Colorado DMV points are assigned to your driving record every time you are convicted of a moving violation, with values from 1 to 12 set by C.R.S. 42-2-127. An adult driver faces suspension at 12 points in 12 months or 18 points in 24 months, and the DMV counts from the date of each violation, not the conviction date.
This guide from the Law Offices of Steven J. Pisani, LLC lays out the full point schedule, suspension limits for adult, young, and under-18 drivers, how long points count against you, and what happens at a DMV point-suspension hearing. It also explains why paying a Denver County Court ticket admits guilt and posts the points, and how a Denver traffic lawyer works to keep them off your record.
Key Takeaways
- Colorado assigns points by offense under C.R.S. 42-2-127(5): DUI is 12 points, DWAI is 8, reckless driving is 8, careless driving is 4, and speeding ranges from 0 to 12 points depending on how far over the limit you were.
- Drivers 21 and older are suspended at 12 or more points in any 12 months or 18 or more in any 24 months. Drivers 18 to 20 are suspended at 9 in 12 months, 12 in 24 months, or 14 total. Drivers under 18 are suspended at 6 in 12 months or 7 total.
- The DMV measures those windows from the date of violation, so an old ticket you’re convicted of late still counts from the day you were stopped.
- Paying a ticket is a guilty plea. The conviction and its points post to your record, and no DMV hearing can remove them later.
- Paying a penalty assessment on time reduces the points by two for a violation worth three or more points, or by one for a two-point violation, but the conviction still appears on your history.
- You are entitled to written notice and a hearing before a point suspension takes effect, and the hearing officer may issue a probationary license for work, school, or medical needs.
How many points is each traffic violation in Colorado?
Each conviction carries a fixed point value listed in C.R.S. 42-2-127(5). The values below are the ones Denver drivers run into most often. Points are not assessed until you are convicted, but once they post, they count back to the violation date.
- Speeding 1 to 4 mph over the limit: 0 points
- Speeding 5 to 9 mph over: 1 point
- Speeding 10 to 19 mph over: 4 points
- Speeding 20 to 39 mph over: 6 points
- Speeding 40 or more mph over: 12 points
- Careless driving: 4 points (12 points if it causes a death)
- Reckless driving: 8 points
- DWAI (driving while ability impaired): 8 points
- DUI or DUI per se: 12 points
- Underage drinking and driving (UDD): 4 points
- Failure to observe a traffic sign or signal: 4 points
- Failure to yield the right-of-way: 3 points (4 points to a pedestrian, 6 points to a person with a disability)
- Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle: 4 points
- Improper passing: 4 points
- No proof of insurance: 4 points
- Failure to stop for a school bus: 6 points
- Leaving the scene of a crash: 12 points
- Eluding a police officer: 12 points
- Speed contest: 12 points, and speed exhibition: 5 points
The statute’s point schedule is longer than this list, and some values depend on the facts, such as whether a failure to yield caused an injury. For more detail on how speeding points work in Denver, the firm’s guide to fighting a speeding ticket in Denver covers that offense in depth.
How many points to suspend a license in Colorado?
The answer depends on your age at the time of the violations. C.R.S. 42-2-127(1)(a) sets the thresholds, and the Department of Revenue’s point suspension page restates them in plain terms. All of the windows are measured by violation dates, not conviction dates.
Adult drivers 21 and older
An adult driver is subject to suspension at 12 or more points within any 12 consecutive months, or 18 or more points within any 24 consecutive months. A single DUI conviction, at 12 points, meets the one-year threshold on its own, which is why DUI cases trigger a separate point suspension on top of the express consent revocation.
Drivers 18 to 20
A driver who is 18, 19, or 20 is subject to suspension at 9 or more points in 12 months, 12 or more points in 24 months, or 14 or more points accumulated at any time between ages 18 and 21. Two 4-point tickets plus one 1-point ticket in a year is enough.
Drivers under 18
A driver under 18 is subject to suspension at 6 or more points in 12 months, or 7 or more points at any time before turning 18. A single careless driving conviction plus a 10-over speeding ticket reaches that limit.
Chauffeurs and commercial drivers
A driver whose main job is operating a vehicle gets higher limits: 16 points in 12 months, 24 in 24 months,s or 28 in 48 months, but only for points earned while working. DUI, DUI per se, DWAI, UDD, and leaving the scene are always counted as off-duty points, and you have to bring proof of employment to the hearing to claim chauffeur status.
How long do points stay on your license in Colorado?
Points count toward a suspension for 12 or 24 months after the violation date, depending on which threshold applies to you. After 24 months, a violation no longer counts toward an adult driver’s suspension math, even though it has not disappeared. For chauffeurs,s the lookback runs 48 months.
That is different from your driving history. The conviction itself stays on your Colorado motor vehicle record for years beyond the suspension window, and insurers, employers,s and the court in any future case can see it. The statute has no process for removing points early with a defensive driving course.
Points count from the violation date, not the conviction date
Under C.R.S. 42-2-127(2)(a), the DMV adds up points by the date of each violation, but it does not post the points until you are convicted. In practice, that means a ticket you fight for six months still counts back to the day you were pulled over. It also means a second ticket during a pending case can push you over the limit the moment the first one resolves.
Why does paying a Denver County Court ticket post the points?
Because paying is a guilty plea. The Denver County Court Traffic Division page offers two choices for a ticket that shows reduced points and a fine: plead guilty and pay online before your court date, or appear in Room 135 at 1437 Bannock Street on a workday before the time listed on the ticket to plead not guilty and set a final hearing. If your ticket does not show a reduced-points option, you must appear in court.
