Speeding Ticket Lawyer in Greensboro, NC
Two speeds take your license automatically, with no hearing: more than 15 over while also above 55, and anything above 80. The second one catches people at 81 in a 70. Read us the numbers on your citation and we will tell you which side of the line you are on.
What speed, in what limit?
Read both numbers off the citation, and tell us your court date.
Sending this form does not make us your lawyer yet.
Paying the ticket is pleading guilty. Paying online is a conviction. The points attach and your insurer finds it at renewal. People do it thinking they are settling a bill.
Two speeds revoke your license on their own. Under G.S. 20-16.1 the DMV suspends for 30 days with no preliminary hearing on a conviction for more than 15 mph over the limit while also above 55, or for any speed above 80 whatever the limit was.
Speeding is not automatically reckless driving in North Carolina. This is worth saying plainly because many pages, and the law of several neighboring states, say otherwise. Reckless driving here is a separate conduct-based offense under G.S. 20-140. Speed alone does not convert a ticket into it.
- Which speeds take your license
- DMV points and insurance
- Speeding versus reckless driving
- What can be done with the ticket
- If a revocation has already started
- You usually do not have to be there
- How to choose a speeding ticket lawyer in Greensboro
- Your attorney
- What clients say
- Where we practice
- Questions people ask
Which speeds take your license
The rule has two independent triggers, and people usually only know the first one.
- More than 15 mph over the limit, while also driving above 55 mph. Both conditions have to be met. Inside or outside town limits.
- Any speed above 80 mph. On its own, regardless of the limit and regardless of how far over you were.
Here is what that looks like on real tickets.
| Ticket | Over by | Automatic 30 day revocation? |
|---|---|---|
| 50 in a 35 | 15 | No. Not more than 15 over, and not above 55 |
| 52 in a 35 | 17 | No. More than 15 over, but not above 55 mph |
| 71 in a 55 | 16 | Yes. More than 15 over and above 55 |
| 74 in a 55 | 19 | Yes |
| 70 in a 55 | 15 | No. Exactly 15 over is not more than 15 over |
| 79 in a 70 | 9 | No |
| 81 in a 70 | 11 | Yes. Above 80, whatever the limit |
| 85 in a 70 | 15 | Yes. Above 80 |
Two details that decide cases. The statute says more than 15 mph over, so exactly 15 over does not meet the first trigger. And 81 in a 70 is only 11 over, which feels minor, and meets the second trigger because it is above 80.
DMV points and insurance
Under the schedule in G.S. 20-16(c), speeding in excess of 55 mph is three points. Speeding in a school zone above the posted limit is also three. Most other moving violations are two.
The threshold that matters: the Division may suspend once you accumulate 12 or more points within three years, or eight or more in the three years following a reinstatement. That second number 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 surcharge can last three years. Two tickets that look alike in court can cost very different amounts over those three years, which is why the target in a negotiation is sometimes the insurance consequence rather than the fine.
Speeding versus reckless driving
You will read that going a certain amount over the limit is automatically reckless driving in North Carolina. It is not. That is the rule in some other states, and it gets copied onto pages about North Carolina law.
G.S. 20-140 defines reckless driving by conduct: driving carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others, or without due caution and circumspection at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property. There is no speed figure in the statute.
A high speed can be evidence toward that second definition, alongside traffic, weather, road conditions and how the vehicle was being handled. But it is an argument the State has to make, not a threshold that converts automatically. Reckless driving is also a criminal charge, a Class 2 misdemeanor, not an infraction. See our reckless driving page.
Not sure if your speed crosses the line?
Read us both numbers off the citation. One call settles whether an automatic revocation is in play and whether you need to be in court at all.
Call (336) 379-0539Free consultation, answered 24/7What can be done with the ticket
None of these happen on their own. Each has to be asked for, and the prosecutor has to agree or the judge has to be persuaded.
- Reducing the speed. Moving a charged speed below a trigger, for example from 76 in a 55 down to under the threshold, changes whether the revocation applies at all. This is usually the most valuable thing available.
- Reducing to a non-moving violation. Changes the DMV and insurance consequences rather than only 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 outcome.
