You Can Remove Old Speeding Tickets From Your Driving Record in Missouri

You can remove old speeding tickets from your driving record by calling the Missouri Department of Revenue and requesting a driver’s license purge. You do not need to hire an attorney, pay a fee, or fill out a form. The only requirement is that the speeding ticket or other traffic violation must be a minor offense that is 3 years old or older and not required by state law to remain on your record.

How to Request Old Traffic Tickets be Deleted From Your Missouri Driving Record

You can submit your request for a purge of your driving record by calling the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) at (573) 526-2407, or by email or regular mail. Here’s a link to DOR’s web page that contains information about how to request to have old speeding tickets removed from your Missouri driving record.

The Missouri DOR Purges Driver’s License Records Once a Year

Once a year, the Missouri DOR purges old tickets from driving records, but they don’t always catch every ticket that is eligible for deletion. And you may have tickets that become eligible at some point during the year after the date of the DOR’s annual purge of its records. Keep track of how many tickets you have and how old they are, so you will know when they become eligible for expungement (removal).

A Traffic Ticket Must Be a “Minor Offense” to Be Eligible for Removal From Your Missouri Driving Record

As noted above, a traffic ticket that is 3 years old or older and did not lead to a suspension or revocation of your driving privilege can be removed from your Missouri driving record. However, a traffic ticket that meets those qualifications must also be considered a “minor offense.” The following types of tickets qualify as minor offenses:

• Speeding Tickets
• Stop Sign Violations
• Failure to Signal
• Failure to Yield
• Careless & Imprudent Driving

Some Traffic Tickets Can Not be Expunged From Your Driving Record

Some traffic tickets stay on your driving record forever and will never be eligible for removal or deletion. Those types of violations include:

• Driving While Suspended
• DWI (Driving While Intoxicated)
• DUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs)
• Excessive BAC (Blood Alcohol Content)
• No Insurance
• No Driver’s License (state, not municipal)
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident (state, not municipal)
• Vehicular Manslaughter
• Any Felony
• Any conviction involving a drug- or alcohol-related driving offense or enforcement contact

Speeding Tickets That Cause a Suspension or Revocation Stay on Your Missouri Driving Record for 5 Years

When you receive a speeding ticket and you don’t hire an attorney to get your ticket “fixed” (reduced to a non-moving violation), points are added to your driving record. Too many points on your driving record will cause your license to be suspended. Speeding tickets or other traffic violations that directly lead to your driver’s license being suspended or revoked will stay on your Missouri driving record for 5 years from the date that your license is reinstated.

If you have a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) and you receive a speeding ticket that leads to a disqualification of your driving privileges, that ticket will remain on your driving record for 4 years.

Courts and Police Will Still be Able to See Old Speeding Tickets Even After a Driver’s License Purge 

After you request that old tickets be removed from your driving record, courts and law enforcement agencies will still be able to see your old speeding tickets or traffic violations. Fortunately, insurance agents can not see your old tickets when they review your driving record prior to giving you a price quote for car insurance.

See my previous blog post regarding how long speeding ticket points stay on your Missouri driving record.

To speak with an attorney about your speeding ticket or other traffic violation, call St. Louis traffic law attorney Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 or click on the email icon at the top of this page to send her an email.