Mississippi Point System

By Javier Marín, Editor·Last reviewed September 2026·How we check this

Mississippi DPS assigns points to convictions for moving violations and uses the running point total to trigger license suspensions. The threshold that matters most: 12 points in 12 months brings an automatic license suspension. Mississippi's system is more streamlined than some states — there's no driver-improvement-school threshold below the suspension trigger, just a single bright-line at 12 points.

How points are assigned

Points attach to convictions, not citations — a Mississippi traffic citation that's dismissed, reduced through plea negotiation, or resolved through the limited non-adjudication path doesn't put points on the record. The point values for the most common Mississippi violations:

10 points — DUI conviction, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, drag racing, fleeing law enforcement.
6 points — Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, failure to stop for a school bus with flashing lights.
4 points — Speeding 30+ mph over the limit, careless driving, improper passing on a hill or curve.
3 points — Speeding 16-30 mph over the limit, running a stop sign or red light, failure to yield, following too closely.
2 points — Speeding 1-15 mph over the limit, most other moving violations including turn-signal violations and equipment violations.

What happens at 12 points in 12 months

When a driver accumulates 12 or more points within any rolling 12-month window, MS DPS issues a notice of suspension. The standard suspension period is:

3 months for a first 12-point suspension.
6 months for a second within 36 months.
12 months for a third or subsequent within 36 months.

The driver can request a hearing before MS DPS to contest the suspension or to argue mitigating circumstances. The hearing officer can:

Confirm the suspension as issued.
Reduce the suspension period.
Substitute a probationary period with no suspension.
Restrict the license to work, school, or medical purposes.

Re-examination of vision, knowledge, or driving skills can also be ordered as a condition of continued driving privileges.

How long points stay on the record

Mississippi calculates the 12-point threshold using only convictions within the most recent 12 months. A speeding ticket from 13 months ago no longer counts toward the suspension threshold, even though the conviction itself remains visible on the driver's driver record indefinitely. MS DPS reviews points on a rolling basis, so a single new conviction can push a driver over the 12-point threshold even if older convictions are starting to age out.

Special rules for drivers under 18

Drivers operating on a learner's permit or intermediate license face accelerated point thresholds. A teen driver who accumulates two or more moving violation convictions within any 12-month period faces:

Automatic 30-day license suspension on the second conviction.
6-month suspension on the third conviction.
Reapplication required before reissuance after the third.

Any conviction during the under-18 period also restarts the 12-month requirement for moving from the intermediate license stage to a full Class R license. Alcohol-related convictions trigger the separate zero-tolerance suspension under Mississippi DUI laws.

Out-of-state convictions

Mississippi participates in the Driver License Compact. Convictions for moving violations that occur in other compact-member states are reported to MS DPS and recorded on the Mississippi driver record at the equivalent Mississippi point value. A Tennessee speeding ticket of 20 mph over, for example, posts to the Mississippi record as a 3-point speeding conviction. Mississippi does not participate in the Non-Resident Violator Compact, which means certain unpaid out-of-state minor citations may not directly affect the Mississippi record — though the originating state can still pursue collection through its own systems.

Insurance impact

Insurance carriers use the certified driving record to rate drivers, and Mississippi convictions typically affect rates for 36 months from the date of conviction. A standard speeding ticket might raise premiums 10-20%; a DUI conviction often triples the premium for the SR-22 period and may force the driver into the non-standard market. See Mississippi car insurance for how the financial-responsibility system interacts with point convictions.

How to keep points off the record

Mississippi does not offer a Defensive Driving School diversion program at the state level the way some states do. Drivers who want to keep points off the record have only two real options:

Contest the citation in court. A successful defense or dismissal results in no conviction and no points.
Negotiate a non-adjudication or reduced charge. Some Mississippi judges and prosecutors will accept a plea to a non-moving violation (like "obstruction of traffic" instead of speeding) on a clean record — this avoids points but typically costs the same fine. See traffic tickets for the non-adjudication path.

Once a conviction is recorded, there is no Mississippi mechanism to remove it from the record outside of vacatur by the original court.