Quick answer: Maryland speeding ticket penalties climb with how far over the limit the officer clocked you. On a normal road a preset fine runs $80 for 1–9 mph over (1 point), $90 for 10–19 over (2 points), and $160 for 20–29 over (2 points). Hit 30 mph or more over and it is no longer a payable speeding ticket at all — since October 1, 2025 it is charged as reckless driving: 6 points, a mandatory court date, and up to a $1,000 fine and 60 days in jail.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland speeding and traffic cases. Below is the real fine-and-points schedule pulled straight from the statute and the District Court’s preset fine list — not a rounded-off summary — plus the part most drivers miss: the fine is usually the cheapest thing about the ticket.
How Much Are Maryland Speeding Ticket Penalties by Speed Range?
Maryland assesses points under Md. Code, Transp. § 16-402, and the District Court sets the prepay amount on its DC-CR-090 preset fine schedule. Here is what each tier actually costs on a standard road. Fines shown are the preset (prepay) amount; court costs are added on top, and a judge at trial can go higher.
| Speed over the posted limit | Preset fine | MVA points | How it is handled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–9 mph over | $80 | 1 | Payable (may prepay) |
| 10–19 mph over | $90 | 2 | Payable |
| 20–29 mph over | $160 | 2 | Payable |
| 20–29 mph over on a 65 or 70 mph road | $290 | 5 | Payable |
| 30 mph or more over (any road) | Reckless driving — up to $1,000 | 6 | Must appear (criminal) |
| Any speed contributing to an accident | Higher preset ($120–$200) | 3 | Usually must appear |
Notice that the points do not track the fine in a straight line. A 10 mph violation and a 29 mph violation on an ordinary road are both 2 points, even though the fine nearly doubles between them. The point count is what drives the long-term damage, so a low fine does not mean a low-cost ticket. For a full breakdown of how the point figures work, see how many points a Maryland speeding ticket carries.
“It’s only $90 — I’ll just pay it.” That $90 is a guilty plea. Prepaying a Maryland preset fine is a guilty plea, and it puts a conviction and the points on your record for two years. Requesting a waiver hearing or a trial costs nothing to ask for and keeps a non-conviction disposition open — including probation before judgment under Crim. Proc. § 6-220, which is gone the moment you pay. Just know it is a trade-off, not a free pass: at a hearing or trial the judge can also raise your fine, up to a $500 maximum.
Why Is 30 mph Over Now Reckless Driving?
This is the biggest change in Maryland speeding law in years. Under Transp. § 21-901.1(a)(3), a person is guilty of reckless driving if they drive “at a speed at least 30 miles per hour above the posted speed limit.” That provision took effect October 1, 2025 as part of the Sergeant Patrick Kepp Act, and it changes everything about a high-speed ticket.
Once your citation says 30 or more over, you are not looking at a prepay ticket. Reckless driving is a must-appear criminal charge. It carries 6 points, up to 60 days in jail and a fine up to $1,000, real insurance and CDL consequences, and a criminal-record entry the payable tiers do not create. If that is your situation, treat it as a criminal case, not a traffic fine — start with our guide to jail exposure in Maryland reckless driving cases.
Do Highways and Faster Roads Change the Points?
Yes. On a road posted at 65 or 70 mph, § 16-402 adds a separate, harsher tier: going 20 to 29 mph over the limit is 5 points, not 2. That single row is easy to miss, and it matters — 5 points is the level at which the MVA orders you into a driver improvement program. So the same 25-over ticket that is a routine 2-point matter on a 40 mph road becomes a 5-point problem on I-95. The prepay fine climbs to about $290 in that tier as well. Maryland’s limits are absolute maximums under Transp. § 21-801.1 — there is no “10 over is free” grace written into the statute.
When Do the Points Trigger MVA Action?
