Traffic Matters
Short answer: a speeding ticket in Memphis is a Class C misdemeanor, paying it counts as a conviction that puts points on your license, and Brooks Law Firm handles a speeding ticket at 201 Poplar for a flat $200, appearing in court for you in most cases. Speeding tickets in Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville and the other suburban courts start at $250. Call (901) 324-5000 or text 901-412-2973 with a photo of the citation.
Most drivers treat a speeding ticket as a nuisance to be paid and forgotten. In Tennessee, that is a mistake. Basic speeding is a Class C misdemeanor, a criminal charge, and simply mailing in the fine or paying it online counts as a conviction. That conviction puts points on your license, can push your insurance premiums up for years, and, if the speed was high enough or in the wrong place, can turn into something far more serious.
A citation is not a conviction. You have the right to plead not guilty, to be represented, and to make the State prove how fast you were actually going. Brooks Law Firm defends speeding tickets throughout Memphis and Shelby County, working to keep points off your record and your license clean, and challenging the radar, lidar or pacing evidence when the numbers do not hold up.
Where your speeding ticket is heard
The court depends on who wrote the ticket, and the issuing agency is printed on the citation. A Memphis Police Department ticket goes to Memphis City Court, Division 1, 2 or 3, at 201 Poplar. A Shelby County Sheriff’s or Tennessee Highway Patrol ticket, which is what an interstate stop usually produces, goes to Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court, Division 14, the county traffic court, also at 201 Poplar. A ticket from Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville or Millington police goes to that city’s own court: see Germantown traffic tickets, which are heard on Wednesday evenings, and speeding tickets in Bartlett, where the court sets a date on every citation. Arlington has no city court, so its tickets go to General Sessions downtown; Lakeland has a municipal court for city citations, so check the court named on the ticket. Whichever court it is, in most speeding cases we appear for you and you never have to take a morning off work.
What paying the ticket does
The fine on the ticket is the smallest part of what a speeding conviction actually costs. Here is what is really at stake:
- It is a criminal conviction. Basic speeding is a Class C misdemeanor, and paying the ticket counts as a conviction for it.
- Points on your license. Tennessee assigns points on conviction, not merely for being ticketed, and the number scales with how far over you were. That is why keeping the conviction off your record is what keeps the points off.
- Higher insurance premiums. A speeding conviction and its points are exactly what carriers look for at renewal, and the increase over three years routinely exceeds the ticket itself several times over.
- License suspension risk. A single speeding conviction will not suspend your license on its own, but its points count toward the twelve-points-in-twelve-months threshold that triggers a notice of proposed suspension. If you already have a ticket or two in the past year, this one may be the one that gets you there.
- Commercial drivers face more. For CDL holders, speeding 15 mph or more over the limit is a serious traffic violation under federal rules, two of which in three years mean a disqualification, and federal anti-masking rules bar the traffic school and deferral outcomes everyone else can use. See CDL defense before paying anything.
Tennessee’s speed limits and the speeding statute
Tennessee’s speed limits come from Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-8-152. The statutory maximums are 70 mph on interstate and controlled-access highways with four or more lanes, and 65 mph on other state highways and public roads. The Department of Transportation and local governments may set lower limits under § 55-8-153, municipal roads cannot exceed 55 mph, and a posted school-zone limit can be as low as 15 mph, in force only while the signs are up, the flashers are on, and children are present. Where no school-zone limit is posted, more than 15 mph past a school during recess with the flashers on, or in the ninety minutes before opening or after closing while children are arriving or leaving, is prima facie reckless driving.
Tennessee also has a basic speeding rule: regardless of the posted limit, you must drive at a speed that is safe for the actual conditions. That means you can be cited for driving too fast for rain, fog, traffic or road conditions even if you were at or below the posted limit.
What the statute carries. A basic speeding violation is a Class C misdemeanor, which under § 40-35-111 means a fine of up to $50 plus court costs and, in theory, up to 30 days in jail. A violation of a municipal special limit near a residential zone is a fine-only offense of $200. A speeding conviction does not suspend your license by itself; suspension comes from points, or from the charge being written as reckless driving instead.
Points by speed
The Tennessee Department of Safety assigns points on conviction according to its Schedule of Points Values. For speeding, the points scale with how far over the limit you were:
| Speed over the limit | Points on conviction |
|---|---|
| 1 to 5 mph over | 1 |
| 6 to 15 mph over | 3 |
| 16 to 25 mph over | 4 |
| 26 to 35 mph over | 5 |
| 36 to 45 mph over | 6 |
| 46 mph or more over | 8 |
| Reckless driving (§ 55-10-205) | 6 |
Twelve points within twelve months brings a notice of proposed suspension. Tennessee does allow one form of relief after the fact: under § 55-8-207, a driver convicted of speeding who completes a Department-approved defensive driving course within 90 days of the conviction has the points for that conviction removed, up to five points, for one speeding offense and only once in a four-year period. Note the limits. It takes off points, but the conviction itself stays on your record, and the 90-day clock is strict. Since July 1, 2026, under 2026 Public Chapter 993, a driver who pays the ticket instead of appearing can also complete an approved online course and have the points removed. Keeping the conviction off in the first place is almost always the better result.
