Photo: DanielPenfield, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
New York gives every new driver a trial period. If you are under 18 with a junior permit or license, one serious ticket or two smaller ones means a 60-day suspension. If you pass your road test at 18 or older, you are on probation for six months, and the same kind of tickets bring a 60-day suspension. Separately, any driver who reaches 11 points in 24 months can lose their license. This guide covers both systems, the point values, the Driver Responsibility Assessment and what happens if you drive while suspended.
Key facts
- Junior permit or license (under 18): 60-day suspension for 1 serious violation (3 or more points) or 2 other violations.
- Probation (licensed at 18 or older): lasts 6 months from passing the road test.
- Phone or texting conviction: 120-day suspension for junior and probationary drivers.
- Point suspension: 11 or more points within 24 months.
- Driver Responsibility Assessment: 6 or more points within 18 months, $100 a year for 3 years plus $25 a year for each extra point.
Rules for junior permit and junior license holders
If you hold a New York junior learner permit or junior license (Class DJ or MJ), the DMV acts on fewer tickets than it would for an adult:
| What you are convicted of | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 serious violation (normally 3 or more points) or 2 other violations | 60-day suspension |
| The same, within the first 6 months after your license is given back | 60-day revocation |
| First cell phone or texting violation | 120-day suspension |
| Second phone or texting violation within 6 months of getting your license back | Revocation of at least 1 year |
Most moving violations carry 3 or more points (see the table below), so a single speeding ticket, a red light or a failure to yield is enough. A suspended junior permit also delays your road test, because the minimum six months you must hold the permit does not count time it was suspended or revoked.
For the daytime, nighttime and passenger rules that apply while you drive, see New York junior license rules for NYC, Long Island and upstate.
The six-month probation period for drivers 18 and older
You are on probation for six months if you:
- are 18 or older when you pass your road test, or
- get a license back after a revocation.
What gets a probationary license suspended
Your license is suspended for 60 days if, while on probation, you are convicted of any one of these:
- speeding
- reckless driving
- following too closely (tailgating)
- driving while ability impaired by alcohol (DWAI)
- taking part in a speed contest
- any two other traffic violations.
A phone or texting conviction on probation brings a 120-day suspension instead.
What happens after a probation suspension
- When the 60-day suspension ends, a new six-month probation starts.
- A second listed violation, or any two violations, in that second probation means revocation for at least six months.
- If your license is restored after that, you start another six months of probation.
How the New York point system works
The point system applies to every New York driver, not only new ones. Points count from the date of the violation, not the date of the conviction, but they are only added once you are convicted.
- 11 or more points in 24 months: the DMV mails you a notice that your license will be suspended.
- After 24 months: a violation’s points stop counting toward your total. The conviction stays on your record, and your insurer can still use it.
- Hearings: you can ask for a DMV hearing only to show that a conviction is not yours. You cannot re-argue the ticket or ask for the suspension to be waived.
- Parking lots: traffic laws, and points, also apply in parking lots open to the public.
New York point values
| Violation | Points |
|---|---|
| Speeding, mph not specified, or 1 to 10 mph over | 3 |
| Speeding 11 to 20 mph over | 4 |
| Speeding 21 to 30 mph over | 6 |
| Speeding 31 to 40 mph over | 8 |
| Speeding more than 40 mph over | 11 |
| Speeding in a work zone | 8 |
| Alcohol or drug-related driving incident | 11 |
| Aggravated unlicensed operation | 11 |
| Passing a stopped school bus | 8 |
| Over-height vehicle, bridge strike | 8 |
| Reckless driving | 5 |
| Using a mobile phone or portable electronic device while driving | 5 |
| Failure to exercise due care | 5 |
| Railroad crossing violation | 5 |
| Leaving the scene of a personal injury crash | 5 |
| Speed contests and races | 5 |
| Following too closely (tailgating) | 4 |
| Traffic signal, stop sign or yield sign violation | 3 |
| Failing to yield the right-of-way | 3 |
| Improper passing, unsafe lane change, left of center or wrong direction | 3 |
| Safety restraint violation involving a person under 16 | 3 |
| Leaving the scene of property damage or injury to a domestic animal | 3 |
| Any other moving violation | 2 |
No points are given for parking, pedestrian or bicycle violations, for driving unregistered, unlicensed or uninsured, or for most equipment and inspection violations. Those can still bring fines or other penalties.
Tickets from other states and Canada
Convictions from other US states do not add points to your New York record. Convictions from Canada do, with the same points as in New York. If you ignore a moving-violation ticket from most other states, your New York license is suspended until you answer it. The manual lists Alaska, California, Michigan, Montana, Oregon, Virginia and Wisconsin as exceptions.
Reducing points with a PIRP course
A DMV-approved Point and Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP) course:
- subtracts up to 4 points when the DMV works out a point suspension
- saves 10 percent on your auto liability and collision premiums.
