If you get a speeding ticket in Alabama, your insurance rates could go up by an average of 30%. After you pay your fine, be sure to shop for new rates.

Written by Amy Bobinger

Edited by Jessica Barrett

Updated on Jan 31, 2024

Jump to:

How to deal with a traffic ticket in Alabama
4 ways to pay your Alabama speeding ticket
How to get your ticket dismissed in Alabama
What are the fines and penalties for speeding in Alabama?
Your insurance will go up after a speeding ticket—here’s how to lower it
When are insurance companies notified about speeding tickets?
Cheapest car insurance companies after a speeding ticket in Alabama
FAQs

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The easiest way to take care of a speeding ticket in

Alabama

is to use the state’s Online Traffic Resolution System (OTR) to pay your fine—but be aware that pleading guilty to a traffic violation could raise your

car insurance

rates by around 30%.

How to deal with a traffic ticket in Alabama

Step 1: Check whether you’re required to appear in court

Most speeding tickets can be paid on Alabama’s Traffic Service Center website, but in some cases, you may be required to see a judge to resolve your ticket.1

Visit

resolve.alacourt.gov

, then enter your ticket number and the month and year you were born.

If you see a message in a red box saying, “This fine cannot be paid online,” you’ll need to appear in court on the date listed on your ticket

If you don’t see the red box, you can pay your ticket online, in person, over the phone, or through the mail.

If you’re having a problem—like you’re having difficulty using the alacourt.gov website or you can’t find your paper ticket—call the Traffic Call Center at 1-866-9399 and speak to a representative.

Step 2: Decide whether to pay the ticket or fight it

Paying your ticket is the equivalent of pleading guilty, so once you’ve paid, you can’t dispute the violation. If you think you might have a case for why you shouldn’t have received a traffic citation, you’ll need to plead “Not guilty” instead of paying.

Step 3: Shop for car insurance before your policy renews

If you get a speeding ticket, your car insurance rates might not go up right away—your insurance company will raise your rates the next time your policy is renewed.

Keep an eye out for your renewal notice and note how much your new rate will be. Then, before the effective date of your new policy term, use an

insurance comparison app

Jerry

to shop for rates from at least 3–5 companies.

Learn more:

The best way to shop for car insurance in 2023

4 ways to pay your Alabama speeding ticket

Option 1: Visit resolve.alacourt.gov to pay your ticket online

Most Alabama residents can use Alabama’s Online Traffic Resolution System (OTR) to pay a traffic ticket. If you live in a participating county, visit

resolve.alacourt.gov

before your court date and click “Pay Ticket.”

You’ll need to use a credit or debit card for online payment of your ticket.

When you visit the OTR website, you’ll be asked to enter your ticket number—which you can find at the top right of your paper citation—and the month and year you were born.

View the list of counties that are eligible for OTR payment at

traffic.alacourt.gov

DO NOT pay your ticket online if you plan to take a defensive driving course.

Option 2: Pay over the phone

If you can’t pay your ticket online or you’d prefer to pay over the phone, call the Alabama Traffic Court’s Telephone Interactive Voice Response System at 1-877-252-7294. The call will be automated, so you’ll just need to enter your ticket number and follow the prompts to complete your payment.2

Option 3: Mail or give your payment to the circuit clerk

To mail in your payment, go to

this map

and select the county where you live. From there, you can find all of the information you’ll need to mail in a payment, including the Circuit Clerk’s mailing address and what types of payment are accepted—typically, credit cards, cashier’s checks, and money orders are accepted, but personal checks may not be.

You can also visit the closest circuit clerk and pay at the window.

Option 4: Pay the fine at your court date if you’re required to appear

If you’re required to appear in front of a municipal court judge, check your paper ticket for information regarding your court date.

The presiding courthouse and the date of your court appearance should both be listed on the ticket—but if you need more assistance, call the AOC Traffic Call Center at 1-866-954-9399.

If the judge orders you to pay a fine, you typically do so at the county clerk’s office after your appearance.

This varies by locality—select your county on
this map
for more information about whether virtual court dates are available where you live. If your local court does offer virtual hearings, you can request an online court date at
resolve.alacourt.gov
.

How to get your ticket dismissed in Alabama

If you believe you were ticketed in error, go to resolve.alacourt.gov and select option H

to plead not guilty and request a trial date. You can also go to court on the date listed on your ticket and plead not guilty at that time.

Here are the most common reasons you might get a ticket dismissed:

Defective radar or officer error: In Alabama, law enforcement officers use technology like radar and traffic cameras to catch speeding drivers. If you can prove that the technology malfunctioned or was used improperly, the judge may dismiss your ticket.

Defective speedometer: If your vehicle’s speedometer was broken and 1) you were unaware of it at the time of the ticket and 2) you can prove that it malfunctioned, it may be grounds to have your ticket dismissed.

Medical emergencies: If you were driving over the speed limit because of a medical emergency, bring proof to your trial—you may be able to get your ticket dismissed.

If you don’t have solid proof of why your ticket should be dismissed, it’s often easier to simply pay it—and if your case would require you to hire a traffic attorney, it’s probably cheaper to pay the ticket, too.