When speeding becomes something worse
Not every speeding charge is a simple Class C misdemeanor. Where and how fast you were traveling can change the offense entirely:
- Work zones. Exceeding a limit the Department of Transportation has lowered for a construction zone, while workers are present and the amber warning lights are flashing, is a Class B misdemeanor under §§ 55-8-152 and 55-8-153, fine only, but the fine is $250 to $500.
- School zones. Where no school-zone limit is posted, driving more than 15 mph past a school while the flashers are on during recess or in the ninety minutes before school opens and after it closes while children are coming and going, makes a driver prima facie guilty of reckless driving under § 55-8-152.
- Reckless driving. Tennessee sets no speed at which speeding automatically becomes reckless driving, but a high enough speed, or speed combined with weaving or traffic, can be written as reckless driving under § 55-10-205: a Class B misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail, six points, and a criminal record, and one of the few speed-related charges that can cost you your license. The penalties, points and record consequences are on their own page.
- Vehicular homicide. If speeding contributes to a fatal crash, the exposure rises to a felony.
How a speeding ticket gets dismissed in Memphis
No lawyer can promise a result, but when a speeding ticket is properly handled the realistic outcomes, in the order we aim for them, are these:
- A dismissal. Sometimes on court costs, sometimes outright, depending on the court, the speed, your record and whether the officer appears.
- An amendment to a non-moving violation. The ticket is resolved as a non-moving offense that carries no points. This is the most common good outcome at 201 Poplar on a clean record.
- Driver improvement school or a deferral. Where the prosecutor wants something more, usually at higher speeds, the ticket is dismissed after you complete an approved course, or the case is held and dismissed if you stay clean. No conviction, no points.
- A trial. Where the State cannot prove its numbers, the case is tried. If the officer does not appear or cannot lay the foundation for how your speed was measured, the charge may not survive.
What shapes which of these is realistic: the speed alleged, your driving record, whether there was a crash, and the court. Speeds well into the twenties over narrow the options. One thing forecloses all of them: paying the ticket. Once the fine is paid, the plea is entered and there is nothing left to negotiate; the only relief left is the points course described above.
How Brooks Law Firm defends speeding tickets
Because speeding is a criminal charge, you are entitled to the protections that come with one: the right to plead not guilty, the right to counsel, and the right to make the State prove its case at trial. At a trial the State must prove your speed, and that is often less straightforward than the ticket suggests. The citing officer generally has to appear, lay a foundation for how the speed was measured, and withstand cross-examination on it. Speeding cases are won or lost on the reliability of that measurement, and that is where we focus. Depending on how your speed was clocked, we examine:
- Radar. Whether the unit was properly calibrated and tested, including tuning-fork checks before and after the shift, whether its maintenance and certification records are in order, whether the officer was trained and certified on it, and whether traffic, angle or interference could have produced a false reading.
- Lidar. Whether the laser unit was calibrated and aimed correctly, whether the distance and target were appropriate, and whether the officer was properly trained.
- Pacing. Whether the officer held a constant distance over a sufficient distance, and whether the patrol car’s own speedometer was calibrated.
- Vehicle identification. In traffic, whether the reading was actually tied to your vehicle rather than another.
With that in hand, we pursue the outcome that best protects you: often a reduction to a non-moving violation that carries no points, a deferral or a driving-school disposition, and a trial when the State cannot prove its numbers. Possible defenses include a flawed or unverified speed measurement, the wrong vehicle being clocked, a genuine emergency, and simple insufficiency of the State’s proof.
What a speeding ticket lawyer costs
Our flat fee for a speeding ticket in Memphis City Court or Shelby County General Sessions at 201 Poplar is $200 per ticket, quoted before you decide anything. Tickets in the suburban municipal courts, Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville and Millington, start at $250, because those courts take separate appearances. Court costs and any fine are paid to the court and are separate. Several tickets from one stop are quoted together after we see them, and commercial drivers’ tickets are priced by court on the CDL fee page. The full schedule is on what a traffic ticket lawyer costs in Memphis. We will also tell you when a ticket is not worth the fee.
What to do this week
- Do not pay it online. Paying is the plea. Everything above depends on the ticket still being open.
- Find the agency and the court date on the citation. Memphis police means City Court; a deputy or a trooper means General Sessions Division 14; a suburb’s police means that city’s court.
- Write down the stop while it is fresh: the road, the traffic, the weather, where the officer was, and what you were told about how your speed was measured.
