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District of Columbia license points
10 points
What the rule says happens: DC license suspended, lose driving privileges for 90 days
DC license suspended, lose driving privileges for 90 days 10-11
Points for each violation
| Violation, in District of Columbia’s wording | Points |
|---|---|
Speed 11-15 miles per hour above posted speed limit | 3 |
Speed 16-20 miles per hour above posted speed | 4 |
Speed 21 miles per hour or more above posted speed limit | 5 |
Reckless driving | 6 |
Aggravated reckless driving | 12 |
Follow another vehicle too closely | 2 |
Fail to stop for a school vehicle with alternately flashing lights | 4 |
Commit violations that contribute to an accident | 3 |
Fail to comply with seatbelt law | 3 |
Fail to give right-of-way to a pedestrian | 3 |
Fail to yield to an emergency vehicle | 6 |
Leave the scene of a collision in which no personal injury occurs | 8 |
Operate a vehicle under the influence of, or when impaired by, intoxicating liquor and/or narcotic drugs | 12 |
These are the lines we have. District of Columbia’s full schedule is at the source links and may list more.
Sources for these lines, word for word
Speed 11-15 miles per hour above posted speed limit 3
Speed 16-20 miles per hour above posted speed 4
Speed 21 miles per hour or more above posted speed limit 5
Reckless driving 6
Aggravated reckless driving 12
Follow another vehicle too closely 2
Fail to stop for a school vehicle with alternately flashing lights 4
Commit violations that contribute to an accident 3
Fail to comply with seatbelt law 3
Fail to give right-of-way to a pedestrian 3
Fail to yield to an emergency vehicle 6
Leave the scene of a collision in which no personal injury occurs 8
Operate a vehicle under the influence of, or when impaired by, intoxicating liquor and/or narcotic drugs 12
When points lead to a suspension or other action
| Points | Within | The rule’s wording | What happens | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | no period given | see the rule | DC license suspended, lose driving privileges for 90 days | see the rule |
| 12 | no period given | see the rule | DC license revoked, lose driving privileges until DMV reinstates license | see the rule |
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
DC license suspended, lose driving privileges for 90 days 10-11
DC license revoked, lose driving privileges until DMV reinstates license (at least 6 months after revocation) 12 or more
How long points last
Points will stay on a DC driving record for two years.
Which date counts
We don’t have District of Columbia’s wording on whether the violation date or the conviction date counts. The agency is the place to ask.
Taking points off: courses and clean driving
If you have received a moving violation in Washington, DC, then you may be eligible to attend a DC DMV approved online defensive driving course to have the points removed from your driving record.
Prior approval from a DC Department of Motor Vehicles' Hearing Examiner is required before taking the course to have points removed.
Once you complete traffic school, the violation will appear on your driver record, but the points will not appear.
Tickets from other states
For moving violations received out-of-state, DC DMV assesses points according to the point system for the same or similar violation in the District. Therefore, a Virginia two point moving violation may be assessed six points in the District based on our point system.
Points are assessed on your driver record for both DC and non-DC moving violations.
The DC DMV online defensive driving course cannot be utilized to have points removed for out-of-state moving violations.
The point system itself
To promote driving safety, the District of Columbia uses a point system, for moving violations, to warn drivers who are at risk of having their licenses suspended or revoked.
More from District of Columbia’s rules
Points are not assessed for parking and photo tickets.
If, for a moving violation, you are found liable at a hearing, fail to pay a ticket within the required 60-day time period, or pay a ticket (payment is admission of liability), you will be assessed points according to the chart below.
Commit any moving violation that does not contribute to an accident and is not listed below 2 - 3
How nearby states compare
Side by side, not like for like. Read each state’s own rule before comparing two of them.
- Delaware
14 points
Mandatory 4 month license suspension
2 Delaware Administrative Code 2208, Concerning Driver Improvement Problem Driver Program, read November 12, 2026
- Georgia
15 points in 24 months
will have their license suspended
Georgia DDS, Points and Points Reduction, read November 12, 2026
- Maryland
5 points in 12 months
the Administration shall suspend the individual’s driver’s license
Maryland Transportation Article 16-404, actions for accumulated points, read November 12, 2026
Check a ticket in District of Columbia
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 District of Columbia
- DC DMV, Driver Point System
- DC DMV, Driver Point System Chart
- The licensing agency: District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles
Official pages we asked for and don’t quote
| Official page | What the request got |
|---|---|
| DC Municipal Regulations 18-303, establishment of a point system | The page answered with text. A search of that text, as our reader extracted it, for the exact string “point system” found it 8 times, for “demerit” found it 0 times, for “points” found it 0 times. We quote nothing from this page. |
| the dc.gov copy of the suspended or revoked license page | The request was refused (HTTP 403). |