Maine Speeding Ticket
If you’re issued a speeding ticket in Maine, you can choose to pay the fine or fight the ticket in court.
Written by Claire Beaney
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
If you’re issued a Maine speeding ticket, you can either pay the fine in full or fight it in district court.
The consequences of a speeding ticket can range from a minor inconvenience to a significant financial setback. You could even face a substantial increase in your insurance rate or even the suspension of your driver’s license, depending on the circumstances.
There are different regulations for dealing with speeding tickets in every state, so it’s critical to know the rules where you live before attempting to fight the ticket.
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What happens if you get a speeding ticket in Maine?
After getting pulled over for speeding in Maine, you’ll be asked to show your license and registration. Depending on the circumstances, you’ll either be let off with a warning or issued a speeding ticket.
From there, you have 20 days to “answer” the ticket by filling out the back and sending it in. You can choose to answer as one of the following:
- “Admit” to the ticket and pay the fine—this is like pleading guilty.
- “Contest” the ticket and force the state to prove the violation in court.
What are the fines for a speeding ticket in Maine?
The fine for violating Maine’s basic speeding laws is $134.
Keep in mind that this is the lowest fine a driver can face for driving above the speed limit, and fines will increase depending on how excessively you were speeding.
Generally speaking, the following penalties apply to speeding tickets in Maine:
Ticket | Base fee |
|---|---|
1-9 mph over speed limit | $114 |
10-14 mph over speed limit | $129 |
15-19 mph over speed limit | $170 |
20-24 mph over speed limit | $230 |
25-29 mph over speed limit | $278 |
If you exceed the speed limit by over 30 mph, you’ve committed a class E crime. These drivers may face up to six months in jail, a maximum of $1000 in fines, and license suspension.
The values listed above act as a baseline; depending on the circumstances, you may be asked to pay an even higher fine than what the chart indicates.
Options for dealing with a speeding ticket in Maine
If you’ve received a speeding ticket in Maine, you have two options for dealing with the ticket:
- Pay the fine
- Fight it in court
Whichever option you choose, make sure you act before your 20 days are up. Failing to respond in a timely fashion will lead to the automatic imposition of the fine and potential points added to your driver’s license.
Your license will be suspended if you do not pay the fine in full. You will need to pay an additional $50 late fee for each violation, plus a
reinstatement fee to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
to have your license reinstated.How to pay a speeding ticket in Maine
Paying the fine is the simplest way to deal with a speeding ticket. There are four ways to pay for your speeding ticket in Maine:
- Pay over the phone using a credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, or Discover) at 1-866-729-8499. A convenience fee of 2.89% will be applied.
- Mail your payment using a check or money order only. Make it payable to “Treasurer, State of Maine” and send it to the following address:
- Violations Bureau, P.O. Box 480, Lewiston, ME 04243-0480
How to fight a speeding ticket in Maine
You have a few options to dispute a speeding ticket in Maine if you can’t afford to pay the fine, don’t want points added to your record, or believe you were not speeding.
Take a driver improvement course
You may be able to have your ticket dropped or have three points deducted from your record by taking a driver improvement course.
The course is called “
Maine Driving Dynamics
,” and you can book a session online. The course lasts around five hours.Plead not guilty in court
If you don’t believe you were in the wrong and want to plead “not guilty” to your speeding ticket, you can request a contested hearing.
There are a few possible outcomes:
- Your ticket is dismissed
- Your ticket is filed—meaning it is put aside. If you have no infractions in the following six months, it’ll be dismissed
- The ticket and/or fine is reduced
- If you’re found guilty, the ticket and fine will remain
You can request this hearing by ticking the appropriate checkbox on your ticket and mailing it to the appropriate county court.
Will a speeding ticket increase your insurance?
A speeding ticket will most likely raise your insurance prices if you are proved guilty. For Maine drivers with speeding ticket convictions, you can see increases of up to 20%.
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Will I lose my license if I don’t fight a speeding ticket?
Maine does have a demerit point system, so drivers with a speeding ticket will get points on their record, depending on how much they were exceeding the speed limit.
A speeding ticket in Maine exceeding less than 15 mph leads to 4 points, while a ticket more than 15 mph but less than 30 mph leads to 6 points on your record.
Your driver's license will be suspended for 15 days if you receive 12 points in a single year.
Should I fight or pay my speeding ticket?
More speeding ticket errors arise than you might think, so it can be worth it to fight the ticket in court if there are large fees or criminal charges on the line.
If you don’t think there is enough proof that you weren’t breaking the law, though, it might be easier to just work on paying off the fine and/or attend a driver improvement course.
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