Managing Points on an Alabama Driver License

Start here: what each ticket is worth

Rule 760-X-1-.07 and ALEA's point table set the numbers. Six points is the top tier. It covers reckless driving, reckless endangerment with a vehicle, and alcohol related driving convictions where neither mandatory revocation nor an administrative per se action applied.

Five points apply to going 26 mph or more over, to not yielding, and to passing a school bus that has stopped. Wrong side driving and illegal passing cost 4. Three points go to tailgating, running a signal or stop sign, and disobeying the flaggers or markers in a work zone. Two points cover speeding up to 25 over and most other moving violations.

• Up to 25 mph over the limit: 2
• Speeding 26 mph or more over: 5
• Improper lane, improper turn, no signal: 2
• Drinking alcohol while driving: 2
• Construction zone violations: 3

When to worry: the suspension ladder

ALEA looks at any rolling two year window. The suspension lengths step up as follows: 12 to 14 points means 60 days, 15 to 17 means 90, 18 to 20 means 120, 21 to 23 means 180, and 24 or more means a full year.

A conviction older than two years drops out of the suspension math, but it does not vanish from your record, and insurers can still see it. A ticket's effect on your premium can last longer than its points.

A worked example: a 5 point speeding conviction in January 2025, a 3 point stop sign conviction in August 2025 and a 2 point lane violation in May 2026 total 10. If you pick up another 2 or more before January 2027, you reach 12. After January 2027 the first conviction drops out of the count.

Why a class will not erase points here

No ALEA page and no point rule offers a course credit. Alabama has long worked this way: points stay on the record and only their suspension weight runs out.

The class helps earlier in the process. When a judge accepts driving school and dismisses the charge, ALEA never receives a conviction, so the ticket carries zero points.

If your driver is a teen

Graduated license holders are suspended much faster. ALEA imposes 60 days for a second moving violation. The same 60 days follow one conviction for fleeing police, racing, illegal passing, reckless driving, wrong side driving, failing to render aid, or anything worth four or more points.

Violating the Stage II limits on phones, passengers or curfew adds no points, but it keeps your teen restricted six more months or until 18.

If you hold a CDL

A CDL can be disqualified in addition to collecting points. Two serious offenses in three years lead to 60 days; examples are tailgating, reckless driving, unsafe lane changes, speeding by 15 mph or more, and hand held phone use in a commercial vehicle. Three serious offenses lead to 120 days.

For major offenses (DUI, test refusal, leaving the scene), a first conviction means one year off, or three years for drivers carrying placarded hazardous materials. A second major offense means a lifetime disqualification.

After a suspension: getting back on the road

As of October 2026 reinstating costs $100 after a suspension or cancellation and $175 after a revocation, per ALEA, with higher amounts for alcohol or drug offenses. You can reinstate online.

Suspended over an unpaid ticket or a missed court date? Resolve the ticket first; the circuit clerk sends a clearance letter to ALEA. A hardship license exists for limited situations, but drivers suspended for serious traffic offenses do not qualify, so read the rules before applying.