The arkansas speeding ticket cost depends on exactly how fast you were going over the limit, where you were ticketed, and the court costs your county adds on top. This guide breaks down the real arkansas speeding ticket cost in plain English — the exact base fine for each speed bracket, the fees added at the courthouse, the school-zone and work-zone penalties, and the point and insurance hit that follow. All figures are estimates for general guidance, verified against Arkansas sources as of June 2026.
In This Arkansas Guide:
Arkansas Speeding Ticket Cost by Speed Bracket
Here is the typical arkansas speeding ticket cost in Arkansas, broken down by how far over the posted limit you were caught driving. These are base fines from the Arkansas fine schedule — your final total will be higher once court costs and fees are added.
| How Fast Over the Limit | Typical Base Fine |
|---|---|
| 1-10 mph over | Up to 100 for a first offense (misdemeanor, Ark. Code 27-50-302); up to 200 for a second offense within one year; up to 500 for a third or subsequent offense within one year. Arkansas has no statewide uniform fine schedule — each county court sets its own fine amounts within these statutory maximums. |
| 11-20 mph over | Up to 100 for a first offense if under 15 mph over; if 15+ mph over the posted limit, the charge is automatically elevated to a Class C misdemeanor with a fine up to 500 and up to 30 days jail. Second offense within one year: up to 200; third or subsequent: up to 500. |
| 21+ mph over | Up to 500 (Class C misdemeanor, since 21+ mph over exceeds the 15-mph threshold). Court may also impose up to 30 days jail. Going 31+ mph over may be charged as reckless driving (fine 25 to 500, jail 5 to 90 days for first offense without injury). |
| Court costs & fees (added) | Approximately 150 to 250 total in mandatory add-on fees, including 75 in standard court costs (Ark. Code 16-10-305), a 20 Crime Information Center fee (Ark. Code 12-12-703), plus county-specific administrative and technology fees that vary from 50 to 150 depending on jurisdiction. Total out-of-pocket cost is typically 150 to 300 for minor speeding and 350 to 500+ for serious speeding. |
How Arkansas speed limits work: Arkansas uses a hybrid system. It has a basic speed law (Ark. Code 27-51-201(a)) requiring drivers to travel at a speed that is reasonable and prudent under conditions, plus absolute posted speed limits that are enforceable regardless of conditions. Local authorities may also set prima facie speed limits under Ark. Code 27-51-206, meaning exceeding those limits creates a rebuttable presumption of unreasonable speed that a driver can challenge in court.
What a Arkansas Speeding Ticket Really Costs
The number printed on your citation is rarely the full arkansas speeding ticket cost. Once you add court costs and mandatory fees (about Approximately 150 to 250 total in mandatory add-on fees, including 75 in standard court costs (Ark. Code 16-10-305), a 20 Crime Information Center fee (Ark. Code 12-12-703), plus county-specific administrative and technology fees that vary from 50 to 150 depending on jurisdiction.
Total out-of-pocket cost is typically 150 to 300 for minor speeding and 350 to 500+ for serious speeding.), the out-the-door total is higher than the base fine. And the fine is only the upfront part — the points and the multi-year insurance increase usually cost you more over time than the ticket itself.
First offense vs. repeat: Arkansas escalates penalties based on the number of speeding convictions within a single year (not 3 years as in many states). First offense: up to 100 fine and up to 10 days jail. Second offense within one year: up to 200 fine and up to 20 days jail. Third or subsequent offense within one year: up to 500 fine and up to 6 months jail. The 15+ mph over threshold (Class C misdemeanor, up to 500 fine) applies regardless of offense number.
Beyond the fine, a Arkansas speeding ticket adds about 3 points for 1-10 mph over; 4 points for 11-20 mph over; 5 points for 21-30 mph over; 8 points for 31+ mph over; 8 points for reckless driving. Accumulating 10 points triggers a warning letter; 14+ points within 36 months triggers a hearing and possible 3-month license suspension. points to your license and stays on your record for Points remain on the driving record for 36 months (3 years) from the conviction date.
The violation itself may remain visible on the driving record longer than the point expiration. Insurance companies typically look back 3 to 5 years depending on the carrier.. See our Arkansas driving points guide for the full point and suspension rules.
School Zones, Work Zones & Enhancements
School zone: School zone speeding has its own escalating penalty structure under Ark. Code 27-51-214. First offense: fine of 25 to 100 plus up to 10 days jail. Second offense within one year: fine of 50 to 250, jail 5 to 25 days, plus a 6-month license suspension.
Third or subsequent offense within one year: fine of 250 to 1000, jail 25 days to 6 months, plus a 1-year license suspension. School zones begin 300 feet before school property and extend 300 feet beyond; the default school zone speed limit is 25 mph.
Work zone: Fines are doubled for any moving traffic violation committed in a highway work zone when workers are present (Ark. Code 27-50-408). Two signs must be posted: a “Fines Doubled” warning sign 1000 to 1500 feet ahead of the zone, and a maximum work zone speed limit sign. Act 327 of 2025 extended the double-fine rule to mobile work zones (previously only applied to stationary work zones). Automated speed cameras are also legal in Arkansas interstate work zones since August 2023.
