A traffic stop changes your day fast. One minute you are driving to work, and the next you are holding a Colorado speeding ticket and wondering what it will cost you. The penalty rides on three things: how fast you were going, where it happened, and what you do next. Speeding ranks among the most common Colorado traffic violations, and the consequences run from a small fine to jail time and a suspended license. Knowing Colorado speeding laws before you respond protects your wallet, your driving record, and your freedom to drive.
How much trouble are you really in? That answer starts with the number written on your ticket.
How Colorado Classifies Speeding
Colorado law sorts speeding into two buckets. One is a civil traffic infraction. The other is a criminal traffic offense. The dividing line sits at 25 mph over the speed limit.
Drive 1 to 24 mph over the limit, and you face a Class A traffic infraction. That stays a civil matter. You pay a fine and a surcharge, you may collect points on your license, and you face no jail time.
Drive 25 mph or more over the limit, and the charge becomes a Class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense. Now it is criminal, and a conviction can carry a fine, points, and 10 to 90 days in jail.
Speed 25 mph or more over the limit inside a construction zone, and the charge climbs to a Class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense, which carries up to a year in jail. Class B infractions cover minor equipment and paperwork issues and add no points. Jail stays are rare for speeding. Judges seldom impose it on a first offense without a crash or injury, though the door opens once a charge reaches misdemeanor level.
Is Speeding Ever a Felony in Colorado?
Short answer: no. Speeding by itself is never a felony in Colorado, no matter how fast you drive. Go 20 mph over the limit, and you have a Class A infraction. Even 40 mph over the speed limit remains a misdemeanor when speed is the only issue.
When does the felony speeding question come up at all? Speeding becomes a felony only when it is paired with serious aggravating conduct in Colorado. Eluding law enforcement at high speed and causing injury can become a felony. Driving at extreme speed while impaired and causing a death can become vehicular homicide. Those felony charges attach to the surrounding conduct, not to the speeding number itself. Did an officer mention a felony at your stop? Call a defense lawyer the same day.
Colorado Speeding Ticket Cost
The Colorado speeding ticket cost depends on your speed over the limit, plus mandatory surcharges that fund crime victim and law enforcement programs. Here is the current breakdown of the fine and the points on your license for each tier.
| Speed over limit | Classification | Fine + surcharge | DMV points |
| 1-4 mph | Class A infraction | $30 + $6 surcharge | 0 |
| 5-9 mph | Class A infraction | $70 + $10 surcharge | 1 |
| 10-19 mph | Class A infraction | $135 + $16 surcharge | 4 |
| 20-24 mph | Class A infraction | $200 + $32 surcharge | 6 |
| 25-39 mph | Class 2 misdemeanor | $150 to $300 + surcharges | 6 |
| 40+ mph | Class 2 misdemeanor | $150 to $300 + surcharges | 12 |
| 25+ mph in a construction zone | Class 1 misdemeanor | $300 to $1,000 + surcharges | 6 to 12 |
| Speed contest or racing | Class 1 misdemeanor | $300 to $1,000 + surcharges | 12 |
| Careless driving | Class 2 misdemeanor | up to $300 + surcharges | 4 |
| Reckless driving | Class 2 misdemeanor | $150 to $300 + surcharges | 8 |
A speeding fine doubles when the violation happens inside a marked construction zone. Driving 20 mph over the limit through active road work and the doubled fine, and surcharge can top $500 before court costs. The money funds work zone safety equipment and law enforcement.
Points on Your License and License Suspension
Every speeding conviction above 4 mph over the limit adds points to your license. The Colorado Department of Revenue runs the Division of Motor Vehicles, which posts those points to your driving record. Many drivers assume the Secretary of State tracks licenses, but that office handles business filings and elections, so send any record questions to the DMV instead.
Collect too many points in a set window, and the DMV suspends your driving privileges. The thresholds depend on your age:
- Adults 21 and older: 12 points in 12 months, or 18 points in 24 months
- Drivers 18 to 20: 9 points in 12 months, 12 points in 24 months, or 14 points before turning 21
- Drivers under 18: 6 points in 12 months, or 7 points before turning 18
A point suspension runs 6 months to a year. You can request a DMV hearing to argue for the shorter end or for a probationary license that lets you drive to work. Losing your license reaches well past convenience. Some drivers lean on options like Bustang, the state-run bus service, to keep getting to work while their privileges sit on hold.
Getting back on the road means meeting state reinstatement requirements, often including a fee and proof of insurance. Our guide to Colorado driver’s license reinstatement walks through each step.
Colorado Speeding Ticket Points Reduction
Can you knock points off your record? Yes, within limits. Colorado lets you complete a DMV-approved driving class to claim a Colorado speeding ticket points reduction of up to 4 points. You can use that reduction once every 12 months, and it lowers your running total rather than erasing the violation. The class takes about 4 hours and costs roughly $25 to $75 through an approved provider.
