Vehicle · License points
Driver's License Points in Texas
How many points each moving violation adds in Texas, 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 Texas
The points common violations carry, the totals that trigger a suspension, and how points come off your record.
Texas repealed its Driver Responsibility Program and its surcharges in 2019, and the conviction based suspension rules can change. Confirm the current rules with the Texas Department of Public Safety before relying on them.
| How points add up | What it means |
|---|---|
| Four convictions in 12 months | Under Tex. Transp. Code § 521.292(b) a driver is a habitual violator with four or more convictions for moving violations that arise out of different transactions in 12 consecutive months, and § 521.292(a)(3) then requires the Department of Public Safety to suspend the license. |
| Seven convictions in 24 months | The same subsection reaches a driver with seven or more moving violation convictions from different transactions in 24 months, an alternative route to the habitual violator determination. |
| Drivers under 18: two moving violations in 12 months | Under § 521.292(a)(8) a driver younger than 18 hits the threshold at two or more moving violations committed within a 12 month period, measured on when the violations happened. |
| Some offenses suspend on a single conviction | Subchapter O, § 521.341, suspends a license automatically on one conviction for offenses such as intoxication manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, evading arrest with a vehicle, and failure to stop and render aid, without any count. |
| What triggers a suspension | What it means |
|---|---|
| Convictions must come from separate incidents | Section 521.292(b) counts only convictions that arise out of different transactions, so several charges from one traffic stop do not stack into the habitual violator count. |
| Out-of-state convictions count | The rule reaches moving violations of the traffic laws of any state, Canadian province, or political subdivision, not just Texas offenses. |
| Size, weight, load and seat belt offenses do not count | Section 521.292(b)(1) to (3) carve out the oversize, overweight and load securement rules in §§ 621.101, 621.201, and 621.203 to 621.207, Subchapters B and C of Chapter 623, and the seat belt provision in § 545.413. |
| Suspension runs 90 days without a hearing | Under Tex. Transp. Code § 521.293, if the driver does not request a hearing the period of suspension for a habitual violator is 90 days. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps to check and manage your points in Texas. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Check your Texas driving record
Order your driver record from the Texas Department of Public Safety so you know how many moving violation convictions you already carry inside the 12 and 24 month windows.
- Address a citation before it is a conviction
The habitual violator count runs on convictions, so contesting a ticket in court can keep it from counting toward the four in 12 or seven in 24 total.
- Watch for automatic suspension offenses
Some offenses listed in § 521.341 suspend a license on a single conviction, without any count, so treat a DWI or a failure to stop and render aid charge as serious on its own.
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.
→ State Bar of Texas, Lawyer Referral and Information 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 Texas get wrong about license points
Texas is the rare state with no driver license point system at all. It once ran one through the Driver Responsibility Program in Transportation Code Chapter 708, but the Legislature repealed that chapter with House Bill 2048 in 2019, effective September 1 of that year. Since then nothing accumulates on a Texas record as a running point total. The Department of Public Safety instead counts convictions. Under Tex. Transp. Code § 521.292(b) a driver is a habitual violator, and § 521.292(a)(3) requires the department to suspend the license, once there are four moving violation convictions arising out of different transactions in 12 consecutive months, or seven such convictions in 24 months. The convictions must come from separate incidents, so several charges out of one traffic stop do not stack. Moving violations of the traffic laws of any state or Canadian province count, not just Texas offenses. A driver under 18 reaches the threshold sooner, at two moving violations committed within a 12 month period under § 521.292(a)(8). Size, weight, load and seat belt offenses are carved out of the count. A separate list of serious offenses in § 521.341 suspends a license on a single conviction, without any count at all. If the driver does not request a hearing, § 521.293 sets the suspension at 90 days. This is legal information, not legal advice.
Common questions
How many points suspend your license in Texas?
None, because Texas has no point system. The Department of Public Safety suspends a license under the habitual violator rule in Tex. Transp. Code § 521.292(b), which counts four moving violation convictions from separate incidents in 12 consecutive months, or seven in 24 months.
Did Texas get rid of driver points?
Yes. House Bill 2048 of the 86th Legislature repealed Chapter 708 of the Transportation Code, the Driver Responsibility Program, effective September 1, 2019, and Texas has assigned no license points since.
What counts toward a license suspension in Texas?
Moving violation convictions arising out of different transactions. Four in 12 consecutive months, or seven in 24 months, make a driver a habitual violator under § 521.292(b), and a driver under 18 reaches the line at two moving violations in 12 months.
Do out-of-state tickets count in Texas?
Yes. The habitual violator rule reaches moving violations of the traffic laws of any state, Canadian province, or political subdivision, not only Texas offenses.
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.