How Long Does Speeding Ticket Stay on Record? Your Questions Answered

When you get a speeding ticket, a pretty good day will turn into a bad one in a hurry. Unfortunately, the problems don’t tend to stop once the officer lets you get back on the road. You’ll find that speeding tickets have a way of sticking around. Some of them may only result in a fine that you have to pay, but others may result in points being added to your license, and with enough points, you can even lose your license.

Unfortunately, we’re not done yet. Speeding tickets can also prevent you from getting a job, especially in the transportation sector. They can also make it difficult to apply for a commercial driver’s license (CDL). For these reasons, it’s important to understand how long speeding tickets can remain a problem.

So, how long does speeding ticket stay on record? In this guide, we take you through everything you need to know.

What Is a Speeding Ticket?

Before we jump right into how long a speeding ticket stays on your record, it’s a good idea to understand what a speeding ticket actually is. Ultimately, this determines how it’s handled on your driving record.

A speeding ticket is a moving violation that’s issued by a state trooper or a police officer, and they’re issued at the state level. Typically, a speeding ticket functions as a note that states that you need to appear in court and fight the ticket, or you can plead guilty and pay the fine.

Overall, a speeding ticket is a written record of your given speed, laws you broke, and where you were pulled over for the infraction. Speeding tickets also tend to include details about your vehicle and insurance.

How Long Does Speeding Ticket Stay on Record?

A speeding ticket tends to stay on your record for around three to five years. However, whether or not that matters depends on the context. If you live in a state that uses a point system, like New York, a speeding ticket may only impact your driving record for around 18 months.

While a speeding ticket may only impact your driving record for 1.5 years, this isn’t the case for insurance companies. Typically, insurance companies will look at your driving record over a longer period of time, like five to seven years. Ultimately, this comes down to lookback laws in your state, which are often impacted by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

The FCRA usually limits background checks to around seven years for minor convictions, like a speeding ticket. For these reasons, a speeding ticket may remain on your record for around seven years. Of course, state laws impact this as well, so make sure you learn more about how speeding tickets are handled in your specific state.

How to Check if a Speeding Ticket Is on Your Record

Whether you’ve had a speeding ticket in the past or you were issued one yesterday, it’s important to know if a speeding ticket is showing up on your record. Not only can it help you determine how many points you have on your license, but it can also help you determine if you need to have something removed.

For example, if you want to apply for a CDL or a driving job, you may need to wait until the speeding ticket is removed before you can do so. While it may seem like a hassle to figure out if a ticket is still on your record, the good news is that there is a tool that makes the process a breeze. And the best part? You don’t even have to get off your couch.

All you need to do is run a quick little background check on yourself using UnMask. With UnMask, all you need to do is enter your name, state, and address to find all available public records associated with yourself. Within the full report that the tool creates, you’ll find any speeding tickets that may be overstaying their welcome.

How Long Does Speeding Ticket Stay on Record? The Verdict 

So, how long does speeding ticket stay on record? Typically, speeding tickets have a habit of staying on your record for around three to five years. Ultimately, it depends on the state you live in. On average, you can expect a speeding ticket to remain on your record for around three to five years.

That said, background checks may show information about a speeding ticket for up to seven years, so it’s important to check your record often to determine if it’s fallen off.