The tickets stay on your record. The course does not stop a mandatory suspension or revocation, cannot be banked against future points, and does not reduce a Driver Responsibility Assessment.
Mandatory suspensions and revocations
Some offenses cost you your license no matter how many points you have. Examples from the New York manual:
| Offense | Minimum license action |
|---|---|
| 3 speeding and/or misdemeanor traffic violations within 18 months (by violation date) | Revocation, at least 6 months |
| 3 “passing a stopped school bus” violations within 3 years | Revocation, at least 6 months |
| Leaving the scene of a personal injury or fatal crash | Revocation, at least 6 months |
| Taking part in a speed contest | Revocation, at least 6 months (at least 1 year for a second within 12 months) |
| Driving uninsured, or a crash without insurance | Revocation, at least 1 year |
| Any alcohol or drug-related conviction while under 21 | Revocation, at least 1 year |
| Zero Tolerance finding (under 21, BAC .02 to .07) | Suspension, 6 months |
Some suspensions have no end date and last until you fix the cause. Examples are an unanswered traffic ticket, an unpaid Driver Responsibility Assessment, an unfiled crash report, unpaid child support and unpaid New York State tax debts. For the alcohol rules in full, see New York DWI, Zero Tolerance and Leandra’s Law.
What is a Driver Responsibility Assessment in New York?
A Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA) is a fee you pay the DMV each year for three years, on top of fines and surcharges. It is triggered by points over a shorter, 18-month window, not the 24 months used for suspension.
| Trigger | Each year for 3 years | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 6 points within 18 months | $100 | $300 |
| Each point over 6 in that period | $25 more per point | $75 more per point |
| Alcohol or drug-related conviction, or chemical test refusal | $250 | $750 |
If you do not pay at least the minimum by the payment date, your license, permit or driving privilege is suspended. You can pay online, by mail or at a DMV office. Points from violations in Ontario and Quebec also count toward the DRA.
Worked example
Within 18 months, a driver gets a ticket for 15 mph over the limit (4 points) and a hand-held phone ticket (5 points). That is 9 points: $100 + (3 × $25) = $175 a year, or $525 over three years. That driver is not at 11 points, so there is no point suspension. If they were on probation, though, either ticket on its own would already have led to a suspension.
Fees to get your license back
- Suspension termination fee: $50 in most cases after a fixed-period suspension.
- Zero Tolerance suspension: $100 suspension termination fee plus a $125 civil penalty.
- Re-application fee after a revocation: $100 in most cases. After a revocation the DMV may also make you pass the tests again.
- Civil penalties: $750 for driving uninsured or a crash without insurance, and $500 for a chemical test refusal.
These are the manual figures as of November 2026.
Driving while suspended or revoked
In New York, driving while your license is suspended or revoked is a crime, not just a ticket. The penalties include:
- mandatory fines of $200 to $5,000
- possible mandatory jail or probation
- seizure and forfeiture of the vehicle.
Since 1 November 2024, Angelica’s Law makes it a class E felony to drive with five or more suspensions or revocations in effect, imposed on at least five separate dates. Unanswered tickets add up quickly, so deal with every ticket by its deadline.
Common questions
Does one speeding ticket suspend a New York junior license?
Yes. Any speeding conviction carries at least 3 points, which makes it a serious violation, so the result is a 60-day suspension.
Is the New York suspension limit 11 points in 18 months or 24 months?
24 months. The 18-month window is for the Driver Responsibility Assessment, which starts at 6 points.
Does probation apply if I got my license at 17?
The six-month probation in the manual applies to drivers who pass the road test at 18 or older. Under-18 drivers with a junior license follow the junior rules above instead.
Do New York points come off my record?
They stop counting toward your point total 24 months after the violation date. The conviction stays on your driving record, and insurers can still see it.
Will a ticket in New Jersey add points to my New York license?
No. Convictions from other US states do not add New York points. Canadian convictions do. You must still answer the ticket, or your New York license can be suspended.
Can a defensive driving course stop a suspension?
A PIRP course can take up to 4 points off the total used for a point suspension. It cannot stop a mandatory suspension or revocation, such as a junior or probation suspension, and it does not reduce a DRA.
How do I check my points?
You can check your license status and point total in your MyDMV account.
Related New York guides
- Learning to drive in New York: complete guide
- New York phone and texting law for junior and probationary drivers
- New York school bus law and move over law
- New York DWI, Zero Tolerance and Leandra’s Law
- Points systems and license suspensions across the US
Sources
- New York State DMV, “New York State Driver’s Manual, Chapter 2: How to Keep Your License” (dmv.ny.gov)
- New York State DMV, “The New York State Driver Point System” (dmv.ny.gov)
- New York State DMV, “Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA)” (dmv.ny.gov)
- New York State DMV, “Suspensions and Revocations” (dmv.ny.gov)
- New York State DMV, “The Graduated License Law” (dmv.ny.gov)