Traffic tickets
Speeding tickets in Syracuse and Central New York
Speeding is the most common ticket we see, and the one where the distance between what you are charged with and what you are finally convicted of matters most. Here is what the charge carries before anyone talks about reducing it.
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What you are charged under
Almost every speeding ticket in New York is written under VTL § 1180. Which subsection you are charged with depends on where you were stopped and how the officer measured your speed, and it decides the tier your fine falls into.
Worth knowing: the posted limit is a maximum, not a target, and traveling with the flow of traffic is not a defense if that flow was over the limit. That is the state's own published position, and it is what the court starts from.
Fines, jail exposure and points, by tier
| Charged speed | Min fine | Max fine | Jail | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inappropriate speed, or up to 10 MPH over | $45 | $150 | Up to 15 days | 3 |
| More than 10 and up to 30 MPH over | $90 | $300 | Up to 30 days | 4–6 |
| More than 30 MPH over | $180 | $600 | Up to 30 days | 8–11 |
Fines and maximum jail exposure: NYS Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. A mandatory state surcharge is added on conviction and is not included in these figures.
Two things people are usually surprised by. The first is that jail is on the table at all, up to 15 days on the lowest tier and up to 30 on the others. It is not the ordinary outcome for a first speeding charge, but it is what the statute permits. The second is that fines increase for repeat convictions inside 18 months, so the second ticket does not cost what the first one did.
Points, exactly
| Charged speed | Points |
|---|---|
| MPH not specified | 3 |
| 1–10 MPH over | 3 |
| 11–20 MPH over | 4 |
| 21–30 MPH over | 6 |
| 31–40 MPH over | 8 |
| More than 40 MPH over | 11 |
| In a work zone (any speed over) | 8 |
Eleven points inside 24 months puts your license at risk of suspension, and six points inside 18 months triggers the Driver Responsibility Assessment, two different windows, which is the detail most summaries get wrong. The full breakdown is in points and insurance.
Note the top row of that table. A single ticket for more than 40 MPH over carries 11 points on its own, which is the suspension threshold reached in one stop.
The rule that catches people out: three in eighteen months
Three speeding convictions within an 18-month period means revocation of your license. This runs separately from the point system, so it can arrive even if your point total looks survivable, and a defensive driving course does not prevent it.
It is the reason the third ticket in a bad run is a different conversation from the first. If you already have two speeding convictions on your record, say so on the first call. It changes what matters about the one in your hand.
Work zones
Work zone speeding is penalized twice over. Fines are doubled, and since February 16, 2026 the violation carries a flat 8 points whatever the speed, where the same ticket at 9 MPH over on ordinary road would have been a 3-point matter.
Posted work zone limits apply whether or not work is actually happening when you drive through. An empty work zone at 2am is still a work zone.
Where these get written around here
Most of the speeding tickets we see in Onondaga and Cortland counties come off the same stretches: I-81 running north–south through both counties, I-690 and I-481 around Syracuse, and Route 11. A ticket written inside the Syracuse city limits goes to Syracuse City Court; one written in a surrounding town or village goes to that municipality's own court, which may sit only once or twice a month.
Which court it lands in affects how the matter proceeds and how long it takes. We cover this in more detail on Syracuse traffic tickets.
What actually happens with a lawyer
The objective in most speeding matters is a reduction, moving the conviction to a lesser or non-moving violation so that fewer points, or none, attach to your record. Whether that is available depends on the charged speed, your driving record, the court and the prosecutor. Nobody can tell you the outcome before looking at the ticket, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
What we can tell you early is what you are facing and what the realistic range looks like. Send us a photo of the ticket, front and back, before the response date on it.
Questions people ask
How much is a speeding ticket in New York?
The fine depends on the tier. Up to 10 MPH over runs $45 to $150; more than 10 and up to 30 over runs $90 to $300; more than 30 over runs $180 to $600. A state surcharge is added on conviction, and the Driver Responsibility Assessment may follow separately.
Can I go to jail for speeding in New York?
It is legally possible, which surprises people. The statute allows up to 15 days for the lowest tier and up to 30 days for the two higher ones. Jail is not the usual outcome for an ordinary first speeding charge, but the exposure is real and it is why the charge is worth taking seriously.
What happens after three speeding tickets?
Three speeding convictions inside 18 months means revocation of your license. That is separate from the point system and it is not discretionary, so the third ticket in a bad stretch is a different kind of problem from the first two, regardless of your point total at the time.
How many points is a speeding ticket?
Three to eleven, based on the charged speed. One to ten over is 3 points; 11 to 20 over is 4; 21 to 30 over is 6; 31 to 40 over is 8; and more than 40 over is 11, on its own enough to reach the suspension threshold of 11 points in 24 months.
Why are work zone tickets worse?
Two reasons stack. Fines are doubled in a work zone, and since February 16, 2026 the violation carries a flat 8 points no matter how far over the limit you were charged. Posted work zone limits apply whether or not anyone is working at the time.
Should I just pay the ticket?
Paying is a guilty plea. Once entered, the points, the surcharge, any assessment and the insurance consequences follow automatically, and the options that existed before the plea are gone. Whether fighting it is worth it depends on the charge, your record and the court.
For the point brackets on their own, the two DMV deadlines and what the Driver Responsibility Assessment costs, see how many points a speeding ticket is in New York.
Send us the ticket before you pay it.
Text a photo of the front and back and we will tell you what it carries and what your options are.
Sources
NYS Governor's Traffic Safety Committee — Penalties for Speeding ·NYS DMV — Driver Point System ·NY VTL § 1180
Fines, jail exposure and point values verified against the state's published tables in August 2026. Penalties change; this page states the rules as published and is not advice about your own ticket.
Related: points and insurance ·traffic tickets across Central New York ·Syracuse traffic tickets