Timing decides everything here. You have to finish the course before you cross a suspension threshold, because the reduction cannot reverse a suspension that the DMV has already ordered. A second route runs through the courtroom. Your attorney may negotiate with the prosecutor to plead down to a lesser charge that carries fewer points, or to swap points for a defensive driving course or community service. Even when the court does not order a class, finishing one and sending the certificate to your insurer can hold down your rate.
How a Speeding Ticket Affects Your Insurance
A speeding ticket follows you to your insurance bill. Insurers raise premiums after moving violations, and a single misdemeanor speeding conviction can push your rate up sharply. Most Colorado insurers review the past 3 to 5 years of your driving record when they set what you pay. DMV points may drop off the suspension math after 12 to 24 months, yet your insurer can still count the conviction for years beyond that. These two timelines run on separate clocks, which catches many drivers off guard.
Photo Radar and Camera Speeding Tickets
More Colorado cities now use photo radar and red light cameras to catch speeders. Communities across the state have expanded automated enforcement on busy corridors, in school zones, near parks, and along county roads.
Does a camera speeding ticket go on your record in Colorado? Usually no. A camera citation counts as a civil penalty, and state law bars points on your license for violations caught by automated systems. The penalty is relatively modest, capped at $40 for a photo speed van under the rules that governed most programs.
The exception kicks in at 25 mph or more over the limit. An officer reviews the footage at that speed, and the case can flip into a misdemeanor with 6 points and a court date.
Colorado tightened these rules in 2026. Senate Bill 26-152, signed by Governor Polis, bars camera tickets for drivers going 5 mph or less over the limit, caps the fine at $120 for drivers going 25 mph or more over, and forces cities to mail a warning during the first 30 days after they install a new camera. The reforms followed a 9News investigation into ticketing practices in Weld County towns near Greeley that voided millions of dollars in fines. The changes take effect in August 2026. Received a camera ticket that looks wrong under the new rules? You may have grounds to challenge it.
How Police Prove You Were Speeding
How do officers actually clock your speed? Law enforcement in Colorado relies on a handful of methods:
- Radar guns that bounce a signal off your moving vehicle
- Lidar units that measure speed with a focused laser
- Pacing, where an officer follows at a steady distance and reads their own speedometer
- Aircraft timing across marked sections of highway
- Automated cameras inside photo enforcement zones
Each method has weak points. Radar can lock onto the wrong vehicle in heavy traffic. Officers have to calibrate and certify their equipment on a schedule. A defense lawyer can request the calibration records, question the officer’s training, and examine the conditions of the stop to challenge the reading. A clean radar number on paper does not always survive that scrutiny.
What Happens If You Ignore Your Ticket
Tempted to toss the ticket in a drawer? That choice backfires. You get 20 days from the date of a traffic infraction to respond, either to pay the fine or to request a court date. Miss that deadline on an infraction, and the court enters a default judgment, sends the debt to collections, and tells the DMV to suspend your license. Ignore a misdemeanor ticket, and a judge can issue a bench warrant for your arrest. That warrant can surface at your next traffic stop or during a background check, long after you forgot about the ticket.
Pay the Fine or Fight It?
Most drivers pay the fine and move on. Paying counts as an admission of guilt, which locks the points and the conviction onto your driving record. Is it worth fighting a speeding ticket in Colorado? That depends on what is at stake. Fighting makes sense when the points threaten your license, when your job depends on a clean record, or when the charge reaches misdemeanor territory.
Local prosecutors handle these cases. Your matter lands in county court, where the prosecutor often has room to negotiate a reduction. A skilled negotiator can sometimes argue the gap between an absolute speed limit and a presumed speed limit. An absolute speed limit marks the maximum the law allows. A presumed speed limit sets a baseline that you can rebut by showing you drove safely for the road and weather. Proving you were driving safely above a presumed limit can move a judge to drop or reduce the charge.
Speeding often travels with heavier charges. Our overview of reckless driving in Colorado explains how that offense raises the stakes, and our breakdown of DUI and traffic charges covers what happens when alcohol or drugs enter the picture.
How Long a Speeding Ticket Stays on Your Record
How long does it take to get a speeding ticket off your record in Colorado? Points feed into your suspension math for 12 to 24 months, depending on the window the DMV applies. The conviction itself stays on your driving record far longer and stays visible to insurers and some employers. No process wipes a Colorado conviction off early, though the points stop counting toward suspension once that window passes.
Get Help With Your Colorado Speeding Ticket
A speeding ticket can feel minor until the points, the premium hikes, and a suspension notice arrive together. You do not have to walk into the county court alone. M. Colin Bresee defends drivers against Colorado traffic violations and knows how to test the evidence, negotiate points down, and protect your license. Every case carries its own facts, so the right strategy starts with a close look at yours. Contact us for a free consultation and a clear plan for your speeding ticket.
Disclaimer: This page (and this website) is not intended as legal advice, but rather, is provided as general information. Viewing this content does not establish an attorney-client relationship.
