Traffic Ticket Lawyer in Greensboro, NC
A ticket is not just a fine. It is DMV points, insurance points and sometimes a 30 day revocation that arrives automatically. On most traffic matters we can appear for you, so you do not lose a day of work over a piece of paper.
What is on your ticket?
Read us the charge and the speed if there is one, plus your court date.
Sending this form does not make us your lawyer yet.
Paying the ticket is pleading guilty. Paying online or by mail is a conviction. It goes on your record, the points attach, and your insurer finds it. People do this thinking they are settling a bill.
Two point systems run at once. DMV points can suspend your license. Insurance points raise your premium. They are separate schedules, and a result that solves one does not automatically solve the other.
Some tickets revoke your license on their own. Under G.S. 20-16.1 the DMV suspends for 30 days, with no hearing, on a conviction for more than 15 mph over the limit while also driving above 55, or for any speed above 80. That second one catches people at 81 in a 70.
- Tickets we handle
- What your ticket actually costs
- When a ticket takes your license
- What can be done with a traffic charge
- You usually do not have to be there
- What a traffic lawyer costs in Greensboro
- Where your case will be heard
- How to choose a traffic ticket lawyer in Greensboro
- Your attorney
- What clients say
- Where we practice
- Questions people ask
Tickets we handle
Speeding
How far over, and what the limit was, decide everything.
speeding tickets · 9 over · 15 over · 20 over
Criminal traffic charges
These are misdemeanors, not infractions. They carry a criminal record.
reckless driving · driving while license revoked · DWLR after an impaired revocation
Getting your license back
A revocation has its own process, separate from the ticket that caused it.
suspended license · license restoration · limited driving privileges · DMV hearings
Everything else
Smaller on paper, and they still carry points.
stop sign and red light · failure to maintain lane control · registration and insurance · seat belts · common questions
Ticketed in High Point? That courthouse has its own calendar. See traffic tickets in High Point. Charged with impaired driving instead? That is a different process entirely: DWI defense.
What your ticket actually costs
The DMV point schedule is set out in G.S. 20-16(c). These are the common ones, read off the statute.
| Conviction | DMV points |
|---|---|
| Passing a stopped school bus | 5 |
| Aggressive driving | 5 |
| Reckless driving | 4 |
| Hit and run, property damage only | 4 |
| Following too close | 4 |
| Driving on the wrong side of the road | 4 |
| Illegal passing | 4 |
| Running a stop sign | 3 |
| Speeding in excess of 55 mph | 3 |
| Failing to yield right of way | 3 |
| Running a red light | 3 |
| No driver license, or expired more than a year | 3 |
| No liability insurance | 3 |
| Speeding in a school zone over the posted limit | 3 |
| Failure to properly restrain a child | 2 |
| All other moving violations | 2 |
The threshold that matters: under G.S. 20-16(a)(5) the Division may suspend your license once you accumulate 12 or more points within three years, or eight or more points in the three years following a reinstatement. That second number is the one that catches people who have already been suspended once.
Insurance points are a separate system, run through the Safe Driver Incentive Plan rather than the DMV, and a conviction can carry a surcharge for three years. This is why two tickets that look similar can have very different costs, and why the target in a negotiation is sometimes the insurance consequence rather than the fine.
When a ticket takes your license
G.S. 20-16.1 is the provision people do not see coming. The DMV suspends for 30 days, without a preliminary hearing, on receiving a record of conviction for either of these:
- More than 15 mph over the limit, while also driving above 55 mph. Inside or outside town limits.
- Any speed above 80 mph, whatever the limit was. This is the one that surprises people, because 81 in a 70 is only 11 over.
On a first conviction only, the trial judge may allow a limited driving privilege for purposes connected with health, education and welfare. For deciding whether it is a first conviction, no prior offense more than seven years old counts. That privilege is something the judge has discretion to grant, which means it has to be asked for properly and supported.
