TLDR Texas has no statewide speeding fine - each county and municipal court sets its own. Most tickets land between $180 and $350 all-in: a base fine that scales with mph over the limit (about $10 per mile over in some counties) plus $60-$100+ in court costs, with school and work zones roughly doubling the base. Last updated August 2026.
A speeding ticket in Texas typically costs $180 to $350 all-in, but the exact number is set by the court where you were cited, not by the state: each county justice court and municipal court publishes its own fine schedule, stacking a base fine that grows with how far over the limit you were on top of mandatory court costs that usually add $60 to $100 or more. County examples make the range concrete - Bexar County charges $215 for 11-15 mph over and $240 for 16-20 mph over; Travis County adds $10 per mile over the limit plus court costs; Fort Bend County charges $220, $240, and $325 across its brackets. Here is how the fine is built, where the escalators live, and why the fine is usually the smallest part of a conviction's true cost. Last updated August 2026.
The Short Answer: Court-Set, Not State-Set
Texas law criminalizes speeding under the state's reasonable-and-prudent speed rules, but it leaves the money to local courts. Your ticket's fine is the sum of:
- Base fine - set by the court's published schedule, scaling with mph over the limit.
- Court costs and fees - state-mandated and local add-ons, commonly $60-$100+.
- Escalators - school zone and construction zone enhancements (fines roughly double), plus per-mph add-ons in some counties.
What a Speeding Ticket Costs: County Examples
| Jurisdiction | Bracket (mph over) | Published amount |
|---|
| Bexar County | 11-15 over | $215 |
| Bexar County | 16-20 over | $240 |
| Travis County | Any (under ~94 mph) | $10 per mph over, plus court costs |
| Fort Bend County | 1-15 over | $220 |
| Fort Bend County | 16-24 over | $240 |
| Fort Bend County | 25+ over | $325 |
| Typical statewide range | Most citations | $180-$350 with costs |
Extremely high speeds (Travis County, for example, requires calling the court above 94 mph) move into enhanced-penalty territory. For your actual number, read the fine schedule of the court printed on your citation - not a statewide average.
Where Fines Double: School and Work Zones
Two zones carry statutory enhancements that make a routine ticket expensive:
- School zones - speeding in an active school zone roughly doubles the fine, and Texas law bans phone use in active school zones as its own offense.
- Construction/work zones - with workers present, fines are enhanced substantially, and the traffic fine is only the start: work zone offenses carry heightened scrutiny because of worker-safety enforcement.
Both zones are also the places officers cite most aggressively, precisely because the enhancement gives the stop consequences. Slowing to the zone speed is worth hundreds of dollars per trip.
The Fine Is the Cheapest Part of a Conviction
Paying a speeding ticket is a conviction, and the fine is only its visible cost:
- Insurance - a speeding conviction typically raises premiums for about three years, often costing more than the fine itself over that span.
- Your record - convictions stay on your Texas driving record for years and compound: repeated convictions can trigger surcharges and, eventually, suspension exposure.
- Lost dismissal eligibility - a conviction consumes nothing, but it also gains nothing; a dismissal keeps the record clean instead.
This is why the math on defensive driving cost in Texas ends the argument: for roughly $25-$50 plus court and record fees - comparable to the fine alone - a dismissal removes the conviction entirely.
Your Options When the Ticket Arrives
- Read the citation. It names your court, your appearance deadline, and your options - note both before anything else.
- Check your eligibility for defensive driving. A valid license, no defensive driving election in the prior 12 months, and the offense type being eligible are the standard gates.
- Request defensive driving from the court by your appearance date, pay the court's administrative fee, and get your deadline in writing.
- Complete the TDLR-approved course and file the certificate with your certified Type 3A record before the deadline - the companion page on the Texas defensive driving deadline walks the timing.
- Confirm the dismissal with the clerk a week or two after filing.
If you are weighing what a conviction does over time rather than this one fine, the duration question - how long a Texas speeding ticket stays on your record - is answered on its own page, since record windows and insurance look-backs differ.
How to Find Your Exact Fine in Ten Minutes
Because no statewide number exists, the useful figure is always the one your own court publishes - and it takes minutes to find:
- Read the citation. The court's name, address, and your appearance date are printed on the ticket itself - that court owns your fine, costs, and deadline.
- Search the court's name plus "fine schedule." Most county justice courts and municipal courts publish their fine schedules as PDFs on the county or city website, bracket by bracket.
- Match your bracket. Find the row for your recorded speed over the limit - that base amount, plus the court costs line, is your all-in figure.
- Check for zone enhancements. If the citation was written in a school or construction zone, apply the enhanced schedule instead of the standard one.
- Call the clerk to confirm. Schedules lag behind fee changes; the clerk can quote your exact number and the defensive driving administrative fee in the same call.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a typical speeding ticket in Texas?
Most land between $180 and $350 all-in: a base fine set by the court's schedule plus $60-$100+ in court costs. Check the fine schedule of the court named on your citation for the exact number.
Why is there no single statewide speeding fine?
Texas sets the speed rules at the state level but leaves fine amounts to each county justice court and municipal court, so the same 15-mph-over ticket costs different amounts in Bexar, Travis, and Fort Bend counties.
How much is a school zone speeding ticket in Texas?
Roughly double the ordinary fine for the same speed, plus the same court costs - and a separate offense if you were using a phone in the active zone.
Does a speeding ticket in Texas affect my insurance?
Yes, if you pay it - paying is a conviction, and insurers commonly raise rates for about three years. Dismissing the ticket through defensive driving keeps the conviction off the record the insurer sees.
Can I just pay the fine and move on?
You can, but you are buying a conviction: the fine, the record entry, and the insurance exposure. If you are eligible, dismissing through the TDLR-approved course usually costs about the same and protects the record.
Pay $300 Once, or Protect the Record for Good
The fine schedule is fixed by the court, but your response is not: request defensive driving before the appearance date and the fine becomes a minor line item instead of a three-year insurance problem. Start with the
TDLR-approved online defensive driving course at OnlineTexasDefensiveDrivingCourse.com, and Spanish speakers can take the same state-approved course as a
curso de manejo defensivo en espanol.
Citations
- https://www.bexar.org/3165/Ticket-Fine-Schedule
- https://www.traviscountytx.gov/justices-of-peace/jp1/court-costs
- https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/justice-of-the-peace/precinct-3-place-1/criminal/schedule-fines
- https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/
