This is a guide on texting and driving laws. Texting while driving is considered distracted driving in many states. It can lead to a ticket, a car accident, or even death.

Written by Cheryl Knight

Reviewed by Carrie Adkins

Updated on Apr 27, 2022

Table of Contents

Laws by state
Prevention apps

Lawmakers in every state except Montana have enacted laws concerning texting and driving.

Texting while driving pulls your attention away from the road and leads to preventable accidents. In order to stop the practice of texting and driving, local law enforcement issues citations, fines, and even jail time in extreme cases.

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about the penalties for texting and driving by state, as well as some apps that can prevent you from texting and driving.

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Texting while driving laws by state

The dangers of texting and driving have led to many states enacting laws either partially or totally prohibiting the act. You might have some confusion as to the texting and driving laws in your state. The table below shows the laws and penalties in various states when it comes to texting and driving:

State	Cell phone handheld use ban	Text messaging while driving ban	Penalties for cell phone use and texting while driving (as of October 2021)
Alabama	No	All drivers (Primary)	First offense: $25 fine; second offense: $50 fine; subsequent offenses: $75 fine
Alaska	Yes	All drivers	Class A Misdemeanor, up to $10,000 fine and one year in prison
Arizona	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: $75-$149; subsequent offenses: $150-$250
California	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: $20 base fine plus surcharge; subsequent offenses: fine of $50 plus surcharge
Colorado	No	All drivers	First offense: class 2 misdemeanor and fine of $300 and $50 for minors; subsequent offenses for minors: fine of $100
Connecticut	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	Fine of up to $125 fine
Delaware	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: $100 fine; subsequent offenses: $200-$300 fine
D.C.	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: $50 fine; subsequent offenses: $100-$200 fine
Florida	No	All drivers	First offense: $30 base fine plus surcharge; subsequent offenses: $60 fine plus surcharge
Georgia	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	$50 fine first-time offense, $100 second, $150 subsequent
Hawaii	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	$250 fine
Idaho	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	$75 fine first-time offense, $150 second, $300 subsequent, plus court costs
Illinois	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: $75; second offense: $100; subsequent offenses: $125
Indiana	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	Fine of up to $500
Iowa	No	All drivers	Fine of $30; fine of $50 for drivers under 18
Kansas	No	All drivers	Fine of $60
Kentucky	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fine of $25; subsequent offenses: fine of $50
Lousiana	Learner or Intermediate License (regardless of age). Drivers in school zones (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fine of $175; subsequent offenses: fine of $500
Maine	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	Fine of at least $250, and possible license suspension
Maryland	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fine of $75; Second offense: fine of $125, subsequent offenses: fine of $175
Massachusetts	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fine of $100; second offense: fine of $250; subsequent offenses: fine of $500
Michigan	No	All drivers	First offense: $100 fine; subsequent offenses: fine of $200
Minnesota	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fine of $50; subsequent offenses: fine of $275, plus surcharge
Mississippi	No	All drivers	Fine of $100, $500 for learner drivers and bus drivers
Missouri	No	Drivers under 21	Fine of $200 for drivers under 21
Montana	No	No ban	No penalty
Nebraska	No	All drivers	First offense: fine of up to $200; second offense: fine of $300; subsequent offenses: fine of $500
Nevada	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fine of $50; second offense within seven years: fine of $100; subsequent offenses within seven years: fine of $150
New Hampshire	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fine of $100; subsequent offenses: fine of $250; subsequent offenses within twenty-four months: fine of $500
New Jersey	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fine of up to $400; subsequent offenses: fine of up to $600
New Mexico	No	All drivers	First offense: $25 fine; subsequent offenses: $50 fine
New York	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: $50-100 fine; second offense within eighteen months: $50-$200 fine; subsequent offenses: $50-$400 fine
North Carolina	No	All drivers	Fine of $100
North Dakota	No	All drivers	$25 for drivers under eighteen
Northern Mariana Islands	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	Fines from $300-$500
Ohio	No	All drivers	First offense: $150 fine and sixty-day license suspension; penalty doubles for second offense
Oklahoma	Learner or Intermediate (Primary)	All drivers	Potentially a $100 fine
Oregon	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	First offense: fines up to $1,000; second offense: up to $2,000 fine; subsequent offenses within ten years: charged with misdemeanor, up to $2,500 in fines, and six months in jail
Pennsylvania	No	All drivers	Fine of $50, plus surcharge
Puerto Rico	Yes (Primary)	All drivers	Fine of $50

MORE: How different types of car accidents affect your insurance rates

Apps that help prevent texting while driving

In order to prevent texting while driving, you can download apps to you or your teen's mobile device. These apps work by either shutting down a device's ability to text altogether or by notifying a parent when teens do use a device while driving.

Texting and driving can lead to an accident, causing damage, injury, and possibly death, which is why it is important that you refrain from the practice.

Most states across the U.S. now outlaw

cell phone use

or texting while driving, giving out fines and other penalties to offenders. If you have trouble not texting while driving, use one of the available apps mentioned above to curtail the activity.

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