The “reduced points” wording comes from C.R.S. 42-2-127(5.5). If you pay a penalty assessment on time, the DMV cuts the points by two for a violation worth three or more points, or by one for a two-point violation. For example, a 4-point careless driving ticket posts as 2 points when paid on time. That discount is real, but it is still a conviction; it still raises your insurance risk, and you can’t undo it later. The firm’s post on whether to pay or fight a traffic ticket in Colorado walks through that decision.
What happens at a Colorado DMV point suspension hearing?
When your points reach a threshold, the DMV mails a written notice to your address on file, and C.R.S. 42-2-127 requires the hearing to be set at least 20 days after that notice. The hearing is held at the Department of Revenue office closest to your home, and the department may conduct it by phone or video. You can appear alone or with a DMV hearing attorney, and you may present evidence and question any witness the state brings.
The hearing officer decides whether the record supports a suspension and, if so, how long it should last. If it does, the suspension takes effect immediately, but the hearing officer may issue a probationary license for a period no longer than the suspension so you can drive to work, school, or medical appointments. If you do not show up and have not been granted a continuance, your license is suspended on the spot, and you can appeal the decision to district court under C.R.S. 42-2-135.
What to bring to a point hearing
- A current copy of your driving record, available through myDMV for a $9.25 fee, so you can confirm the dates and point values the DMV is using.
- Proof of employment, your work schedule, and any documents showing why you need to drive, which supports a probationary license.
- Records of any pending tickets, because a case that has not been convicted yet should not be counted.
- Documentation of chauffeur status if you drive for a living and want the higher thresholds applied.
Reinstating after a point suspension requires a $95 reinstatement fee under the DMV’s current fee schedule, plus any SR-22 insurance filing the DMV requires. The firm’s Denver DMV assistance page explains how our attorneys prepare for and attend these hearings.
How do plea-downs to lower-point violations work?
In Denver County Court, most point reductions happen at the pretrial stage, before a final hearing. The city attorney or district attorney can amend a charge to a lower-point moving violation or, in some cases, to a non-moving violation with no points. A 6-point speeding charge amended to a 1-point or 0-point offense keeps the same fine but changes your suspension math entirely.
What makes a reduction realistic depends on the facts: your driving record, whether you can challenge the officer’s observations or speed measurement, whether a crash was involved, and how close you already are to a threshold. A prosecutor has no reason to offer a 0-point amendment to a driver who has already pleaded guilty by paying, so the decision to pay should come last, not first. An experienced Denver traffic ticket attorney will usually pull your record and map out the point math before the first court date.
Common mistakes our attorneys see
The Law Offices of Steven J. Pisani, LLC handles traffic cases in Denver County Court and DMV hearings across Colorado, and the same errors keep recurring.
- Paying a ticket online the same week it was issued, then calling us after the points pushed a license over the limit. Once the plea is entered, the only remaining fight is the DMV hearing.
- Assuming points reset on January 1. They run on rolling 12- and 24-month windows from the violation date.
- Treating an 18-to-20 driver like an adult. A 9-point threshold means one 6-point speeding ticket plus one 4-point sign violation is a suspension.
- Ignoring the DMV notice letter. Missing the hearing date means an automatic suspension with no probationary license.
- A DUI or DWAI conviction posts points separately from the express consent revocation, so the DMV case can impose two different restraints.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many points does a speeding ticket in Colorado carry?
Under C.R.S. 42-2-127(5), speeding 1 to 4 mph over the limit is 0 points; 5 to 9 over is 1 point; 10 to 19 over is 4 points; 20 to 39 over is 6 points; and 40 or more over is 12 points. If you pay a penalty assessment on time, the DMV reduces a 4- or 6-point ticket by two points and a 2-point ticket by one point. The conviction still appears on your driving record.
How can I check how many points I have in Colorado?
You can request your Colorado motor vehicle record through the myDMV portal for $9.25, or at a driver license office. The record lists each conviction, its violation date, and its point value. Checking it before you pay any tickets shows how close you are to the suspension threshold.
Do points go away after a year in Colorado?
Not exactly. For an adult driver, a violation stops counting toward suspension 24 months after the violation date, and it stops counting toward the 12-point threshold 12 months after the violation date. The conviction itself stays on your driving history well beyond that and remains visible to insurers and employers.
Can I get a probationary license after a point suspension in Colorado?
Yes, in many cases. C.R.S. 42-2-127 allows the hearing officer to issue a probationary license for a period no longer than the suspension itself, typically limited to driving for work, school, or medical care. You must attend the hearing and explain why you need to drive, and the officer can deny it.
Does paying a ticket in Denver add points to my license?
Yes. Paying a Denver County Court ticket is a guilty plea, and the DMV reports the conviction and posts the points. If the ticket shows a reduced-points amount and you pay before your court date, the DMV applies the on-time penalty assessment reduction, but the points still post.
Protect your license with a Denver traffic lawyer
Colorado DMV points are easy to accumulate and hard to remove, and the difference between a suspension and a clean record often comes down to what you do in the first few days after a ticket. The Law Offices of Steven J. Pisani, LLC reviews your driving record, identifies charges you can challenge or amend, and represents you in Denver County Court and at DMV hearings. Learn more about our Denver traffic ticket defense, then schedule a free consultation or call (303) 635-6768. Every case depends on its facts, and a short conversation before you pay a ticket can keep points off your record for years.