Traffic Tickets
What must I do if I receive a traffic ticket in NYS?
The back of your traffic ticket contains information on how to answer the ticket. You must respond to the ticket to prevent a suspension of your driver license or driving privileges. It is a crime to drive with a suspended or revoked license.
Note: You can answer most DMV Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) traffic tickets on-line. Even if the ticket does not include information about on-line pleas, you can attempt to enter a plea on-line as explained below.
Local courts handle traffic tickets for moving violations in most parts of New York State. The DMV Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) only handles non-criminal moving violations that occur in:
- the five boroughs of New York City,
- the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, and
- portions of the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip and Smithtown in Suffolk County.
The local criminal courts in these areas handle criminal traffic violations, like DWI or reckless driving. For information about criminal traffic violations, contact the local criminal court.
You can pay fines and surcharges that are payable to a TVB with a Visa card, MasterCard, American Express card or Discover Card.
If you must respond to the ticket at a TVB office, follow the instructions on the ticket.
You can also contact a TVB office listed offices below:
To pay by mail: Plea Unit P.O. Box 2950 - ESP Albany, NY 12220-0950 |
You can also contact: |
New York City area: |
Bring proof of identity (for example, your driver license) when you visit a TVB office.
Note: The DMV does not handle parking violations, or regulate parking. The DMV cannot respond to questions about parking tickets. Contact the locality if you have parking tickets or questions about local regulations. Your failure to respond to parking tickets can prevent the renewal of your vehicle registration or cause your registration to be suspended.
What if I do not respond to a traffic ticket, pay a fine, or pay a mandatory surcharge?
The traffic court or Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) notifies the DMV. The DMV suspends your driver license until you respond to the ticket pay the fine, or pay the mandatory surcharge.
A suspension for the failure to respond to a ticket does not indicate that you are guilty of the charge. The suspension only indicates that you failed to respond to the ticket.
To remove the suspension, you must respond to the ticket, pay the fine, or pay the mandatory surcharge. You also must pay the suspension termination fee of $35 to the traffic court or the TVB. For suspensions that have an effective date on or after July 6, 2009, the fee is $70. Contact the traffic court or TVB to remove these suspensions.
If you continue to ignore the ticket after you received a suspension from a TVB for failure to respond to the ticket, you will receive a default conviction. The default conviction is equivalent to a guilty finding. The DMV then suspends your driver license for your failure to pay the fine. To remove a default conviction from a TVB, you must pay a $35 suspension termination fee, for failure to answer the ticket and a $35 suspension termination fee for failure to pay the fine, for a total of $70. For suspensions that have an effective date on or after July 6, 2009, the suspension termination fee is $70 for each suspension.
The suspension termination fees are separate charges from the fines and the surcharges for a conviction. You must pay the suspension termination fees, the fines and the surcharges to remove the suspension.
If I get a ticket for a moving violation in another state, do I receive points on my NYS driver license?
The NYSDMV does not record out-of-state violations committed by NYS drivers in other jurisdictions. The exceptions are alcohol-related violations, drug-related violations, and moving violations committed in Quebec or Ontario. Under special agreements, traffic convictions in Quebec or Ontario are recorded on NYS driver license records and carry points. Except for violations in Ontario and Quebec, points are not added to your NYS record for out-of-state violations.
If you do not respond to a ticket or fail to pay a fine for a moving violation that you committed in any state except Alaska, California, Michigan, Montana, Oregon or Wisconsin, the DMV suspends your NYS driver license until you respond to the ticket or pay the fine. If a driver from a state except these six states fails to respond to a traffic ticket issued in NYS, their driver license will be suspended until the driver responds to the traffic ticket in NYS.
Drivers from other states must contact the DMV in their home state to get information about the effect of a traffic violation conviction that occurs in NYS.
If you receive a conviction for an alcohol-related or drug-related driving violation in any state, your NYS driver license is revoked for at least six months.
What must I do if I receive a parking ticket?
The DMV does not handle parking violations or regulate parking. If you receive a parking ticket or have questions about local parking rules, contact your city, town or village. Do not contact the DMV. You must respond to the tickets in the locality where they were issued.
If you fail to answer parking tickets, the locality can notify the DMV. The DMV can prevent the renewal of your vehicle registration, or suspend your vehicle registration. You can renew your registration after you respond to the tickets and pay the fines.
What is the driver violation point system?
See the information about the driver violation point system.
What is the Driver Responsibility Program? What is a driver responsibility assessment?
To get information about driver responsibility assessments and the Driver Responsibility Program, read the FAQs.
Insurance
Note: Remove frames and fasteners before you surrender a vehicle plate or vehicle plates. The DMV office will not accept a vehicle plate with a frame or any fasteners attached.
What are the requirements for motor vehicle liability insurance in NYS?
A motor vehicle registered in NYS must have liability insurance. Insurance coverage must be a minimum of $25,000/50,000 for injury, $50,000/100,000 for death, and $10,000 for property damage caused by any one accident. New York State is a no-fault state. The liability coverage must remain in effect while the registration is valid, even if the vehicle is not used (except motorcycles).
- The liability coverage must be NYS insurance coverage, issued by a company authorized to do business in NYS and licensed by the NYS Insurance Department. Out-of-state insurance coverage of any type is NEVER acceptable or valid. If your vehicle is registered in NYS, the liability insurance coverage must be NYS insurance coverage.
- Liability coverage must be issued in the name of the registrant and must remain in the name of the registrant at all times. A change on the insurance to a name different from the registrant causes a lapse in insurance coverage, and the driver license of the registrant and the registration is suspended.
