How Much Is A Speeding Ticket In Texas?

Texas is a big state, but that doesn’t mean you should race across it. If you get a speeding ticket in Texas, expect to pay between $155 and $340 for your traffic infraction.

How much you pay for a speeding ticket in Texas depends on how much you exceed the limit and where you received your ticket. Your Texas car insurance costs will also be affected by your speeding ticket, with rates increasing an average of 19% in Texas after a speeding ticket, based on Forbes Advisor’s analysis.

How Much Is a Speeding Ticket in Texas?

A speeding ticket in Texas for 10 mph over the limit costs about $223 on average, based on our analysis of ticket costs in large cities in the state.

Texas speeding ticket costs are heavily influenced by how fast you’re driving and where you’re doing it. But regardless of where you are, exceeding the speeding limit by10 mph (or less) will cost you about $200.

And the faster you go, the more you’ll fork over to the court when paying your speeding ticket. A Texas speeding ticket for 15 mph over the speed limit costs $255 on average. For 20 mph over the limit it’s $291, according to Forbes Advisor’s analysis.

If you’re speeding 20, 25 or 30 mph over the limit—depending on where you’re ticketed and what its upper tier for speeding is set at—a speeding ticket in Texas averages around $330.

Cost of a Speeding Ticket in Texas by City

Here’s a look at the cost of a speeding ticket in the six most populated cities in Texas, according to court fine schedules.

City	10 mph above the speed limit	15 mph above the speed limit	20 mph above the speed limit	Over 30 mph above the speed limit
Austin	$238	$275	$334	$334
Dallas	$231	$256	$281	$334
El Paso	$195	$235	$275	$334
Fort Worth	$214	$254	$294	$334
Houston	$259	$284	$309	$334
San Antonio	$203	$228	$253	$303
Average	$223	$255	$291	$329

Source: Forbes Advisor research

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Texas speeding ticket cost will be increased if you were ticketed in a school or construction zone.

For instance, in Houston, a speeding ticket for going 15 mph over the limit normally has a $284 fine. The fine increases to $309 if you’re ticketed in a school zone and goes up to $414 if you’re caught speeding in a construction zone with workers present.

How to Figure Out How Much Your Texas Speeding Ticket Will Cost

To determine how much your Texas speeding ticket will cost, look to the court listed on the citation. Many courts have fine schedules on their websites, as well as ways to pay online. If you’re unable to find the information online, call the clerk of the court to find out how much your ticket will cost.

We analyzed more than 20 cities and counties in Texas and found that fines and court costs varied across the state but were not wildly different in the final amount due.

Some Texas cities and counties break down the fine, court costs and additional fees, while others combine them all into one amount due. Also, in some places, you’ll have a base fine, plus you’re charged an additional amount, such as $5, $8 or $10, for each mile over the speed limit.

For example, in Fort Worth, the fine is $8 per mile over the posted limit. That means if you’re caught going 12 mph over the limit, your fine would be $96. In addition, there is a state traffic fee of $50 and court costs of $84, for a total of $134 extra you pay on top of your fine amount. That brings your total to $230 in Fort Worth for a speeding ticket for 12 mph over the limit.

How Are Car Insurance Rates Affected After a Ticket?

Texas drivers with a speeding ticket pay 19% more per year than drivers with a clean driving record, according to our analysis of Texas car insurance costs.

Your car insurance rates aren’t immediately impacted by a speeding ticket, but typically you’ll see a rate increase when you get your renewal bill.

Your car insurance company will see the speeding violation on your driving record, which signals that you pose more of a risk. To find cheap Texas car insurance after a ticket, compare prices with multiple insurers. Car insurance companies weigh the impact of a speeding offense differently when calculating rates, so some will charge more than others.

Average Car Insurance Rate Increases After a Speeding Ticket in Texas

The average Texas car insurance cost after a speeding ticket is $3,509 per year, according to our analysis. Texas auto insurance rates increase an average of $555 annually when a speeding ticket is on your record.

Car Insurance Costs in Texas After a Speeding Ticket

Driver with a clean record	Driver with one speeding ticket	$ increase for a Texas speeding ticket	% increase for a Texas speeding ticket
$2,954 a year	$3,509 a year	$555	19%

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The increase for Texas car insurance after a speeding ticket is a bit below the national average of 21%.

What To Do After Getting a Speeding Ticket in Texas

Review your citation to see how much time you have to take care of your Texas speeding ticket. If a court date is listed, you must pay—or otherwise resolve your ticket—before that day, or you’ll need to appear in court.

Don’t delay, as you may not have long to respond. In some areas, such as San Angelo, Texas, you have 15 days from the date of the citation to make an appearance or otherwise resolve the ticket. And in Amarillo, Texas you only have 12 days from the citation date to deal with the ticket.

The speeding ticket should list the court you need to contact to take care of your ticket. The court’s website may be listed, which typically gives detailed information on your options to resolve the ticket or allows you to pay your fine online.

Can You Fight a Texas Speeding Ticket?

