Reducing Points on a Utah Driving Record

Start here: what common tickets are worth

DLD publishes base points for every moving violation. Utah Code 53-3-221 lets the court grade an offense at minimum or maximum severity, which moves the points down or up 10 percent. DUI and other offenses carrying a mandatory suspension are handled outside the point system.

• 80: reckless driving
• 75: 21 or more mph over the limit
• 60: failing to yield, following too closely, going the wrong way on a one-way street
• 55: 11 to 20 mph over
• 50: careless driving, running a red light or stop sign, improper lookout or passing, impeding traffic, negligent collision, texting
• 40: any other moving violation
• 35: 1 to 10 mph over

If you are 21 or older: the ladder

R708-3-6 is the rule for adult drivers. Between 150 and 199 points DLD mails a warning letter. Reach 200 and you must attend a hearing, which can end in probation or a three month suspension.

Past that the penalties are fixed: three months for 300 to 399 points, six months for 400 to 599, and a year at 600 and up. A third or later sanction inside three years is bumped to the next level.

If you are 20 or younger: a much shorter ladder

R708-3-8 governs provisional drivers. The warning letter comes at 35 to 69 points, a hearing at 70, and anywhere from 70 to 139 can mean probation or a 30 day denial.

From 140 to 199 the penalty grows with each occurrence: first a 30 day denial, then 60 days, then a 90 day suspension. Above that, 200 to 249 points means 60 days suspended, 250 to 349 means 90 days, 350 to 449 means six months, and 450 or more means a year.

If you are close to a line: the course credit

For point reduction, DLD takes Utah Safety Council or National Safety Council courses, either a 4 hour live class or the online version. Each course can remove up to 50 points, and you may use one only once in three years.

The rule adds a useful detail: if the course drops you into a lower tier, DLD may treat you at that lower level. Picture a 17 year old at 75 points with a hearing scheduled. Finishing a course first leaves 25 points, which is under even the warning line.

If you can wait: points that disappear on their own

A full year with no moving violation conviction wipes out half your points, and a second clean year in a row wipes out the rest. On top of that, each conviction's points are deleted three years after the violation date.

Courts usually send convictions like speeding to DLD within 10 days of conviction or payment. Expunging the court case does not clean up the driving record.

If the ticket came from another state

For violations committed outside Utah on or after July 1, 2011, Utah Code 53-3-221 generally keeps DLD from assigning points. The exceptions are reckless or impaired driving, going 21 or more over, and any offense that would require a mandatory suspension here.

Your motor vehicle record keeps most entries for three years and DUI or drug-related ones for 10. In October 2026 a copy costs $8 at a DLD office or $11 online.