $147.50 flat ($146.55 General Fund + $0.95 State Bar Legal Aid Account) G.S. 7A-304(a)(4); Court Costs and Fees Chart (Jan. 1, 2026)
Facilities fee $12 flat G.S. 7A-304(a)(2); Court Costs and Fees Chart (Jan. 1, 2026)
Telecommunications and data connectivity fee $4 flat G.S. 7A-304(a)(2a); Court Costs and Fees Chart (Jan. 1, 2026)
Law enforcement officer retirement/insurance $7.50 flat G.S. 7A-304(a)(3), (3a); Court Costs and Fees Chart (Jan. 1, 2026)
Indigent defense fee $5 flat G.S. 7A-304(a)(3c); Court Costs and Fees Chart (Jan. 1, 2026)
Chapter 20 fee $10 flat, on conviction of any Chapter 20 (motor vehicle) offense G.S. 7A-304(a)(4a); Court Costs and Fees Chart (Jan. 1, 2026)
Service fee (citation) $5 flat, for each arrest or service of criminal process, including citations G.S. 7A-304(a)(1); Court Costs and Fees Chart (Jan. 1, 2026)

Worked example: 15 mph over the limit, first offense, waived (paid without a court appearance)

Line Amount Citation
Preset fine — 11-15 mph over $30 AOC Traffic Waiver List (eff. Dec. 1, 2025), item A.1-A.2
General Court of Justice fee (district court) $148 G.S. 7A-304(a)(4)
Facilities fee $12 G.S. 7A-304(a)(2)
Telecommunications and data connectivity fee $4 G.S. 7A-304(a)(2a)
LEO retirement/insurance $8 G.S. 7A-304(a)(3), (3a)
Indigent defense fee $5 G.S. 7A-304(a)(3c)
Chapter 20 fee $10 G.S. 7A-304(a)(4a)
Citation service fee $5 G.S. 7A-304(a)(1)
Total $221 state-set lines sum to $221

The $30 preset fine is a fraction of the check: statewide court costs of $191 — seven itemized statutory fees — attach to the waiver, making the real cost $221. These amounts are uniform across all 100 counties. A driver who appears in court instead is fined at the judge's discretion (up to $100 for an infraction unless a specific penalty applies), plus the same costs on conviction.

What raises it

License points

DMV license points: 3 points for speeding in excess of 55 mph and for speeding in a posted school zone; other speeding falls under 'all other moving violations' at 2 points. (Commercial licenses carry higher values.)

Violation Points
Speeding in excess of 55 mph 3
Speeding in a school zone in excess of the posted school zone speed limit 3
Other speeding (all other moving violations) 2

DMV may suspend the license of a driver who accumulates 12 or more points within 3 years (8 or more within 3 years of a reinstatement after suspension or revocation). (G.S. 20-16(a)(5))

When a court appearance is required

The waiver schedule covers only the listed offenses; speeding more than 15 mph over the limit at an actual speed over 55 mph, or over 80 mph, is not on it, so those charges require a court appearance. Waivable offenses may be resolved by written waiver of appearance and payment. (AOC Traffic Waiver List (adopted Oct. 15, 2025, pursuant to G.S. 7A-148))

Where speed becomes a criminal charge

Criminal penalties are a courtroom matter and outside a fine table's scope — this page records the threshold as a fact and stops there.

Local variation — the honest caveat

The preset fines and the court costs are uniform statewide — the waiver list is adopted by the Conference of Chief District Court Judges for all 100 counties and the cost items are statutory. Variation enters only when a case is heard in court: the fine becomes the judge's call within the statutory limits, and case-specific fees (e.g., the $200 failure-to-appear fee) can attach. (G.S. 7A-148; G.S. 7A-304; G.S. 20-176(b))

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 North Carolina'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.