You can fight a Texas speeding ticket. Your choices after you get a speeding ticket are:

• Contest the citation.
• Pay the fine.
• Request a deferred disposition, if you’re eligible.
• Request to take a driver safety course, if you qualify.

If you’re under age 17 and get a speeding ticket, Texas law requires that you appear with a parent or guardian before a judge. In some areas, such as Lubbock County, drivers under 17 who are in school may ask the judge if they can work off their fine through community service.

Contest in Court

You can contest your speeding ticket by pleading not guilty. You then will have a trial before a judge or jury.

You can choose to represent yourself in court to contest the speeding ticket or hire a lawyer to represent you in court. Your ticket will be dismissed if you’re found not guilty in court. If you’re found guilty, you’ll be assessed a fine and the speeding violation will go on your driving record.

Deferred Disposition

With deferred disposition—sometimes called deferred adjudication—you plead no contest or guilty to your speeding charge and pay court costs and fees. You may also be charged an expense fee, which must be less than the maximum amount of your  fine. You are then placed into a probationary period. During your probation period, which may last up to a year, you must not receive any additional traffic tickets (moving violations).

Your ticket will be dismissed and not placed on your driving record at the end of the probationary period if you fulfill the terms. However, if you don’t follow the conditions, the speeding ticket will show on your driving record and additional fines may be imposed.

You typically can’t choose deferred disposition if you:

• Are already on a deferral from another court.
• Have a commercial driver’s license.
• Your ticket resulted from a traffic accident.
• Your traffic offense took place in a construction zone where workers were present.

In some cities, such as Dallas, minors with prior alcohol-related traffic violations are not eligible for deferred dispositions. In others, such as Fort Worth, drivers under age 17 aren’t allowed to request one.

If you’re under age 25 in Texas, the court usually requires you to complete a driving safety course as an additional requirement of deferred disposition.

Driver Safety Course

You may request to take a state-approved driver safety course to have your Texas speeding ticket dismissed and kept off your driving record.

To be eligible for this option, you usually must:

• Have a valid Texas driver’s license.
• Have not taken a driver safety course within the last 12 months.
• Not currently be taking a driving course for another traffic violation.
• Not have been driving 95 mph or more.
• Not have been speeding in a construction zone with workers present.
• Not have been speeding while passing a school bus.
• Not have been speeding 25 mph or more over the limit.
• Show proof of Texas car insurance.

You must still pay court costs and prove to the court that you successfully completed the driver safety course in the required time, such as 90 days. Failing to do so means a warrant may be issued for your arrest.

How Can You Reduce the Cost of a Texas Speeding Ticket?

If you can take advantage of deferred disposition or the driver safety course, typically you’ll pay a reduced amount and keep the ticket off your record. If you’re ineligible for these options, see about negotiating with the court to reduce the fine amount.

If you’re unable to pay the full amount of your speeding ticket, you can ask about a payment plan. You may also be able to request alternatives, like doing community service or having the fine waived. In general, you must be unable to do community service due to a hardship and lack funds to pay your fine to have a Texas speeding ticket waived.

Don’t fail to act on a Texas speeding ticket or you’ll face serious consequences, which can include the following:

• A warrant issued for your arrest (which comes with a $50 warrant reimbursement fee).
• Being charged with failure to appear (which comes with a fine, such as $244 in Houston).
• Denied renewal or issuance of driver’s license.
• Referral to collections, which can result in additional fees (such as 30% of the total fine in Houston).

What’s the Cheapest Texas Car Insurance After Getting a Ticket?

Geico has the cheapest Texas car insurance ($2,000 a year) for drivers with a speeding ticket on their records, according to Forbes Advisor’s analysis. USAA also offers cheap rates in Texas, but eligibility is limited to those in the military and their families. Nationwide and State Farm are the next cheapest options for drivers after a Texas speeding citation.

Here are other Texas auto insurers offering car insurance below $3,509 a year, which is the average car insurance cost in Texas after a speeding ticket.

Cheapest Car Insurance Cost After a Speeding Ticket in Texas

Company	Annual cost for driver with a clean record	Annual cost for driver with one speeding ticket	$ increase for a speeding ticket	% increase for a speeding ticket
Geico	$1,861	$2,000	$139	7%
USAA*	$1,853	$2,098	$245	13%
Nationwide	$1,987	$2,193	$206	10%
State Farm	$2,052	$2,330	$278	14%
National General	$2,103	$2,540	$437	21%
Mercury	$2,118	$3,096	$978	46%
Allstate	$3,173	$3,199	$26	1%
Auto Club	$2,539	$3,291	$752	30%
Chubb	$3,135	$3,416	$281	9%
Average	$2,954	$3,509	$555	19%

*USAA auto insurance is available only to members of the military, veterans and their families.

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Methodology

We used rates from Quadrant Information Services, a provider of insurance data and analytics. Rates are based on a female driver insuring a new Toyota RAV4 with $100,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person, $300,000 per accident and $100,000 in property damage liability (together known as 100/300/100), uninsured motorist coverage, and collision and comprehensive with a $500 deductible.

Texas Speeding Ticket Cost FAQs