A speeding ticket can raise your insurance rates by an average of 29% in Minnesota. Shopping for new rates should be your first step after paying your fine.

Written by Sarah Gray

Edited by Jessica Barrett

Updated on Jan 31, 2024

Jump to:

How to deal with a Minnesota speeding ticket
What are the fines and penalties for speeding in Minnesota?
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 Minnesota
FAQs

Load full table of contents

Fines for

Minnesota

speeding tickets vary by county but expect to pay at least $110 for a minor speeding ticket if you choose not to fight it in court. Plus, you can expect your

car insurance

rates to climb 29% or more at renewal.

How to deal with a Minnesota speeding ticket

Step 1: Check your traffic ticket to find your options for payment or contestation

If you’ve been charged with misdemeanor rather than petty misdemeanor speeding, you may have to make a court appearance.

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

If you choose to pay your ticket (plead guilty or no contest) the offense will be recorded on your driving record. Repeat offenses could lead to driver’s license suspension and revocation, but even a single speeding ticket will result in increased insurance premiums.

Step 3: Shop for car insurance before your next renewal

Your insurer will learn of your speeding ticket when your insurance policy comes up for renewal, which will cause your premiums to increase by an average of 29%.

Learn more:

The best way to shop for car insurance in 2023

How to pay your ticket

If you choose to enter a plea of guilty and pay the fine, you can do so1:

Online through

Minnesota Court Web Payment

with a Visa or MasterCard

By calling (651) 281-3219 or (800) 657-3611. You must use the automated system to pay with Visa or MasterCard. Minnesota court representatives cannot take your debit or credit card number over the phone.

By mailing a check or money order made payable to “District Court Administration” and a copy of your citation to

Minnesota Court Payment Center

P.O. Box 898

Willmar, MN 56201

In person at the

district court

in the county in which your citation was issued. The county name can be found in the upper-left corner of the traffic citation.

By applying for a Court Payment Center (CPC) Payment Plan. When you establish a payment plan, you agree to make monthly payments of $50 until the balance of all fines and fees is paid in full.

To see eligibility requirements for payment plans and complete a plan application, visit the

MN Judicial Branch’s Payment Plan website

All payment options require your citation number, which you can find on your speeding ticket.

You must pay your fine or schedule a court hearing or an appointment with a hearing officer within 30 days from the date the citation is filed with the court. Failure to pay or appear in court may result in a bench warrant and assessment of late penalties.

How to get your ticket dismissed

If you wish to contest your speeding ticket, you will have to attend a court hearing or schedule an appointment with a hearing officer2.

If your citation was issued in Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington counties, you may contact the

MN Court Payment Center (CPC)

to set an appointment with a hearing officer

If your citation was issued in any other Minnesota county,

contact your local court

to set a hearing date.

If you plan to contest your speeding ticket, be sure you have a strong defense ready. Claiming ignorance of the speed limit will not get your ticket dismissed. You’ll have a better chance of success if you can prove:

Law enforcement made an error or used a defective radar detector

Your speedometer was defective or otherwise malfunctioning

You were experiencing or responding to a medical emergency

You’ll also improve your chances of a speeding ticket dismissal if you have an otherwise
clean driving record
. If you don’t have a strong case for dismissal, pursuing a hearing may not be worth your while.

Learn more:

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

What are the fines and penalties for speeding in Minnesota?

Most speeding tickets in Minnesota are classified as petty misdemeanors. These violations of the Minnesota Statutes are typically “payable offenses,” so they can be handled without appearing in court or serving jail time3. But your petty misdemeanor ordinance violation can be enhanced to a misdemeanor if:

Your speed is excessive enough to be considered reckless driving—usually at least 20 mph or more over the speed limit. Motorists caught traveling at 100 mph or more face both a misdemeanor charge and an automatic six-month

license suspension

You’ve had two or more petty misdemeanor convictions for traffic or motor vehicle violations in the last year.

Conviction for both petty misdemeanors and full misdemeanor charges becomes a part of your public court records. Multiple petty misdemeanor convictions for traffic offenses can result in loss of driving privileges.

Unless either of the above applies to your situation, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s (DPS)

Office of Traffic Safety

(OTS) reports that fine amounts and fees for speeding vary by county but typically come to at least $110, including court costs and law library fees. Fines increase not only by speed but also based on whether you’re speeding in a construction zone or school zone4.