Two speeding convictions within twelve months can also trigger a revocation. If you already have one on your record this year, that changes what should happen with this ticket, and it is worth saying so on the first call.
What can be done with a traffic charge
None of these are automatic. Every one has to be asked for, and the prosecutor has to agree or the judge has to be persuaded.
- Reduction. Moving a speed down below a points threshold, or to a non-moving violation, changes the DMV and insurance consequences rather than just the fine.
- Prayer for judgment continued. The court withholds judgment. The DMV and insurers each disregard a limited number, so it is a resource rather than a free pass, and spending one on a small ticket is a real cost if you need it later.
- Dismissal. Where there is a defect in the charge, a proof problem, or a correctable issue such as an expired registration or an insurance lapse that has since been fixed.
- Improvement clinic. The Division runs driver improvement clinics, and the statutory fee is $83.50 under G.S. 20-16(e).
Which one fits depends on the charge, your record and what you cannot afford to lose. That is the conversation to have before the court date, not on it.
Not sure how bad your ticket is?
Read us the charge and the speed. One call settles how many points it carries, whether a revocation is triggered, and whether you need to be in court at all.
Call (336) 379-0539Free consultation, answered 24/7You usually do not have to be there
On most traffic matters in Guilford County a lawyer can appear on your behalf, so the case is handled while you are at work. That is the practical reason most people hire one for a ticket, and it is worth weighing against what a day of lost pay costs.
Missing court is the thing to avoid. A failure to appear leads to an order for arrest, and for a motor vehicle offense a separate DMV revocation process starts as well, independent of the criminal case. If you have already missed one, that is fixable, and it is fixable faster the sooner you call. See missed court dates and orders for arrest.
What a traffic lawyer costs in Greensboro
A flat fee, quoted on the first call, and for most tickets it is a smaller number than people expect. What moves it is whether the charge is an infraction or a criminal traffic offense, whether a revocation is in play, and whether there is DMV work on top of the court case.
The honest comparison is not the fee against the fine. It is the fee against the fine plus three years of insurance surcharge plus what a suspension would cost you, and on a points-heavy ticket that arithmetic usually answers itself.
Where your case will be heard
- Greensboro courthouse. 201 South Eugene Street, Greensboro NC 27401. Clerk (336) 412-7300.
- High Point courthouse. 505 East Green Drive, High Point NC 27262. Clerk (336) 822-6700.
- Hours. Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 12:45pm and 1:45pm to 5:00pm, closed over the lunch hour.
- Your citation says which one. Guilford County runs two courthouses and they keep separate calendars.
How to choose a traffic ticket lawyer in Greensboro
No lawyer in North Carolina is permitted to advertise as the best, and a firm
that does is telling you something about how it reads the rules. The State Bar
treats self-laudatory claims as a compliance problem, not a selling point.
So judge on answers instead. Every question below has an exact answer. A firm
that handles these cases every week will give you one on the phone, for free, in
a few minutes. A firm that gives you a brochure answer is telling you something too.
- How many DMV points does my ticket carry, and where am I now?
The schedule is in the statute and the answer is exact. Twelve points in three years lets the DMV suspend you, and eight after a reinstatement. A firm should work out where you stand on the call. - Does this ticket trigger an automatic 30 day revocation?
More than 15 over while also above 55, or anything over 80, does it regardless of your record. That is a different conversation from an ordinary ticket. - Can you appear for me, or do I have to take the day off?
On most traffic matters a lawyer can appear on your behalf in Guilford County District Court. Ask directly, because it changes what the ticket really costs you. - What will this do to my insurance, and for how long?
Insurance points are separate from DMV points and run on their own schedule. A reduction that keeps DMV points off may still carry insurance consequences, so ask about both. - Is a prayer for judgment the right move here, or am I spending one I will need later?
They are limited and they are not free. Ask whether yours should be used on this ticket or saved.
Ask us the same questions. (336) 379-0539.
