D.C. Points: The Chart, the Limits and Keeping Points Off

When points land: the three triggers

There are only three ways points reach your District record. An examiner rules against you after a hearing. You ignore a moving violation for 60 days. Or you pay, which DC DMV reads as a confession.

Points belong to moving violations alone. A camera ticket for running a red light, rolling a stop sign or speeding costs money but zero points, and the same goes for parking tickets.

When points land: what common tickets are worth

Listed offenses on the chart have set values. A moving violation that is not listed and causes no crash costs 2 or 3, and any violation that helps cause a crash costs 3 at minimum.

One rule catches learners off guard. Driving on a permit with no licensed adult in the car is worth 5 points, as much as speeding by 21 or more.

• 2 points: tailgating, driving on a license that expired less than 90 days ago, wrong license class
• 3 points: a violation that contributes to a crash, speeding 11 to 15 over, not yielding to a pedestrian, a seat belt violation
• 4 points: breaking a license restriction, passing a stopped school bus, speeding 16 to 20 over
• 5 points: a learner driving with no licensed driver, speeding 21 or more over
• 6 points: a vehicle misdemeanor, not yielding to an emergency vehicle, reckless driving
• 8 points: switching off headlights to evade police, leaving a crash scene where no one was hurt

Offenses that go straight to revocation

A handful of offenses are worth 12 points by themselves, so a single conviction revokes the license even if your record was perfect. Among them: hit and run causing injury, trying to escape police, aggravated reckless driving, and getting behind the wheel while suspended or revoked.

Also on that list: impaired driving; a driver under 21 with any measurable alcohol; driving someone's car without their consent; lending or borrowing a license; lying under motor vehicle law; and any motor vehicle felony.

As the total climbs: the limits

Today's DC DMV chart draws the lines at 10 to 11 points (90 days suspended) and 12 or more (revoked, with six months minimum before reinstatement). A 2017 points waiver handout from the DMV gives a different suspension range, 8 to 10 points, so trust the current chart and call DC DMV if you are anywhere near the edge.

With a two year life on every point, two separate tickets for going 21 or more over (5 points each) are enough to reach 10 and lose the license.

Another worked example: a 3 point ticket for 13 over last spring, then a 4 point school bus violation and a 3 point failure to yield this year, adds up to 10. One more 2 point tailgating ticket before the first one ages off would take you to 12 and revocation.

If you were hoping for a class

Once points are on, no District course takes them off. The approved online course works on one specific D.C. ticket, before its points are assessed, and only when a hearing examiner signs off.

Your other early tool is the good driving waiver, which you request in writing at the same time as you admit and pay a ticket on time. After that, the calendar is your only friend: two years.

Tickets from other states

The District converts out-of-state moving violations into its own scale, matching each to the same or nearest D.C. offense, which is how a 2 point ticket from Virginia can become 6 here. DC DMV records these points only for people who hold, or once held, a District license.

If you want them kept off, the other state's court has to approve its traffic school or online course for you beforehand. Afterwards, send DC DMV the court's decision and proof you finished.

For teen drivers, a single point matters more

In GRAD, one pointable offense restarts the 12 month clean record needed to move from permit to provisional license and from provisional to the full license with conditions. That can push the next stage back by as much as a year.

A broken GRAD rule also costs a suspension of 30, 60 or 90 days, and every suspended day is added to the waiting period before the next stage.

Checking your record and reinstating

Records, certified or uncertified, can be ordered from DC DMV over the web or by post; postal orders take 7 to 10 business days. At October 2026 prices, three or five years of history costs $7, and ten years or the complete record costs $13.

If points led to revocation, the reinstatement list arrives by mail, and you may be able to complete it online: proof that all tickets are paid or dismissed, any holds on your license lifted, and a $115 fee. Revocation for a major violation is handled differently, through a reinstatement hearing at Adjudication Services.