California license points
3 points in 12 months
What the rule says happens: You will receive a notice of intent to suspend letter
Level II (Notice of Intent to Suspend) You will receive a notice of intent to suspend letter if you accumulate a certain number of points within a time period. Note You might also receive a notice if a major conviction is added to your driver’s record. Point Count Time Period Point Count 3 Time Period Within 12 months Point Count 5 Time Period Within 24 months Point Count 7 Time Period Within 36 months
Points for each violation
| Violation, in California’s wording | Points |
|---|---|
VC §22348 (a) Speed | 1 |
VC §24002 Unsafe Vehicle | 1 |
any conviction “involving the safe operation of a motor vehicle upon the highway.” | 1 |
VC §20002 Hit and Run | 2 |
VC §23152 Driving Under the Influence | 2 |
These are the lines we have. California’s full schedule is at the source links and may list more.
Sources for these lines, word for word
Examples of one-point VC violations are: VC §22348 (a) Speed VC §24002 Unsafe Vehicle
VC §12810 r equires DMV to assign one point to any conviction “involving the safe operation of a motor vehicle upon the highway.”
Examples of two-point convictions are: VC §20002 Hit and Run VC §23152 Driving Under the Influence
When points lead to a suspension or other action
| Points | Within | The rule’s wording | What happens | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 12 months | see the rule | You will receive a warning letter | see the rule |
| 4 | 24 months | see the rule | You will receive a warning letter | see the rule |
| 6 | 36 months | see the rule | You will receive a warning letter | see the rule |
| 3 | 12 months | see the rule | You will receive a notice of intent to suspend letter | see the rule |
| 5 | 24 months | see the rule | You will receive a notice of intent to suspend letter | see the rule |
| 7 | 36 months | see the rule | You will receive a notice of intent to suspend letter | see the rule |
| 4 | 12 months | see the rule | your driving privilege will be suspended | see the rule |
| 6 | 24 months | see the rule | your driving privilege will be suspended | see the rule |
| 8 | 36 months | see the rule | your driving privilege will be suspended | see the rule |
| 6 | 12 months | see the rule | considered prima facie negligent operators | Class A or B drivers meeting all the above conditions |
| 8 | 24 months | see the rule | considered prima facie negligent operators | Class A or B drivers meeting all the above conditions |
| 10 | 36 months | see the rule | considered prima facie negligent operators | Class A or B drivers meeting all the above conditions |
Whether a rule means that many points or more, or more than that many, is in the rule’s own words below.
The rules, word for word
Level I (Warning Letter) You will receive a warning letter if you have accumulated a certain number of points within a time period. Note You might also receive a warning letter when a major conviction is added to your driver’s record. Point Count Time Period Point Count 2 Time Period Within 12 months Point Count 4 Time Period Within 24 months Point Count 6 Time Period Within 36 months
Level II (Notice of Intent to Suspend) You will receive a notice of intent to suspend letter if you accumulate a certain number of points within a time period. Note You might also receive a notice if a major conviction is added to your driver’s record. Point Count Time Period Point Count 3 Time Period Within 12 months Point Count 5 Time Period Within 24 months Point Count 7 Time Period Within 36 months
Level III (Order of Probation/Suspension) You will receive an order of probation/suspension and your driving privilege will be suspended if you accumulate a certain number of points within a time period. The action is a one-year probation that includes a six-month suspension. The action is effective 34 days from the date the order is mailed. Point Count Time Period Point Count 4 Time Period Within 12 months Point Count 6 Time Period Within 24 months Point Count 8 Time Period Within 36 months
Class A or B drivers meeting all the above conditions are considered prima facie negligent operators if they have the following point count accumulated on the driver’s record: 6 points in 12 months 8 points in 24 months 10 points in 36 months
How long points last
We don’t have California’s wording on this yet. The periods beside the figures above are the only ones we have.
Which date counts
We don’t have California’s wording on whether the violation date or the conviction date counts. The agency is the place to ask.
Tickets from other states
DMV also assesses negligent operator points for traffic convictions California drivers receive in other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Under VC §13363, DMV determines whether the same violation, if committed in California, would be assessed negligent operator points or would be grounds for suspension or revocation.
Points resulting from out-of-state convictions may form the basis, or part of the basis, for a NOTS action.
The point system itself
NOTS is based on negligent operator points and is a series of warning letters and progressive penalties against your driving privilege.
More from California’s rules
NOTS affects California drivers 18 years of age and older. Younger “provisional” drivers are also included in the NOTS program if they violate provisional probation or suspension.
Points are assigned to convictions for traffic violations that involve the safe operation of a motor vehicle.
A mechanical violation may be assigned zero or one point, depending on whether it affects safe operation.
Under VC §12810.5(b)(2), a conviction which occurs during the operation of a vehicle requiring a Class A or B license, or any certificate or endorsement listed in the section, is given a point count of 1 ½ times its usual value.
There are four levels of Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS) actions:
Under California Vehicle Code (CVC) §12810.5, the driver is presumed to be a prima facie negligent operator.
Any one or two-point violation or responsible collision occurs during a probation period.
Where official sources differ
Official sources differ
These official passages do not print the same thing. Both are shown as printed. We do not choose between them or say how they fit together.
Traffic convictions are assessed negligent operator point values ranging from 0-3 points.
Under VC §12810, a conviction is assessed one or two points.
How nearby states compare
Side by side, not like for like. Read each state’s own rule before comparing two of them.
- Nevada
12 points in 12 months
automatic 6-month license suspension
Nevada DMV, Demerit Point System, read November 12, 2026
- Utah
200 points in 3 years
you may be suspended
Utah Driver License Division, Utah Points System, read November 12, 2026
Check a ticket in California
Total so far
Reference only, not legal or insurance advice. Confirm with the agency. Full statement.
What this adds up, and what it can’t say
- This is arithmetic on quoted values, and nothing else. It does not predict any outcome.
- The date a state counts from (the violation date or the conviction date) is as quoted. The calculator does not decide it: it uses the date entered for each line.
- Courts and agencies decide actual outcomes, under the full text of the law and the full driving record, which this page does not have.
- Insurance companies use their own separate systems. This calculator works out nothing about insurance.
- A printed figure is compared with a sum only where the same quoted passage prints a period. The comparison says below, equal to or above. Whether a passage means that figure or more, or more than that figure, is in the passage’s own words.
- How periods are counted here is this calculator’s own convention, not a rule from any source. Months and years are calendar months and years counted back from the date chosen. Where the earlier month is shorter, its last day is used. The day reached is the period’s first day, and a line dated on that first day is outside the period. A line dated on the date chosen is inside. For example, a period of one month ending March 31, 2026 has the first day February 28, 2026, so a line dated that day is not counted and a line dated the day after is. An agency may count differently.
- Nothing typed here leaves this page or is stored.
The checker has only the violations in the table above.
Sources for California
- California DMV, The Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS)
- California DMV, Negligent Operator Actions
- The licensing agency: California Department of Motor Vehicles
Official pages we asked for and don’t quote
| Official page | What the request got |
|---|---|
| California Vehicle Code 12810, the violation point count statute | The request was refused (HTTP 403). |
| California Vehicle Code 12810.5, the negligent operator point thresholds | The request was refused (HTTP 403). |
| California Vehicle Code 12810.3, point for hand-held phone convictions | The request was refused (HTTP 403). |