Your attorney
Chad D. Garrett
Traffic Tickets · Speeding · Reckless Driving · License Restoration
Chad started the firm and defends criminal cases in state and federal court. He wrote ABC's of Traffic Law, ABC's of DWI and DWI Essentials.
- Continuing Legal Education Instructor of the Year, North Carolina Bar Association
- Former President, Greensboro Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Board Member, Criminal Justice Section, North Carolina Bar Association
Chad D. GarrettFounder
Jason AycothPartner
Sean OlsonPartner
Brandon GoldsboroughCriminal Defense
Stephanie GoldsboroughCriminal Defense
Rebecca ElliottCriminal Defense
Patrick BidwellCriminal Defense
Samantha HeplerCriminal DefenseWhat clients say
4.9 out of 5 from 587 Google reviews. A few recent ones:
Where we practice
Our office is two minutes from the Guilford County Courthouse.
Guilford County: Greensboro · High Point · Jamestown · Gibsonville · Summerfield · Oak Ridge · Pleasant Garden · Stokesdale · Whitsett · McLeansville · Sedalia
Also serving: Randolph, Forsyth, Alamance, Rockingham and Davidson Counties
Questions people ask
Should I just pay the ticket?
Paying is pleading guilty. The conviction goes on your driving record, the DMV points attach, and your insurer will find it at renewal. For anything carrying three or more points, or any speed that could trigger a revocation, it is worth one phone call before you pay.
How many points before I lose my license?
The Division may suspend at 12 or more points accumulated within three years, under G.S. 20-16(a)(5). If you have already been reinstated once, the threshold drops to eight points in the three years following reinstatement.
How many points is a speeding ticket?
Speeding in excess of 55 mph is three points under the schedule in G.S. 20-16(c). Speeding in a school zone above the posted limit is also three. Most other moving violations are two. Reckless driving is four and aggressive driving is five.
Can a speeding ticket suspend my license on its own?
Yes, two ways. Under G.S. 20-16.1 there is an automatic 30 day suspension for a conviction of more than 15 mph over the limit while also driving above 55 mph, or for any speed above 80 mph whatever the limit. Two speeding convictions within twelve months can also trigger a revocation.
What is a prayer for judgment continued?
The court withholds entering judgment, so no conviction is recorded for certain purposes. The DMV and insurers each disregard a limited number of them, which makes it a finite resource rather than a free outcome. Whether to use one on a particular ticket is a real decision, not an automatic yes.
Do I have to go to court?
On most traffic matters in Guilford County a lawyer can appear on your behalf, so usually no. Criminal traffic charges and cases where the judge directs your attendance are different. You will be told which applies well before the date.
What happens if I already missed my court date?
An order for arrest usually issues, and for a motor vehicle offense a separate DMV revocation process starts as well. Both are fixable and both get harder the longer they sit. It is worth calling the same week rather than waiting.
Will my insurance go up?
Insurance points run on a separate schedule from DMV points, through the Safe Driver Incentive Plan, and a surcharge can last three years. This is why a reduction is often aimed at the insurance consequence rather than the fine, and why the cheapest-looking outcome in court is not always the cheapest outcome overall.
What does a traffic lawyer cost?
A flat fee quoted on the first call, and for most tickets it is less than people expect. Compare it against the fine plus three years of insurance surcharge plus what a suspension would cost you, rather than against the fine alone.
Talk to a Greensboro traffic ticket lawyer
Free consultation. Read us the charge and your court date.
Garrett, Walker, Aycoth & Olson, Attorneys at Law
317 South Greene St, Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 379-0539 · answered live, 24 hours
Free consultation · Se habla español
This page explains North Carolina law in general terms as of October 2026. It is not legal advice about your case, and penalties and statutes change. Figures come from N.C.G.S. 20-16 and 20-16.1. Insurance consequences run under the Safe Driver Incentive Plan and are separate from DMV points.