Texas Has No Points to Reduce: Here Is What Matters Instead

First, the history: where the points went

Before 2019, Texas put points on moving violation convictions and billed yearly surcharges once a driver crossed a threshold, with separate surcharges for things like driving uninsured. Lawmakers repealed that program, Chapter 708 of the Transportation Code, effective September 1, 2019.

DPS's repeal FAQ spells out the result. No more points for moving violations, points already on records removed, every unpaid surcharge waived, and suspensions that existed only because of surcharges lifted. Money paid toward surcharges before the repeal was not returned, and old surcharge suspensions remain in your history.

What still leads to a suspension

Under Section 521.292, DPS suspends a habitual violator: someone convicted of four or more moving violations from separate incidents within 12 consecutive months, or seven or more within 24. Convictions in any state or Canadian province count toward that. A few kinds are left out, such as belt citations under Section 545.413 and a lot of size and weight violations for heavy vehicles.

That section names other triggers too: driving while suspended or after being denied a license, a pattern of reckless or negligent driving, two or more convictions for breaking a restriction on your license, and responsibility for a crash causing serious injury or serious property damage. A driver under 18 needs only two moving violations in 12 months.

To see how the count works: an adult convicted of speeding in January, running a red light in April and an unsafe lane change in September is at three. A fourth conviction before the following January makes four within 12 months.

• Four moving violation convictions within a year
• Seven moving violation convictions within two years
• Two convictions for violating a license restriction
• Drivers under 18: two moving violations within a year

Will a course remove anything?

With no points left, a course cannot shrink a number on your record. Its value comes earlier. A charge a court drops after you finish the course is, by Article 45A.357, kept off your record and unusable for anything, which means it never adds to the four or the seven.

The court does notify DPS that you took a course, and that note is what enforces the once-a-year rule. That entry is not a conviction. Taking a course only for an insurance discount does nothing to convictions already on your record.

How long a ticket stays visible

DPS sells several kinds of record. The Type 2, $6 as of October 2026, covers your status plus three years of moving violations and crashes that produced a ticket, counted from the offense date; when people ask how long a ticket lasts, this is usually the answer. For $7, the Type 3 shows the complete list of crashes and violations, nonmoving ones too.

For a driving safety course, DPS insists on the certified Type 3A ($10). The $20 Type AR abstract layers in all suspensions. Only the record's owner can get a Type 3 or 3A.

Checking your record and your status

Ordering online is quickest, but you need the audit number from your newest card, which DPS will not provide by phone. You cannot buy a record in person at a license office. The mail option means sending the request form with payment to PO Box 149008, Austin, TX 78714-9008, then waiting about three weeks.

Your record and your eligibility are not the same. Use the License Eligibility page to see if you are cleared to drive and what reinstatement money is outstanding. An unpaid ticket can hold up renewal through the Failure to Appear program until the court clears it, after which DPS needs three to five business days to update.

If DPS moves to suspend you

The notice explains why DPS is acting and whether you can contest it. Send your hearing request inside 20 days; expect up to 120 days before it is heard, and know that late requests get a denial letter.

If the suspension does take effect, ask about an occupational license for essential driving. It costs $10 a year, can last as long as two years, and requires reinstatement fees to be settled before issue.