If you get a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania, your insurance rates could increase by an average of 16%. After you pay your fine, shop for new rates to keep your costs low

Written by Amy Bobinger

Edited by Jessica Barrett

Reviewed by Brice Regling

Updated on Jan 31, 2024

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How to deal with a traffic ticket in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania speeding ticket penalties
Pennsylvania’s excessive speeding laws
A speeding ticket can increase your insurance rates at renewal
Best car insurance companies after a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania
FAQs

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Speeding tickets in

Pennsylvania

start with a base rate ranging from $45 to over $100, but with added court costs and surcharges, they can reach hundreds of dollars. You’ll also see your

car insurance

rates go up by an average of 16%—but you can help offset this by comparing quotes before your next renewal.

How to deal with a traffic ticket in Pennsylvania

First, check your ticket to determine whether you can take care of your ticket by simply paying it, or if you’ll need to appear in court.

If you were ticketed for speeding 31 mph or more over the speed limit, you’re required to appear at a hearing by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)—you won’t be able to pay your ticket before your court date.

How to pay your ticket

You can use Pennsylvania’s ePay system (PAePay) to pay speeding tickets, court costs, and more. Accepted forms of payment include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, or debit cards. A non-refundable $2.75 fee is added to each payment, and you can pay up to $1,000 per transaction.1

You may also be able to pay your ticket through the mail, over the phone, or in person at your local courthouse—check the back of your ticket for more details.

How to get your ticket dismissed

If you believe you were ticketed improperly, do not pay your fine. Paying your ticket is the equivalent of pleading guilty or no contest, so you will no longer be able to fight the charge.

Keep in mind your ticket will only be dismissed if you can prove that it was issued improperly. Valid defenses for getting a ticket dismissed might include:

A malfunction of the radar device used by state law enforcement to track speeds

A question about the validity of the manual speed tracking used by local police officers (only state police are permitted to use radar—county and municipal law enforcement must use manual devices like VASCAR or their speedometer)2

The speedometer in your vehicle was defective and you were unaware of that at the time of your citation

You were speeding due to a medical emergency

If you want to plead not guilty, you can do so at your hearing. You’ll typically then be given a trial date, at which time you can present any evidence that supports your not-guilty plea.

You may want to hire an experienced traffic attorney to help you fight your ticket—but keep in mind that your court costs and attorney fees may quickly outpace the cost of your speeding fines.

Tracking your driving with a tool like
Jerry’s
DriveShield can help you be aware of trouble areas, like spots in your commute when you tend to speed. This may make it easier to avoid speeding tickets and other violations that can lead to fines and insurance rate increases.

Pennsylvania speeding ticket penalties

1. Fines

Fines for speeding in Pennsylvania start at $45 if you’re ticketed for going 10 mph over a maximum speed limit of 25–55 mph and $44.50 for going 10 mph over a speed limit of 65–70 mph. The fines then go up $2 for every additional mile per hour over the posted speed limit.3

Here’s what the fines would look like if you were pulled over for going 65 mph…

…in a 55 mph zone: $45

…in a 45 mph zone: $65

…in a 35 mph zone: $85

You may also be subject to court costs, surcharges, and other penalties in addition to the base speeding fine. Surcharges will be added if you violate another traffic law while you are speeding.

A few examples of Pennsylvania’s pre-determined surcharges include:4

Driving on a suspended license: $75 (first offense)

Driving under the influence (DUI/DWI): $75 (first offense)

Driving in the wrong lane: $60

Improper passing of a school bus: $75

You may also receive additional fines for traffic offenses like running a red light or stop sign, speeding in a school zone, careless driving, or reckless driving.

These fines may be doubled if you were speeding in an active work zone.

2. Driver’s license points

A Pennsylvania speeding ticket will also typically add points to your driver’s license:

6–10 mph over the limit: 2 points

11–15 mph over the limit: 3 points

16–25 mph over the limit: 4 points

26–30 mph or more over the limit: 5 points

31 mph or more over the limit: 5 points plus a PennDOT hearing for excessive speeding

If you’re over 18, you’ll have the opportunity to take a driving exam after the first time you accumulate six or more points. If you pass within 30 days, two points will be removed from your license. If you do not pass the exam within 30 days, your driving privileges will be suspended until you successfully pass.

Pennsylvania’s excessive speeding laws

If you’re ticketed for excessive speeding—going more than 31 mph over the speed limit—you’ll be required to attend a hearing with PennDOT. Your penalties will be decided at the hearing. You’ll typically be assigned one of three penalties:5

15-day license suspension

Taking a driver’s exam

Attending Driver Improvement School

If your license is suspended, you’ll receive an additional 5 points on your record.

If you don’t attend the departmental hearing, your license will be automatically suspended for 60 days.

If you’re under the age of 18 and you a) are ticketed for driving over 26 mph over the speed limit or b) receive six or more points on your driver’s license, your license will automatically be suspended for 90 days.

A speeding ticket can increase your insurance rates at renewal

In addition to any fines and other penalties resulting from your ticket, you’ll pay an average of about 16% more on your car insurance after your next policy renewal.

When do insurance companies find out about your speeding ticket?

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania won’t

notify your insurance company about your ticket

. Instead, shortly before your policy renews, your provider will run an updated

motor vehicle report (MVR)

, which includes a history of your traffic violations, accidents, license points, and more.

At that point, your insurance company will become aware of your recent speeding ticket and adjust your renewal rate accordingly.

Learn more:

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

Average car insurance rates after a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, car insurance rates go up an average of 16% after a speeding ticket.

Full coverage	Average cost before ticket	Average cost after ticket
Monthly rate	$172	$201
Annual rate	$2,067	$2,414

When you get the renewal notice with your new insurance rate, start shopping around to see if another insurance company will offer you a lower rate. Some insurers are more forgiving of speeding tickets than others, and comparison shopping increases the chances that you’ll find savings.

The easiest way to shop for new insurance rates is with the

Jerry

app.

When you request quotes, you’ll have the opportunity to add recent moving violations, so you’ll get customized offers based on your real driving profile.

Learn more:

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

Take a few minutes to shop for new rates before each renewal, too. If you don’t accrue any more violations, your insurance premiums will gradually start coming back down.

If you purchase car insurance with Jerry, you can turn on automatic reshops—you’ll be notified before your policy renews if another insurance company has a better offer.

Learn more:

When does car insurance go down?

Best car insurance companies after a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania

Here’s how speeding tickets tend to affect rates for a few of the nation’s largest insurance companies:

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%

But these numbers are only averages, so they can’t tell you exactly how much you’ll pay. Your rate will vary depending on factors like how fast you were going when you were ticketed, how many violations you’ve gotten in the past, how long you’ve been with your current insurance company, where you live, and more.

Where'd we get these numbers?
Jerry’s editorial team researched the average rate increase after a speeding ticket for these 10 insurance companies using expert sources from Forbes, NerdWallet, ValuePenguin, WalletHub, Liberty Mutual, The Zebra, and CarInsurance.com. Our data shows the average of the data shared by these sources.

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FAQs

How much is a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania?

Speeding tickets in Pennsylvania start at around $45 and go up by $2 for every mile you were going over the speed limit.

How do I pay for a lost speeding ticket in Pennsylvania?

If you can’t find your speeding ticket, try looking it up via the PAePay system. If that doesn’t work, call the traffic court that presides over the area where you were ticketed.