The state of Minnesota does not operate a points system, but the DPS does maintain a

record of driver’s traffic violations

. If you have too many infractions, your license could be suspended.

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

Fines and fees are just the tip of the financial iceberg when it comes to a speeding ticket in Minnesota. You’ll also be looking at insurance rate increases of 29% or more that will stick with you for years.

Once you’ve finished handling your ticket, it’s time to focus on keeping your insurance rates affordable. Here’s how.

1. Check your renewal date and compare car insurance quotes

Your provider won’t increase your rates until your policy renews, so check to see how much time you have before that happens. If you’ve still got a few months left, sit tight and enjoy the savings. If your policy is up soon, you’ll have some shopping to do.

Before policy renewal, your provider will check your most recent

motor vehicle report (MVR)

, and learn of your speeding ticket. As a result, you’ll see a surcharge listed on your renewal letter as well as any changes to your base rate that indicate your new increased policy premium.

With your new rate in hand, it’s time to do some comparison shopping to see how much you might save by switching providers.

Jerry

can help you do this quickly by

comparing car insurance quotes

from dozens of providers at once.

While it’s important to reshop rates immediately after getting a speeding ticket, you should continue reshopping at renewal to make sure you maintain the lowest rates. Insurance experts estimate about 70% of drivers leave money on the table each year by choosing to auto-renew with their current provider rather than shop around for lower rates.5

If you purchase your policy through the Jerry app, you can turn on automatic reshops to stay up-to-date with rate changes and make sure you always have the most affordable option available.

You’ll also receive notifications if a new provider enters your area that may offer lower rates than you currently have.

RECOMMENDED

Compare auto insurance policies

No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms

ZIP Code

Find insurance savings

Learn more:

Car insurance renewal—are you ready for your new rate?

2. Take a driver improvement course

Many major insurance providers offer discounts to policyholders who complete traffic school. Note that age limits and other restrictions may apply, so be sure to check with your insurance agent to find out how to take advantage of this money-saving option.

3. Take advantage of discounts

While you’ll no longer be able to take advantage of good driver discounts, most providers offer an array of

car insurance discounts

you can still qualify for with a speeding ticket on your record, including:

Telematics discounts (i.e., tracking your driving)

Good student discounts

Paid-in-full discounts

Responsible payer discounts

Low-mileage discounts

When are insurance companies notified about speeding tickets?

When your provider runs a

motor vehicle report (MVR)

to prepare your renewal quote, they’ll

find out about your speeding ticket

. That means that if your policy renews annually, you may be able to keep a low rate for nearly a year. Be sure to keep your renewal date in focus so you know when to start shopping for a more affordable policy.

Learn more:

When does car insurance go down?

Cheapest car insurance companies after a speeding ticket in Minnesota

The best car insurance company after a speeding ticket is the one that can offer you the most affordable rate for quality coverage. To help you choose, here is a breakdown of how some of Minnesota’s top providers handle rate renewals after a speeding ticket:

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%

Remember Every car insurance company calculates rates differently and that includes how they deal with traffic offenses. Your rate may increase by less or more than shown in this table based on the length of time you’ve been with your provider, your existing record, and whether or not you plead guilty to your ticket.

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.

RECOMMENDED

Compare auto insurance policies

No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms

ZIP Code

Find insurance savings

FAQs

How much is a 20 mph over speeding ticket in Minnesota?

How much you’ll pay for traveling 20 mph over the speed limit in Minnesota depends on the county in which the ticket was issued. Your fine will likely be listed on your citation, but you can also look it up at

mncourts.gov

Does a speeding ticket go on your record in Minnesota?

Yes. All moving violations are recorded on your Minnesota driving record.

What is the law on speeding tickets in Minnesota?

Minnesota traffic laws generally cite speeding as a petty misdemeanor but excessive speeding or accumulating multiple citations for speeding within a 12-month period can lead to a misdemeanor charge.

SOURCES

https://www.mncourts.gov/pay-a-fine.aspx

https://www.house.mn.gov/hrd/pubs/trafcit.pdf

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/aggressive-speeding/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/car-insurance-rates-are-increasing-save-money-2022-2