- You must show a NYS Insurance Identification Card when you apply for a vehicle registration. Your insurance company, agent or broker must issue two original NYS Insurance Identification Cards to you. The Insurance Identification Cards must have the same name as the registration application and must have a barcode.
- The insurance company must also file an electronic notice of insurance coverage with the DMV to verify the liability coverage. (The agent or broker cannot file this notice.) Your Insurance Identification Card and the electronic notice of insurance coverage together verify your insurance coverage. An Insurance Identification Card only does not prove liability coverage.
- An Insurance Identification Card must be presented within 45 days of the effective date of the insurance coverage. Bring the cards to the DMV office when you apply for the registration. The DMV office will keep one card. Keep the other card with the vehicle. If a police officer requests your proof of insurance, you must show your Insurance Identification Card.
- The DMV does not accept any out-of-state insurance documents.
I moved to another state, but my vehicle is registered in NYS. Do I need to change to out-of-state insurance?
No. All vehicles registered in NYS must have NYS liability coverage. There are no exceptions. If you replace your NYS insurance coverage with out-of-state insurance, a lapse in valid insurance coverage occurs. The NYSDMV suspends your registration, and the NYSDMV can suspend your driver license. The NYSDMV must take actions against your NYS registration and driver license even if you move outside of NYS. This action can affect your ability to hold a valid driver license in your new state. If you register your vehicle in another state, immediately surrender your NYS vehicle plates to the NYSDMV by mail.
What can occur if I cancel my liability insurance?
The insurance company must notify the DMV if you cancel your liability insurance. Your insurance company is also required to notify DMV if your insurance coverage is reinstated or you get new insurance coverage. If the insurance company does not file an electronic notice about your new or reinstated liability insurance, the DMV sends you a letter about your insurance. Read the insert mailed with the letter, and follow the instructions in the letter. You are given 10 days from the date of the DMV letter to prove that you have insurance coverage, prove that you sold the vehicle, or show other proof that insurance coverage was not required in NYS. If you do have insurance coverage, also ask your insurance company (do not ask your agent or broker) to file an electronic notice of insurance coverage with the DMV.
If you do not have liability insurance, you must surrender your vehicle plates to the NYSDMV immediately. Make sure you get a receipt. You must respond to the letter you receive from the DMV or surrender your license plates to prevent the suspension of your registration and driver license. If your liability insurance is about to lapse and you do not plan to replace it with other insurance, surrender your vehicle plates to the DMV before your insurance coverage lapses.
What are some of the conditions that can create a lapse in insurance coverage?
Any amount of time that your vehicle is registered but not insured can cause a lapse in your insurance coverage and the suspension or revocation of your registration. A lapse in insurance coverage can occur:
- between the date your insurance is cancelled and the effective date of your new insurance;
- between the date your insurance is cancelled and the date you surrender your license plates or the date your registration expires;
- between the date your insurance is cancelled and the effective date of "other proof" (for example, a vehicle registered in another state, or a vehicle repossessed or impounded);
- between the date you register your vehicle and the effective date of your new insurance coverage;
- between the date the insurance is cancelled and the date the same insurance company reinstates your insurance coverage.
If the lapse in the insurance coverage exceeds 90 days, your driver license is also suspended.
What action does the DMV take if I do not have insurance and I do not surrender my vehicle plates immediately?
If you do not have insurance coverage and you do not surrender your vehicle plates to the DMV, your registration and driver license are suspended indefinitely.
If you had a lapse in your insurance coverage and did not surrender your vehicle plates immediately, your registration is suspended for the same number of days that you did not have insurance coverage, but did hold the vehicle plates. If the time is more than 90 days, your driver license is also suspended for the same number of days as the registration. To reinstate your driver license, you must pay a termination fee of $25 when the suspension ends. For a suspension that has an effective date on or after July 6, 2009, the termination fee is $50.
How do I pervent a suspension if my liability insuracne lapses?
You can prevent the suspension of your registration and driver license if you surrender your vehicle plates to the DMV before your liability insurance lapses.
You are not required to surrender your vehicle plates for a suspension of 90 days or shorter if you pay a civil penalty. You cannot use the civil penalty option if the lapse is longer than 90 days or you used this option in the past 3 years.
The civil penalty amounts shown below are the amounts for suspensions that take effect on or after October 1, 2005. The civil penalty amount is:
- $8 per day for each day of the lapse from day 1 through day 30, and
- $10 per day for each day of the lapse from day 31 through day 60, and
- $12 per day for each day of the lapse from day 61 through day 90.
For example, if you had a lapse of insurance for 85 days, your civil penalty is calculated as follows:
- $8 x 30 days ($240) for days 1 through 30 of the lapse, plus
- $10 x 30 days ($300) for days 31 through 60 of the lapse, plus
- $12 x 25 days ($300) for days 61 through 85 of the lapse
- for a total civil penalty of $840.
Note: Motorcycles are exempt from the requirement to surrender the vehicle plate when the liability insurance lapses, but liability coverage is required when the motorcycle is operated.
Cell Phone Law
What is the law on cell phone use while you operate a vehicle in NYS?
New York State has a law that does not allow you to use a hand-held mobile telephone while you drive. If you use a hand-held mobile telephone while you drive, except to call 911 or to contact medical, fire or police personnel about an emergency, you can receive a traffic ticket and pay a maximum fine of $100 and mandatory surcharges and fees of $80.
This violation does not carry any driver violation points assigned by the DMV.
For complete information on this traffic safety issue and a copy of the law, see economic recovery.