When a Arkansas Speeding Ticket Becomes Reckless or Criminal
Going far over the limit can turn a simple ticket into a criminal charge. In Arkansas, Speeding 15+ mph over the posted limit is automatically elevated to a Class C misdemeanor (up to 500 fine and 30 days jail) under Ark. Code 27-50-302. Reckless driving (Ark. Code 27-50-308) — defined as driving with wanton disregard for safety — carries a fine of 25 to 500 and 5 to 90 days jail for a first offense without injury, or 100 to 1000 and 30 to 90 days jail with injury.
Second or subsequent reckless driving within 3 years: 500 to 1000 fine and 30 days to 1 year jail. Arkansas does not define a single absolute speed as automatically reckless, but 15+ mph over or 31+ mph over may be charged as reckless at the officer’s discretion. A criminal speed charge carries much higher fines, more points, and possible jail time, so the Arkansas speeding ticket cost is far higher at the top brackets.
How a Ticket Affects Your Insurance in Arkansas
In Arkansas, a speeding ticket typically raises your car-insurance premium by about A speeding ticket in Arkansas typically raises car insurance premiums by 20 to 30 percent. Drivers may pay an average of roughly 887 per year in additional premiums. Minor speeding (10 mph over) may trigger a 15 to 30 percent increase, while higher speeds or reckless driving charges can trigger 44 to 50 percent increases.
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The surcharge typically lasts 3 to 5 years depending on the carrier. for three years or more — often costing far more than the ticket itself.
Insurers treat a speeding conviction as a sign of higher risk, so the surcharge can outlast the points on your license. A ticket can raise your premium for years — compare cheaper car insurance at Car Cover Guide before you decide whether to just pay your Arkansas ticket.
How a Arkansas Speeding Fine Is Calculated
The Arkansas speeding ticket cost is built from several parts, which is why two drivers going the same speed can owe different totals. The base fine is set by how far over the limit you were — that is the number in the table above. On top of that, courts add court costs and administrative fees, and many counties tack on local surcharges or assessments that fund court technology, victim programs, or state safety funds. The result is an out-the-door total that is usually well above the base fine.
Speed limits themselves work in one of a few ways. Under an absolute speed limit, going even one mph over is a violation. Under a prima facie limit, you can argue the posted speed was unsafe for the conditions, while a basic speed law simply requires a speed that is reasonable and prudent.
Knowing which rule Arkansas uses can matter if you decide to contest the ticket. Whatever the base fine, the real Arkansas speeding ticket cost includes the points and the multi-year insurance increase, not just the amount on the citation.
If you are comparing the Arkansas speeding ticket cost against your other options, remember the cheapest path is not always paying the fine. A higher fine you can dismiss through traffic school may cost less overall than a smaller fine you simply pay, because paying locks in the points and the insurance increase. Run your numbers before you decide.
What to Do About Your Arkansas Speeding Ticket
Once you have a Arkansas speeding ticket, you generally have three choices, and the right one depends on the points involved, your driving record, and your insurance:
- Pay it — the fastest option, but paying is an admission of guilt that adds points and can raise your premium for years.
- Fight it — contesting can get the ticket reduced or dismissed, especially if the officer does not appear or the evidence is weak. See how to fight a speeding ticket in Arkansas.
- Take traffic school — if you qualify, a state-approved course can keep points off your record. See the Arkansas traffic school guide.
Before deciding, it helps to know the full cost — use our speeding ticket cost calculator and the Arkansas points guide to see how close a ticket puts you to a suspension. There is no single right answer for everyone; the best choice depends on how many points the ticket adds, what your record looks like, and how much your insurance would rise.
Other Arkansas rules to know: 1) Arkansas has NO statewide uniform fine schedule — each county court sets its own fine amounts within statutory maximums, so total costs vary significantly by jurisdiction. 2) The repeat-offense escalation window is one year, not three years as in many states. 3) The 15 mph over threshold is a key dividing line — at or above it, the charge is automatically a Class C misdemeanor with higher penalties.
4) Courts may allow ticket dismissal via an Arkansas Supreme Court-approved defensive driving course on a case-by-case basis, but this is generally not available for 25+ mph over.
5) An additional 5 fine is assessed for speeding 20+ mph over or reckless driving if a person under 18 was a passenger (Ark. Code 27-50-306, funds go to the Arkansas Children’s Advocacy Center). 6) Automated speed cameras are legal in Arkansas interstate work zones since 2023. 7) Act 327 of 2025 extended double fines to mobile work zones, not just stationary ones.
Official Arkansas Sources & Resources
- Arkansas DMV: https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/office/driver-services/
- Arkansas Court Fine Schedule: https://arcourts.gov/administration/acap/etraffic
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: nhtsa.gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute: law.cornell.edu/wex
Statute reference: Ark. Code 27-51-201 (speed limitations and basic speed law); Ark. Code 27-50-302 (traffic violation classification and penalties); Ark. Code 27-51-214 (school zone penalties); Ark. Code 27-50-308 (reckless driving); Ark. Code 27-50-408 (work zone double fines)
This Arkansas speeding ticket cost guide was last verified against official sources in June 2026. Always confirm the exact amount on your citation with the court listed on it.
More Arkansas Traffic Ticket Guides
- Arkansas Driving Points & Suspension
- How to Fight a Speeding Ticket in Arkansas
- Arkansas Traffic School & Dismissal
- Speeding Ticket Cost Calculator
- All 50 States
Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal advice. Fines, points, and procedures are estimates for general guidance and change when state laws change. Always verify the exact amount and process with your state DMV or the court listed on your citation, and consult a licensed traffic attorney in your state for advice on your specific situation.