Vehicle · License points
Driver's License Points in North Carolina
How many points each moving violation adds in North Carolina, how many points suspend your license and over what period, and how points come off your record. Cited to the statute.
How license points add up in North Carolina
The points common violations carry, the totals that trigger a suspension, and how points come off your record.
North Carolina point values and the suspension thresholds are amended from time to time. Confirm the current figures with the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles before relying on them.
| How points add up | What it means |
|---|---|
| Passing a stopped school bus: 5 points | Under the Schedule of Point Values in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-16(c), passing a stopped school bus is 5 points and aggressive driving is 5 points, the highest values on the ordinary schedule. |
| Reckless driving and related offenses: 4 points | Reckless driving, hit and run with property damage only, following too close, driving on the wrong side of the road, and illegal passing each carry 4 points. |
| Running a light or stop sign: 3 points | Running a stop sign, running a red light, failing to yield right of way, speeding in excess of 55 mph, and driving with no liability insurance each carry 3 points. |
| Most other moving violations: 2 points | Failure to properly restrain a child is 2 points, and all other moving violations carry 2 points. Littering with a motor vehicle under G.S. 14-399 is 1 point. |
| Commercial drivers face a heavier schedule | A separate schedule in the same subsection scores violations committed in a commercial motor vehicle higher, up to 8 points for passing a stopped school bus and 6 points for a rail crossing violation or careless and reckless driving. |
| What triggers a suspension | What it means |
|---|---|
| Twelve points, or eight after reinstatement | Under § 20-16(a)(5) the Division may suspend at 12 or more points in a three year period, or 8 or more points in the three years immediately following reinstatement after an earlier suspension or revocation for a traffic offense. |
| Conference and driver improvement clinic | At 7 points, or 4 points after reinstatement, the Division may call the driver in for a conference or offer a driver improvement clinic. Completing the clinic deducts 3 points, allowed once in any five year period. |
| One occasion, one score | Where a driver is convicted of two or more offenses committed on a single occasion, points are assessed for one offense only, the one with the greater point value. |
| Points cancelled on restoration | When a license is restored after a suspension or revocation for a traffic offense, any previously accumulated points are cancelled. A long list of offenses, including parking, overloads, and equipment violations, carries no points, and the schedule applies only to violations that take place in North Carolina. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps to check and manage your points in North Carolina. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Order your North Carolina driving record
Request your driving record from the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles so you know your current point total and where each conviction sits in the three year window.
- Ask about a driver improvement clinic
A driver at 7 points, or 4 points after reinstatement, may be offered a Division driver improvement clinic that deducts 3 points on completion, available once in any five year period.
- Address a ticket before it is a conviction
Points attach when a citation becomes a conviction. Contesting a ticket in court, or resolving several charges from one occasion together, can hold down the point total.
Points follow from a conviction, and a suspension can cost you your license and raise your insurance. A licensed traffic attorney can explain your options; the state bar can refer you to one.
→ North Carolina Bar Association, Lawyer Referral ServiceThis is general legal information, not legal advice. Point values, thresholds, and reduction rules turn on the exact statute and your record, so confirm your situation with the DMV and, if needed, a lawyer.
What drivers in North Carolina get wrong about license points
North Carolina writes its entire DMV point schedule into the statute, at N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-16(c), so a driver can be pointed straight at the section and see the numbers. Values run from 1 to 5 points for ordinary drivers, with a separate and heavier schedule of 1 to 8 points for violations committed in a commercial motor vehicle. Passing a stopped school bus and aggressive driving are the top ordinary offenses at 5 points, reckless driving and illegal passing are 4 points, running a light or a stop sign is 3 points, and most other moving violations are 2 points. The Division of Motor Vehicles may suspend a license at 12 or more points in a three year period under § 20-16(a)(5), and the bar falls to 8 points in the three years right after reinstatement. Points attach as of the date the offense was committed, not the conviction date. There is a warning stage at 7 points, where the Division may hold a conference or offer a driver improvement clinic that deducts 3 points once in any five year period, and points are cancelled entirely when a license is restored after a traffic suspension. North Carolina also runs a wholly separate insurance point system under § 58-36-65, which raises premiums but never touches a license. This is legal information, not legal advice.
Common questions
How many points suspend your license in North Carolina?
Twelve. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-16(a)(5) the Division of Motor Vehicles may suspend a license at 12 or more points in a three year period, and the threshold drops to 8 points in the three years immediately after reinstatement.
How long do points stay on your record in North Carolina?
Points count within a rolling three year window measured from the date each offense was committed. When a license is restored after a suspension or revocation for a traffic offense, any previously accumulated points are cancelled.
Can you remove points in North Carolina?
A driver who reaches 7 points, or 4 points after reinstatement, may be offered a Division driver improvement clinic. Completing it deducts 3 points from the record, allowed once in any five year period.
Are DMV points the same as insurance points in North Carolina?
No. DMV points under § 20-16(c) can suspend a license. Insurance points under the Safe Driver Incentive Plan in § 58-36-65 only affect your premium and never touch your license.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.