- Do not miss the court date. If the date will not work, have a lawyer move it before, not after.
- Text us a photo of the ticket at 901-412-2973. You get the court, the fee and an honest opinion the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to go to court for a speeding ticket in Memphis?
Usually not, if you hire a lawyer. On a regular speeding ticket in Memphis City Court, General Sessions Division 14 or the suburban courts, we appear for you. If a case has to be tried you may need to be there, and we tell you that up front. If you neither hire a lawyer nor pay the ticket before the court date, you have to appear yourself.
How much does a speeding ticket lawyer cost in Memphis?
At Brooks Law Firm, a flat $200 per ticket at 201 Poplar, in Memphis City Court or General Sessions, and from $250 in the Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville and Millington courts. Court costs and fines are separate. CDL tickets are priced by court.
How many points is a speeding ticket in Tennessee?
It depends on the speed: 1 point for 1 to 5 over, 3 for 6 to 15, 4 for 16 to 25, 5 for 26 to 35, 6 for 36 to 45, and 8 for 46 or more over. Points attach on conviction, so a dismissal or an amendment to a non-moving violation adds none. Twelve points in twelve months brings a notice of proposed suspension.
Is 20 over reckless driving in Tennessee?
Not automatically. Tennessee has no speed at which speeding becomes reckless driving; the officer decides how to write it, and twenty over is written as a speeding ticket far more often than as reckless driving. Speeds well into the twenties over do narrow the options on a plain ticket, and a reckless driving charge is a different conversation, which is one reason to call before the court date rather than after.
How do I get a speeding ticket dismissed in Memphis?
Do not pay it, because payment counts as a conviction. Have the ticket set for court and handled there: on a clean record the usual results are a dismissal on costs or an amendment to a non-moving violation with no points; at higher speeds, a driver improvement course or a deferral that ends in dismissal; and where the State cannot prove the speed, a trial. A lawyer who appears for you handles all of that without you taking the morning off.
Will a speeding ticket raise my insurance?
A speeding conviction usually does, because insurers read the driving record at renewal and look back several years. A dismissed ticket never reaches the driving record, and an amendment to a non-moving violation adds no points, which is the point of handling it rather than paying it.
Can a defensive driving course remove the points?
Sometimes, after a conviction. Under § 55-8-207, completing a Department of Safety-approved defensive driving course within 90 days of a speeding conviction removes the points for that conviction, up to five, for one offense and only once in four years. The conviction itself stays on the record, and since July 1, 2026 a driver who paid the ticket can take the course online as well (2026 Public Chapter 993). Driver improvement school ordered by the court before a conviction is different: there the ticket is dismissed and there are no points to remove.
Is a speeding ticket in a school zone or work zone worse?
It can be, in different ways. In a work zone, speeding past a limit the Department of Transportation has lowered, while workers are present and the warning lights are flashing, is a Class B misdemeanor punished by a fine only, $250 to $500, and the points run on a higher work-zone scale, from 2 points at 1 to 5 mph over up to 8 at 36 or more (T.C.A. §§ 55-8-152(f)(2), 55-8-153(e)). In a school zone, no state law doubles or raises the fine and the points are the same as for any other speeding ticket, but driving faster than 15 mph past a school at the times the statute sets, where the city has not set its own school-zone limit, is prima facie reckless driving (§ 55-8-152(d)(1)(B)). A Memphis speed-camera ticket from a school zone is different again: a $50 non-criminal notice that carries no points. Whichever it is, do not pay it until you know exactly how it was written.
How much is a speeding ticket in Memphis?
Less in fines than most people expect, and more in costs. An ordinary speeding ticket is a Class C misdemeanor, the fine itself cannot be more than $50 (T.C.A. § 40-35-111(e)(3)), and most of the bill is court costs, taxes and fees. In Shelby County General Sessions, where Sheriff’s Office and Highway Patrol tickets go, the clerk’s cost for a traffic case has been $42 per conviction since January 1, 2026, with other taxes and fees added; that figure does not cover Memphis City Court. Work zones and residential special zones carry larger fines ($250 to $500, and $200), and the points and insurance cost of a conviction usually outweigh the bill itself.
Talk to a Memphis speeding ticket lawyer
Paying a speeding citation counts as a conviction for a criminal offense. Before you do that, let us look at whether the State can actually prove your speed. Text a photo of the citation to 901-412-2973 or call (901) 324-5000. Brooks Law Firm, 2299 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38104, in Midtown. We appear in Memphis City Court, Shelby County General Sessions and the Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville and Millington courts, and serve drivers throughout West Tennessee. Se habla español.
Attorney advertising. This page provides general information about Tennessee traffic law and is not legal advice. Speed limits, penalties, point values and court procedures change and vary by road, county and court; the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Schedule of Points Values controls. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship; that relationship is formed only by a written engagement agreement signed by both the client and the firm.