West Virginia Points: Counting Them and Bringing Them Down

First, how the system works

Your record sits with the DMV's Driver Improvement Section, which adds points each time a court reports a conviction. Point values come from a DMV legislative rule, 91 CSR 5, which also covers tickets from other states: violations anywhere in the U.S. earn points.

Several convictions from a single stop? Points are charged for the worst one only. An unvacated bond forfeiture is treated as a conviction. And as a rule, the DMV skips recording convictions that reach it over a year late, except where the offense requires a suspension or a commercial license or vehicle was involved.

What common tickets cost in points

These values come from 91 CSR 5-7. Plenty of equipment, registration, inspection and size or weight tickets carry no points, and a non-commercial driver gets none for speeding 10 mph or less over.

Phone tickets follow their own rule. Under W. Va. Code 17C-14-15, the first and second hand-held convictions in 24 months are fines only; the third inside that period brings 3 points, and the court may add a 90 day suspension.

• 8 points: fleeing an officer in a vehicle
• 6 points: school zone speeding, reckless driving, failing to yield to emergency vehicles, leaving the scene of a property damage crash
• Speeding: 3 points at 11 to 14 over, 5 at 15 to 19 over, 6 at 20 or more over
• 3 points: red lights and stop signs, failure to yield, littering, illegal passing where passing is prohibited, driving against one-way traffic
• 2 points: tailgating, improper turns or signals, improper backing, missing required lights, driving without the proper license
• 2 points: any other moving violation

When the total gets high: suspension tiers

Reach 12 active points and the DMV suspends. Lower-tier suspensions run consecutively with any other suspension, while the 120 day suspension at 20 or more runs concurrently.

There is also a $200 penalty fee described in the point rule as an alternative to serving a point suspension, usable no more than once every two years. Because the DMV's own point page never mentions it, so ask the Driver Improvement Section whether it is open to you before relying on it.

• 6 points: a warning letter
• 12 or 13: suspended 30 days
• 14 or 15: 45 days
• 16 or 17: 60 days
• 18 or 19: 90 days
• 20 and up: 120 days

Over time: when points drop off

Points expire two years from the conviction date, not the date of the ticket. The conviction stays on your record for five years, and insurers can see it when they price your policy.

Since points roll off one by one, look closely at the conviction dates. An old ticket aging out in a few weeks can drop you under a threshold for free.

Example: a driver at 13 points whose oldest 3 point conviction expires next month will fall to 10 without doing anything. Saving the course credit for a later ticket might be the smarter move.

When to use the course credit

An approved classroom defensive driving course takes off 3 points. Under W. Va. Code 17B-3-6(e) the deduction is available only below 14 points, and the DMV applies it to the most recent ticket on file when you took the class. The credit is available once in 12 months, and a class finished before your points post earns nothing.

Approved providers, listed on the DMV's point system page, include several statewide and one for Berkeley and Jefferson counties only. A listed provider also promotes virtual classes; since the DMV accepts classroom courses only, get written confirmation that your class qualifies before you pay.

If a suspension notice arrives

At 12 or 13 points with 30 days pending, the DMV rescinds the suspension if your certificate and $50 reinstatement fee arrive before it starts. At 14 points or above, the course cannot stop it; you serve the suspension and pay to reinstate.

Reinstating happens through the mail, never at a regional office. Address it to the Division of Motor Vehicles at PO Box 17030, Charleston, WV 25317, enclosing your license number and a copy of the notice. You can ask for a hearing within 10 days of receiving the order, though it only looks at two questions: are you the driver named, and is the count accurate.

If the driver is a teen or holds a CDL

For a teen on a graduated license, convictions matter more than points. On Level 1, two moving violation convictions and the permit is revoked. On Level 2, the first conviction means a driver improvement program and the second means suspension or revocation until 18 or later.

Commercial license holders get points even for minor speeding, and the rule forbids masking: each of their citations is recorded. Serious violations behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle may also bring a federal disqualification on top of any points.