Points from a speeding conviction stay on your record for two years, and Transp. § 16-404 sets fixed thresholds for what the MVA does as they accumulate within any two-year window.
| Points in a 2-year window | What the MVA does |
|---|---|
| 3 points | Warning letter |
| 5 points | Mandatory driver improvement program |
| 8 points | License suspension |
| 12 points | License revocation |
This is why a driver already sitting at 3 or 4 points should think hard before prepaying even a 1-point ticket — one more conviction can turn a small fine into a suspension fight. If you want the whole picture of how points stack and expire, read Maryland’s point system in a nutshell, and check how payable and must-appear tickets differ before you decide how to respond.
Are Speed Camera Tickets the Same as Officer Tickets?
No — a speed camera ticket is a completely different animal, and the common belief that “camera tickets are always $40” is wrong. Under Transp. § 21-809 a camera citation is civil, it is the vehicle owner’s responsibility, and cameras only trigger at 12 mph or more over the limit. The fine is tiered by speed, and by statute it carries no points and cannot be used to raise your insurance.
| Speed over the limit (camera) | Maximum civil penalty | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 12–15 mph over | $40 | 0 |
| 16–19 mph over | $70 | 0 |
| 20–29 mph over | $120 | 0 |
| 30–39 mph over | $230 | 0 |
| 40 mph or more over | $425 | 0 |
The trade-off is real: no points, but far fewer defenses. A camera ticket is not adjudicated like an officer’s citation, and the usual speed-measurement challenges — radar calibration, operator certification — generally do not apply. Ignoring one still leads to an MVA registration hold, so it should not be treated as junk mail.
What Do Work Zones and School Zones Add?
Higher fines, but not extra points — a distinction worth getting right. Under the work-zone speeding provisions (Transp. § 21-802.1), the preset fines jump sharply: 1–9 mph over runs about $290, and 10–19 over about $300, versus $80–$90 on an ordinary road. The point values, though, stay the same as the standard tiers — 1 point, then 2, then 6 at 30-plus — so the enhancement is in dollars, not points. School-zone speeding works the same way, with enhanced fines and, in many locations, automated camera enforcement under § 21-809. If workers or children are present, expect the fine at the top of the range and a greater chance the officer writes it as must-appear.
Why the Fine Is Rarely the Real Cost
The published fine is usually the smallest number in the whole equation. A single 2-point speeding conviction can raise your premium by hundreds of dollars a year, and that surcharge typically rides along for three years — often several times the ticket itself. For CDL holders, rideshare and delivery drivers, and anyone whose job depends on a clean record, a conviction can also cost work that a private driver would never feel; commercial drivers should see how Maryland traffic offenses affect a CDL.
That is why fighting a ticket, or angling for a probation before judgment, is often worth far more than the fine. A PBJ under Crim. Proc. § 6-220 withholds the conviction — in most speeding cases that means no points and a much smaller insurance hit — but a judge has to grant it, and paying the fine forecloses it. Before you decide, it is worth understanding why beating a Maryland speeding ticket is hard and what happens if you ignore the ticket entirely. For the broader context, our Maryland speeding, reckless, and aggressive driving guide ties it all together.
On a standard road the preset fine is about $80 for 1 to 9 mph over, $90 for 10 to 19 over, and $160 for 20 to 29 over, plus court costs. On a 65 or 70 mph road, 20 to 29 over runs about $290. Driving 30 mph or more over is charged as reckless driving, with a fine up to $1,000.
It depends on how far over you were. Driving 1 to 9 mph over is 1 point, 10 to 29 over is 2 points, and 30 mph or more over is 6 points as reckless driving. On a road posted 65 or 70 mph, 20 to 29 over jumps to 5 points.
Paying the preset fine is a guilty plea and puts a conviction and the points on your record for two years. Requesting a waiver hearing or trial costs nothing to ask for and keeps options open, including probation before judgment that avoids the points. Weigh it against your record and insurance before you pay.
Law Offices of David R. Waranch — 301-563-9575 · toll-free 1-877-566-2408. Hablamos Español.
Last updated: August 2026. Statutory references: Md. Code, Transp. §§ 16-402, 16-404, 21-801.1, 21-809, 21-901.1; Crim. Proc. § 6-220; and the Maryland District Court DC-CR-090 preset fine schedule. This page is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.