Understanding Points on Your New Mexico Driving Record

After a conviction: where points come from

Judges do not hand out points. The court reports the conviction and the MVD scores it using the table in 18.19.5.52 NMAC, whether you were stopped on a state, county or city road.

Tickets from other states count when the same offense would score points here. A citation that is deferred and later dismissed is not a conviction, so it adds nothing.

After a conviction: what common tickets cost

These figures come from the 18.19.5.52 NMAC table as it stood in October 2026. Speeding points depend on the limit. The table covers roads posted at 15, 30 or 75 mph; on roads with other limits, it scores speeding only when you were going 76 mph or faster.

• Speeding: 3 points at 6 to 15 mph over, 5 at 16 to 25 over, 8 at 26 or more over
• 6 points: reckless driving, racing, or passing a school bus that has stopped
• 4 points: not yielding to an emergency vehicle
• 3 points: careless driving, tailgating, a bad turn or pass, not yielding, or ignoring a sign or signal
• 2 points: seat belt or child seat violation, no turn signal, overloading, or bad brakes

As points add up: three kinds of suspension

Reach 6 points and the MVD may write to warn you. If 7 to 10 points build up from violations in a single year, the judge in a municipal or magistrate court may ask for a suspension. The MVD then enforces whatever length was asked for, capped at three months, and uses three months when no length was given.

At 12 or more points for violations inside 12 consecutive months, the suspension is 12 months. The notice states the start date and your hearing right, and unless you request a hearing, your license has to be surrendered immediately.

A worked example: a 5 point speeding ticket in January, a 3 point careless driving conviction in June and a 5 point speeding ticket in November add up to 13 points inside 12 months. That is a suspension. Had the June ticket been deferred and dismissed, you would sit at 10.

If you are suspended: the hearing

The hearing is held before the MVD director or someone the director designates, who must tell you that you may be represented. Strict rules of evidence do not apply, though the officer can ask for support for any record that looks unreliable.

The ruling is announced on the spot or mailed within 20 days, and a loss comes with instructions for asking a court to review it. Skipping the hearing without good cause can be enough to lose it.

Why there is no point reduction class here

Many states sell a course that knocks points off. New Mexico does not. Points simply age out: they clear at the close of the 12th month following the violation month, and the MVD holds point records for a year counted from the violation.

The 6 hour defensive driving class helps in one situation only. A judge orders it as part of deferring your case, the case is dismissed, and no conviction or points ever reach the MVD.

If you are suspended: getting back on the road

Rule 18.19.5.57 NMAC holds back reinstatement of a point suspension until you prove you completed an approved driver improvement course in the 90 days before applying, and you pass the written and vision exams.

In practice this means the 8 hour suspended license class, which needs Traffic Safety Bureau approval to be offered. Take it near the end of your suspension so it falls inside the window.

For parents: points and the teen stages

For a teen on a permit or provisional license, a conviction costs time as well as points. Every conviction stretches the stage by 30 days, and one that falls in the last 90 days before moving up halts the application.

Under 21, a 0.02 alcohol reading brings a 6 month revocation. Check your teen's record before each step so an old ticket does not ambush you at the counter.