Your ticket won’t be dismissed just because you didn’t know the speed limit where you were driving—even if you’re an out-of-state driver.

If you have a

clean driving record

—meaning no recent speeding tickets or other traffic violations—you have a better chance of having your traffic ticket dismissed.

Note that if you go to court to plead not guilty to your ticket, you’ll have the opportunity to request a trial at that time. You’ll be given a date for a second appearance where you can make your case; your first appearance will not be your trial date.

Learn more:

How to get a clean driving record (and save on insurance)

What are the fines and penalties for speeding in Alabama?

The fines for a speeding ticket in Alabama vary by county and municipality—but in general, you can expect to pay between $150 and $300, depending on where you were driving and how fast you were going.

You may also be given points on your Alabama driver’s license:3

1–25 mph over the speed limit: 2 points

26+ mph over speed limit: 5 points

Keep in mind that you’ll face much higher fines if you’re ticketed for going more than 25 miles over the posted speed limit or if you were caught speeding in a construction zone or school zone.

You will also receive additional points if you were charged with more than one moving violation while you were speeding, including:

Running a red light or stop sign

Failing to use a child restraint or seat belt

DUI

Reckless driving

Improper tag

Your insurance will go up after a speeding ticket—here’s how to lower it

A speeding ticket can cost you more than you think. In addition to any fines or other penalties, drivers in Alabama see their car insurance premiums go up by an average of 30% after a single speeding ticket.

Once you pay your ticket, take these steps to keep your insurance rates as low as possible.

1. Compare car insurance quotes close to your renewal date

Start by checking your insurance policy details to find your renewal date. Your insurance rates won’t go up until your policy renews, so if it’s still a few months away, you don’t have to do anything for now.

As your renewal date approaches, though, your car insurance provider will run your motor vehicle report (MVR), and they’ll see that you’ve gotten a ticket. They’ll then send you a renewal notice that will include your new insurance rate.

Once you know how much your current insurer will charge you for insurance, start comparing rates from other insurance companies. Some providers are more forgiving of minor traffic offenses like speeding tickets, so by comparing quotes, you’re more likely to find a company that will offer you a favorable premium.

Reshop before renewal so you always have the best rate. If you avoid getting any more traffic tickets, your Alabama insurance rate will gradually decrease. To make sure you’re still getting the best rate, you can turn on automatic reshops in the Jerry app—you’ll be notified before renewal if another insurance company offers you a lower rate.

2. Attend driving school

Taking a Defensive Driving School (DDS) course may help reduce your fine or even remove a speeding ticket from your record.

To find out if that’s an option for you, visit

resolve.alacourt.gov

, enter your ticket number and the month and year you were born, and choose the option to request driving school. Do not pay your fine first—you can not take driving school if you’ve paid your ticket.

If you’re eligible for driving school, you’ll receive information on how to sign up and any next steps you need to take.

Defensive Driving School is not available in the following counties: Pike, Calhoun, Randolph, and Bullock.

3. Take advantage of discounts

In addition to surcharges on your premium, getting a speeding ticket can cause you to lose any safe driver discounts you might have had on your policy. Check whether your insurance company offers any other

car insurance discounts

that could help you save, including discounts for:

Tracking your driving (telematics)

Paying your bill in full

Paying your bill on time

Being a good student

Driving less than average

When are insurance companies notified about speeding tickets?

In general, your insurance company won’t run your motor vehicle report until it’s almost time for your policy to renew. This is when they’ll become aware of a speeding ticket on your record.

Cheapest car insurance companies after a speeding ticket in Alabama

Every insurance company handles speeding tickets differently—and every insurance customer’s rates are unique. Your rates might go up more or less than average based on things like previous violations, the seriousness of your violation, and how long you’ve been with your insurance company.

That said, here’s how speeding tickets affect rates for some of the major insurers in the US:

Insurance company	Average rate increase after a speeding ticket
Allstate	15%
USAA	17%
American Family	22%
Nationwide	26%
State Farm	26%
Farmers	31%
Auto-Owners	36%
Travelers	37%
GEICO	38%
Progressive	43%

Where’d we get these numbers? To find the average rate increase after a speeding ticket in every state, Jerry’s editorial team researched the average rate increase after a speeding ticket using expert sources from Forbes, NerdWallet, ValuePenguin, WalletHub, Liberty Mutual, The Zebra, and CarInsurance.com. We averaged the rate increase data from these sources and applied it to average rate data derived from thousands of real quotes drivers found through Jerry to determine average premium drivers pay after a speeding ticket in each state.

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FAQs

How much is a speeding ticket in Alabama?

The fines for speeding tickets in Alabama are set by individual counties and municipalities—but you can generally expect your fine to be somewhere in the range of $150–$300.

How many points is a speeding ticket in Alabama?

If you were driving 25 mph or less over the speed limit, you’d receive two points on your license. If you were driving 26 mph or more over the speed limit, you’d receive five points on your license.

How do I get a speeding ticket dismissed in Alabama?

To get a speeding ticket in Alabama dismissed, plead not guilty and do not pay the fine. When it’s time for your trial date, you’ll need to demonstrate to the court that your ticket was a result of faulty equipment, a malfunctioning speedometer, a medical emergency, or a similarly valid defense.