- Dismissal where there is a defect in the charge or a proof problem, including how the speed was measured and whether the equipment was calibrated.
- Improvement clinic. The Division runs driver improvement clinics and the statutory fee is $83.50.
If a revocation has already started
On a first conviction only, the trial judge may allow a limited driving privilege for purposes reasonably connected with the health, education and welfare of you and your family. The judge can attach restrictions on days, hours, routes, vehicle types and purposes.
For deciding whether yours is a first conviction, no prior offense more than seven years before the current one counts. It is discretionary, which means it has to be asked for properly and supported rather than assumed. See limited driving privileges.
You usually do not have to be there
On most speeding matters in Guilford County a lawyer can appear on your behalf, so the case is handled while you are at work. Weigh the fee against a day of lost pay as well as against the fine.
Missing court is the thing to avoid. It produces an order for arrest, and for a motor vehicle offense a separate DMV revocation process starts as well. See missed court dates.
Related: traffic tickets · speeding tickets · 20 over · getting your license back
How to choose a speeding 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.
- Does my speed trigger the automatic 30 day revocation?
Two situations do it: more than 15 over while also above 55, or anything above 80. Both are exact. A firm should answer this off your citation on the call. - How many DMV points, and where does that put me?
Speeding over 55 is three points. Twelve points in three years lets the DMV suspend, eight if you have been reinstated before. - Should I use a prayer for judgment on this one, or save it?
They are limited and they are not free. Spending one on a small ticket is a real cost if you need it later. - Can you appear for me?
On most speeding matters a lawyer can appear on your behalf in Guilford County District Court. - Will a reduction fix the insurance as well as the license?
Not always. DMV points and insurance points are separate systems. Ask which one the reduction is aimed at.
Ask us the same questions. (336) 379-0539.
Your attorney
Chad D. Garrett
Speeding · Traffic Tickets · License Revocation · Guilford County
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
Will 15 mph over cost me my license in NC?
Only if you were also driving above 55 mph at the time, and the statute says more than 15 over, so exactly 15 over does not meet it. 71 in a 55 does. 50 in a 35 does not, because it is not above 55 mph. There is a separate trigger for any speed above 80 regardless of the limit.
Is 81 in a 70 really an automatic suspension?
Yes. G.S. 20-16.1 suspends for 30 days on a conviction for driving above 80 mph, whatever the posted limit was. At 81 in a 70 you are only 11 over, which is why this one surprises people.
Is speeding over 15 mph automatically reckless driving?
No. North Carolina has no automatic speed to reckless threshold. Reckless driving under G.S. 20-140 is defined by conduct, not by a number, and there is no speed figure in the statute. A high speed can be evidence toward it, but the State has to make that argument. Several neighboring states do have automatic thresholds, which is where the confusion comes from.
How many points is a speeding ticket?
Speeding in excess of 55 mph is three DMV points under G.S. 20-16(c). Speeding in a school zone above the posted limit is also three. The Division may suspend at 12 points within three years, or eight points in the three years after a reinstatement.
Should I just pay the ticket?
Paying is pleading guilty. The conviction goes on your record, the points attach, and your insurer finds it. For any speed that could trigger a revocation, or any ticket carrying three or more points, it is worth a call first.
Can I still drive if I am suspended?
Only with a limited driving privilege, and only if one is granted. On a first conviction the judge may allow one for health, education and welfare purposes, with restrictions attached. Driving while revoked without one is a separate criminal charge.
Do I have to go to court?
On most speeding matters a lawyer can appear on your behalf in Guilford County District Court, so usually no. You will be told well before the date if yours is a case where you must attend.
What does a speeding ticket lawyer cost?
A flat fee quoted on the first call, and for most tickets it is less than people expect. The comparison worth making is the fee against the fine plus three years of insurance surcharge plus what losing your license for 30 days would cost you.
Talk to a Greensboro speeding ticket lawyer
Free consultation. Read us the speed and the limit.
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, 20-16.1 and 20-140. Insurance consequences run under the Safe Driver Incentive Plan and are separate from DMV points.