Out-of-State Traffic Ticket Convictions Will Appear on Your Missouri Driving Record

Convictions for traffic tickets received when traveling outside of your home state of Missouri will appear on your Missouri driving record. Missouri treats traffic ticket convictions that you receive in most other states the same as if those violations had occurred in Missouri, and points will be added to your Missouri driving record for those out-of-state convictions.

Most States Report Traffic Ticket Convictions to the Driver’s Home State

Most states report convictions for speeding tickets and other traffic violations to a driver’s home state because of the Driver License Compact, which requires the states that are members of the Compact to report all license suspensions and convictions for traffic violations and DWI/DUI to the driver’s home state. The Driver License Compact is an agreement among the states to share driver information and convictions for the purpose of promoting highway safety.

Only Two States Do Not Report Convictions to the Driver’s Home State

The states that do not participate in the Driver License Compact are Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. However, Georgia, Massachusetts and Tennessee are members of the Non-Resident Violator Compact and will report to your home state any conviction information related to your activities in their state.

The two states that are not members of the Compact (Michigan and Wisconsin) do not report convictions to your home state, but they do keep track of any speeding tickets or other traffic violations you incur in their state and may suspend your driving privileges in their state if you accumulate too many violations there.

New York Does Not Add Points To a Driver’s New York Driving Record For Out-Of-State Traffic Tickets

Another exception is New York. If a New York driver receives an out-of-state traffic ticket, New York will not add points to that person’s New York driving record, provided the ticket is not alcohol- or drug-related. However, insurance agents will be able to see the New York driver’s traffic violation that he obtained in another state and they can raise his insurance rates because of it.

New York reports drivers’ traffic violations to New Jersey, but New Jersey only records a maximum of 2 points on the driver’s New Jersey driving record, no matter how many points New York assessed for the traffic violation.

For more information, see my blog post about Missouri drivers with New York speeding tickets.

States May Disagree About Whether a Speeding Ticket is a Point Violation

In some situations, a speeding ticket outside of Missouri may not be considered a point violation by the other state but it may still be a point violation in Missouri.

If you get a speeding ticket in a state other than your home state of Missouri and you decide to not have the ticket “fixed” (meaning, you decide to not hire an attorney in that other state to negotiate a plea bargain with the court to have the ticket amended to a non-moving, no-point infraction) because the traffic violation was not a point violation in that state, then you should be aware that the conviction will be reported to Missouri and points will be added to your driving record if Missouri considers it a point violation.

In other words, you could end up with points added to your Missouri driving record for a speeding ticket or other traffic violation you received in a state where it was not considered a point violation.

Deciphering the Convictions Reported on Your Missouri Driving Record

Each traffic violation has its own code, called an ACD code. For example, a conviction in Kansas for a traffic violation called “inattentive driving” shares the same code as the traffic violation that Missouri calls “careless and imprudent driving.” So, if you are convicted in Kansas of “inattentive driving,” Kansas will report it to your home state of Missouri and it will be recorded on your driving record as “careless and imprudent driving.”

You can contact the court that issued the speeding ticket to find out how the ticket is being coded. Then you can contact the Missouri Department of Revenue or a traffic law attorney licensed in Missouri to determine how a moving violation conviction with that particular code will be treated in your home state of Missouri and how it could affect your driving record.

Consult an Attorney in the State Where You Received the Speeding Ticket

If you are a Missouri driver and you receive a speeding ticket or citation for a traffic violation in a state other than your home state of Missouri, you should consult an attorney in the state where you received the speeding ticket to find out if it is considered a point violation in that state. Then contact the Missouri Department of Revenue or a traffic law attorney licensed in Missouri to find out if the same violation, when reported to Missouri, will cause points to be added to your Missouri driving record.

If the out-of-state ticket is considered a point violation in that other state, you may want to hire an attorney in that state to negotiate a plea bargain with the court to have the ticket amended to a non-moving, no-point violation so that it is not reported to Missouri and no points are added to your driving record.

Only Convictions for Moving Violations Appear on Missouri Driving Record

Only convictions for moving violations are reported and appear on your Missouri driving record. If you receive a speeding ticket in a state other than your home state of Missouri and you get it amended to a non-moving violation, then nothing will be reported to Missouri and no points will be added to your Missouri driving record.

Your Missouri Driver’s License Will be Suspended or Revoked if You Accumulate Too Many Points

Remember that your driver’s license will be suspended if you accumulate too many points on your Missouri driving record within a certain period of time. If you accumulate 8 points within 18 months, your driver’s license will be suspended for 30 days, if it’s a first-time suspension. If it’s your second offense, then your license will be suspended for 60 days, and for a third offense, your driving privileges will be suspended for 90 days.

Your driving privileges will be revoked for 1 year if you accumulate 12 points on your Missouri driving record within 12 months, 18 points within 24 months, or 24 points within 36 months.

How to Find Out How Many Points Are on Your Missouri Driving Record

To find out how many points you currently have on your driving record, call:
The Missouri Department of Revenue
Jefferson City, MO
(573) 526-2407 ext. 2

To learn more about Missouri traffic law, go to our traffic law resources page for links to information regarding Missouri speeding tickets, points, Missouri driver’s licenses, courts, and other traffic-related issues.