How much is a speeding ticket in South Carolina?

amounts written into the statute · 4 tiers · every row cited · sources retrieved 2026-07-17

$129state-set

15 mph over the limit, first offense — computed at a $50 fine, the value the two adjacent statutory ranges share — the full arithmetic is on this page.

South Carolina writes speeding fines into state law itself — 10 mph or less over: $15 – $25 · More than 10 but less than 15 mph over: $25 – $50 · More than 15 but less than 25 mph over: $50 – $75. Where mandatory surcharges attach on top, this page itemizes them with their statutes. For 15 mph over the limit, the all-in figure is $129. What raises it: endangerment of a highway worker (work zone). Misdemeanor classification and the 25-over jail exposure — a criminal charge, outside a fine table's scope, noted here as a fact. Points: Points scale with speed: 2 points at no more than 10 mph over, 4 points above 10 and below 25, and 6 points at 25 or more over. 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 South Carolina. This is a reference to what the law and the schedules print; it is not legal advice.

How South Carolina sets it South Carolina's statute sets a fine RANGE for each speed band ($15-$25 at the bottom, $75-$200 at the top) and the court picks the number within it — then two statewide add-ons transform it: an assessment equal to 107.5% of the fine (more than doubling it) and a flat $25 surcharge. A $50 fine becomes $128.75 owed. Technically every speeding conviction here is a misdemeanor, and above 25 mph over the statute even authorizes up to 30 days in jail.

The fine, tier by tier

Speeding fines in South 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
10 mph or less over the limit	$15 – $25 state-set	—	S.C. Code §56-5-1520(G)(1) First-offense fine range; the court sets the exact figure. The 107.5% assessment and $25 surcharge (see add-ons) attach on top of whatever fine is imposed.
More than 10 but less than 15 mph over	$25 – $50 state-set	—	S.C. Code §56-5-1520(G)(2) The statute's own boundaries: 'in excess of ten miles an hour but less than fifteen.' Read literally, exactly 15 mph over falls between this tier and the next — a drafting gap reproduced faithfully here.
More than 15 but less than 25 mph over	$50 – $75 state-set	—	S.C. Code §56-5-1520(G)(3) Statutory text: 'in excess of fifteen miles an hour but less than twenty-five miles an hour.' Exactly 25 mph over likewise falls between this tier and the next as literally drafted.
More than 25 mph over	$75 – $200 state-set	—	S.C. Code §56-5-1520(G)(4) At this tier the statute authorizes a fine of $75-$200 OR imprisonment for not more than 30 days. The add-ons attach to whatever fine is imposed.

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
Court assessment (magistrate or municipal court)	107.5% of the fine imposed — may not be waived, reduced, or suspended	S.C. Code §14-1-207(A) (magistrates court); §14-1-208(A) (municipal court)
Traffic-offense surcharge	$25 flat on all fines imposed in magistrates or municipal court for misdemeanor traffic offenses — no portion may be waived, reduced, or suspended	S.C. Code §14-1-212(A)

Worked example: 15 mph over the limit, first offense — computed at a $50 fine, the value the two adjacent statutory ranges share

Line	Amount	Citation
Fine set by the court ($50 = top of the 11-14 band and bottom of the 16-24 band)	$50	S.C. Code §56-5-1520(G)(2)-(3)
Court assessment — 107.5% of the fine	$54	S.C. Code §§14-1-207(A), 14-1-208(A)
Traffic-offense surcharge (flat)	$25	S.C. Code §14-1-212(A)
Total	$129 state-set	lines sum to $129

As literally drafted, exactly 15 mph over sits between the statute's second tier (more than 10, less than 15: $25-$50) and third tier (more than 15, less than 25: $50-$75); $50 is the one value both ranges share, so the math is shown at $50. The court picks the actual fine within the applicable range, and the total scales with it: every dollar of fine carries $1.075 of assessment, plus the flat $25 surcharge. Neither add-on can be waived or suspended even when the fine is.

What raises it

Endangerment of a highway worker (work zone). A separate offense, not a speeding multiplier: driving through/around a work zone outside designated lanes or disobeying its traffic control devices carries a mandatory fine of $500-$1,000 where the worker suffers no physical injury, $1,000-$2,000 where the violation is the sole proximate cause of physical injury, and $2,000-$5,000 where it is the sole proximate cause of great bodily injury — plus 2 points (4 if a worker is injured). The fine may not be waived or reduced below the minimum. (S.C. Code §56-5-1535(A)-(D))

License points

Points scale with speed: 2 points at no more than 10 mph over, 4 points above 10 and below 25, and 6 points at 25 or more over.

Violation	Points
No more than 10 mph above the posted limit	2
More than 10 but less than 25 mph above the posted limit	4
25 mph or more above the posted limit	6

Twelve points suspends the license: 12-15 points brings a three-month suspension, 16-17 four months, 18-19 five months, and 20 or more six months. (S.C. Code §56-1-740(A))

Where speed becomes a criminal charge

Misdemeanor classification and the 25-over jail exposure. (S.C. Code §56-5-1520(G), (G)(4))

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 tiers, the 107.5% assessment, and the $25 surcharge are identical statewide; what varies is the fine the individual magistrate or municipal judge picks inside each statutory range — so two identical tickets can lawfully cost different amounts, bounded by the range. The literal drafting gaps at exactly 15 and exactly 25 mph over leave those speeds' tier assignment to the charging and adjudicating court. (S.C. Code §56-5-1520(G); §§14-1-207, 14-1-208, 14-1-212)

Fine ranges shown are FIRST-offense amounts; §56-5-1520(G) addresses a first offense and this build did not source a separate subsequent-offense schedule.
Per-tier totals are deliberately left open: the total is fine x 2.075 + $25, and the fine is the court's choice within the range — printing a single number would invent precision the statute does not contain.
The separate $25 surcharge of §14-1-211(A)(1) does NOT apply here — that section exempts misdemeanor traffic offenses; the $25 that does apply comes from §14-1-212(A).
South Carolina repealed its dedicated work-zone speeding fine statute (§56-5-1536, repealed by 2017 Act No. 81); the current work-zone provision is the endangerment offense in §56-5-1535, listed under aggravators.
No statewide school-zone fine enhancement for ordinary speeding was found in Chapter 5, Article 11; none is asserted.

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.

S.C. Code §56-5-1520 — General rules as to maximum speed limits (official text, scstatehouse.gov) retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t56c005.php
S.C. Code §14-1-207 and §14-1-208 — Additional assessments, magistrates and municipal courts (official text, scstatehouse.gov) retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t14c001.php
S.C. Code §14-1-212 — Surcharges on fines (official text, scstatehouse.gov) retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t14c001.php
S.C. Code §14-1-211 — General Sessions Court surcharge (official text, scstatehouse.gov) retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t14c001.php
S.C. Code §56-1-720 — Point system established; schedule of points (official text, scstatehouse.gov) retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t56c001.php
S.C. Code §56-1-740 — Suspension for point accumulation (official text, scstatehouse.gov) retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t56c001.php
S.C. Code §56-5-1535 — Endangerment of a highway worker; penalties (official text, scstatehouse.gov) retrieved 2026-07-17
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t56c005.php

This is not legal advice This page republishes what South 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.