An Arkansas speeding ticket for 15 over the limit is not an ordinary traffic ticket. Under Arkansas Code 27-50-302, driving in excess of 15 mph over the posted limit is a Class C misdemeanor, meaning a criminal charge that carries up to 30 days in jail, up to a $500 fine, and five points on your driving record.1Justia. Arkansas Code 27-50-302 – Classification of Traffic Violations The statute’s “in excess of” language matters: exactly 15 over stays a lesser traffic violation, but 16 or more over trips the misdemeanor line.
Jail Time and Fines
The 30-day maximum jail sentence comes from Arkansas’s Class C misdemeanor sentencing statute.2Justia. Arkansas Code 5-4-401 – Sentence Jail is uncommon for a first-time speeding conviction, but the judge has discretion to impose it, and repeat offenders face heavier exposure.
The fine caps at $500.3Justia. Arkansas Code 5-4-201 – Fines – Limitations on Amount Court costs and administrative fees sit on top of whatever the judge assesses, so the out-of-pocket total usually runs higher than the base fine.
Five Points on Your Record
A conviction adds five points to your Arkansas driving record.4Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Violations and Points Points accumulate on a rolling three-year window. At 10 points, the state sends a warning letter. At 14 or more, a suspension hearing is scheduled automatically, and skipping the hearing means an automatic suspension.5Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Driver Improvements Suspension length climbs with the point total: three months at 14 to 17 points, six months at 18 to 23, and a full year at 24 or more.
A single five-point hit doesn’t threaten your license by itself, but it leaves little cushion for another moving violation over the next three years. Insurance carriers also treat misdemeanor speeding as a higher-risk violation than a minor infraction, and a rate increase can persist for several policy cycles.
School Zones and Work Zones Are Worse
Speed limits near schools are capped at 25 mph when children are present during school hours.6Justia. Arkansas Code 27-51-212 – Speed Limit Near Schools School zone speeding runs on its own penalty schedule that escalates fast with repeat offenses in a single year:7Justia. Arkansas Code 27-51-214 – Penalties for Speeding in School Zone
- First offense: $25 to $100 fine and up to 10 days in jail.
- Second offense within one year: $50 to $250 fine, 5 to 25 days in jail, and a mandatory six-month license suspension.
- Third or subsequent offense within one year: $250 to $1,000 fine, 25 days to six months in jail, and a one-year license suspension.
Highway work zones use a different mechanism. When workers are present and signs warn of enhanced penalties, fines for any moving violation double.8Justia. Arkansas Code 27-50-408 – Fines for Moving Traffic Violations in Highway Work Zones A $300 speeding fine becomes $600. The doubling applies on top of what the judge assesses, and the warning signs must be posted in advance for the enhancement to stick.
If You Hold a CDL
Federal regulations treat a conviction for 15 mph or more over the limit as “excessive speeding,” a serious traffic violation, whether you were driving a commercial vehicle or your personal car when cited.9Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Section 383.51 – Disqualifications of Drivers – General Questions Two serious traffic violations within three years disqualify your CDL for 60 days; a third within the same window extends the disqualification to 120 days.10eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers For a professional driver, the fine is the smallest part of the problem.
You Have to Show Up in Court
Because this is a misdemeanor, the citation comes with a court date and Arkansas law requires you to appear.11Justia. Arkansas Code 16-17-131 – Failure to Appear Missing the date can produce a bench warrant, which turns a traffic case into an arrest situation. Don’t assume you can pay it online the way you might a lesser violation.
Fighting or Reducing the Charge
The most common challenge targets the speed reading itself. Radar and lidar require regular calibration and certified operators, and your attorney can request the calibration logs and the officer’s training records in discovery. A gap in either can weaken the state’s case.
Vehicle identification is another angle. Radar measures speed but doesn’t photograph the car, and in heavy traffic there can be real doubt about which vehicle the officer clocked. If the officer had to track your car visually before pulling you over, any break in that visual contact leaves room for reasonable doubt.
Arkansas does not recognize a general emergency defense to speeding, but circumstances such as a medical emergency can carry weight as mitigation when negotiating with the prosecutor. A clean driving record helps too, and some courts respond well to voluntary completion of a defensive driving course before the hearing. None of this is guaranteed to change the outcome, but engaging the charge early beats hoping it disappears.
Sealing the Conviction Later
A Class C misdemeanor creates a criminal record, but Arkansas allows most misdemeanor records to be sealed through a Petition and Order to Seal, formerly called expungement. You have to complete every term of your sentence and pay all fines, costs, and restitution first. The waiting period for a standard misdemeanor is 60 days after completing the sentence. Speeding convictions don’t fall into the restricted categories (like DWI) that carry much longer waits. Once sealed, the conviction won’t appear on most background checks, which is worth pursuing if the record could affect your job or licensing down the road.