Florida Traffic School Eligible Violations: What Qualifies

Updated October 2026 · Reviewed by Billy Forte

Florida traffic school eligible violations are noncriminal traffic infractions under s. 318.14, given to a driver who holds no CDL or commercial learner’s permit and was driving a noncommercial vehicle. A ticket does not qualify if it is for speeding 30 mph or more over, a listed license or registration violation, a ticket that needs a court hearing, or a criminal charge. Your own election history can also rule you out, so the clerk in the county on your ticket is the place to confirm.

Key Facts

What qualifies: a noncriminal infraction under s. 318.14, for an eligible driver. See the basic test.
Speed bar: 30 mph or more over the limit cannot be elected. See what the election law leaves out.
Hearing tickets: six kinds of tickets under s. 318.19 need a court date. See hearing-required tickets.
Criminal charges: DUI, reckless driving, fleeing and leaving the scene are outside chapter 318. See criminal charges.
Driver bars: a CDL or CLP, an election in the last 12 months, or eight elections used. See driver bars.

The Basic Test

The election rule is s. 318.14(9), Florida Statutes. It lets a person take a basic driver improvement (BDI) course “in lieu of a court appearance.” That choice is open only when three facts line up.

Ask these three questions about your ticket:

Is it a noncriminal infraction under s. 318.14? The FLHSMV Driver Improvement Schools page describes an eligible ticket as a “non-criminal moving violation.”
Do you hold no CDL and no commercial learner’s permit? Any CDL or CLP rules you out.
Were you driving a noncommercial motor vehicle? The statute names this too.

If any answer is no, there is no election. If all three are yes, check the lists below next.

Florida Traffic School Eligible Violations: What Fits

The statute does not list every ticket that qualifies. Instead, it covers noncriminal infractions and then names the ones left out. So the real work is checking your ticket against those lists.

Two kinds of tickets show how this works. Florida law treats careless driving (s. 316.1925) and ordinary speeding (s. 316.183) as noncriminal moving violations. Neither one is on an exclusion list, as long as the speed is under 30 mph over and it did not cause a crash with a death or serious bodily injury (s. 318.19).

These tickets would add points if you just paid them. Under s. 322.27, speeding 15 mph or less over is 3 points, and more than 15 over is 4. FLHSMV lists careless driving at 3 points.

A few more notes help:

School and work zones. The exclusion lists do not name school zone or work zone tickets. Ask the clerk to confirm your ticket.
Other tickets. For a ticket not covered here, ask the clerk in the county on the ticket if an election is offered.
The clerk confirms. The Clerk of Court in the county on the ticket can tell you if your citation qualifies.

What the Election Law Leaves Out

Section 318.14(9) itself leaves out two groups of tickets:

Speeding by 30 mph or more. The statute says “30 miles per hour or more.” A ticket for exactly 30 over is left out.
Some license and registration violations. The statute lists them by section number. Your citation shows the violation, and the clerk can tell you if it is one of them.

The FLHSMV BDI page words the speed bar as “30 mph above the posted speed limit.” The statute’s “or more” is the rule to follow.

Hearing-Required Tickets

Section 318.19 lists tickets where the driver “must appear” before the court. The election in s. 318.14(9) is not available for them. The list has six items:

a crash that causes the death of another person;
a crash that causes “serious bodily injury” of another person;
passing a stopped school bus on the side where children enter and exit;
certain load violations, where a load drops, shifts, leaks or blows off;
speeding 30 mph or more over the limit;
speeding 50 mph or more over the limit.

The 50 mph item was added by a 2025 law that took effect July 1, 2025. Our guide to mandatory court appearance tickets explains the hearing process.

Criminal Charges

Section 318.17 says no part of chapter 318 is open to a person charged with certain offenses. That includes the election. The list covers:

DUI;
reckless driving;
fleeing or eluding an officer;
leaving the scene of a crash;
making a false crash report;
refusing an officer’s lawful order, or obstructing an officer;
any other chapter 316 offense that is a criminal violation.

Reckless driving is a crime under s. 316.192. Careless driving is not, so do not mix the two up.

Since July 1, 2025, dangerous excessive speeding is also a crime under s. 316.1922. It means going 50 mph or more over the limit, or 100 mph or more in a way that threatens people or property.

Driver Bars

An eligible ticket still fails if the driver is barred. Three driver facts end the election:

You hold a CDL or CLP. The bar applies in any vehicle, including a personal car. A federal rule, 49 CFR 384.226, also bars states from masking a CDL or CLP holder’s conviction “in any type of motor vehicle.” See our CDL election guide.
You elected in the preceding 12 months. One election blocks the next for that time.
You have made eight elections. The lifetime limit rose from five to eight on July 1, 2024. See how many times you can elect.

What an Eligible Ticket Gets You

When the ticket and the driver both qualify, the election has three effects under s. 318.14(9). The civil penalty is cut by 18 percent, adjudication is withheld and no points are assessed for that ticket.

The ticket is not dismissed, and you still pay the reduced penalty. Our guide to traffic school and points explains what the record shows.

If Your Ticket Does Not Qualify

Without an election, the ticket is handled another way. Paying the civil penalty is deemed an admission under s. 318.14(4)(b), and points are then entered under s. 318.14(8).

A hearing ticket under s. 318.19 means you must go to court. If you miss a scheduled hearing, the clerk must tell FLHSMV, which suspends the license under s. 318.15(1)(a).

Our guide to ticket options covers the choices within the first 30 days.

The Not-Electable List

This table puts every bar in one place. A ticket or driver on this list cannot use the s. 318.14(9) election:

Ticket or driver	Why there is no election	Florida law
Speeding 30 mph or more over	Left out, and a hearing is required	ss. 318.14(9), 318.19
Speeding 50 mph or more over	Hearing required	s. 318.19
Listed license or registration violations	Left out by section number	s. 318.14(9)
Crash causing death or serious bodily injury	Hearing required	s. 318.19
Passing a stopped school bus on the loading side	Hearing required	s. 318.19
Certain load violations	Hearing required	s. 318.19
DUI, reckless driving, fleeing, leaving the scene	Criminal charge; chapter 318 does not apply	s. 318.17
Driver holds a CDL or CLP	Driver is not eligible in any vehicle	s. 318.14(9)
Election in the past 12 months, or eight used	Limit already reached	s. 318.14(9)

Five questions to ask before electing traffic school in Florida, from the ticket type to your election history

How to Confirm Your Ticket

The clerk has the final word on your citation. Before you call, gather a few facts:

The violation. Find the violation named on your citation.
The speed. If it is a speeding ticket, note how far over the limit it says.
Any crash. Note if the ticket involved a crash with an injury or a death.
Your license. Note if you hold a CDL or CLP.
Your history. Note the date of your last election and how many you have made.

Then contact the Clerk of Court in the county on the ticket. Do it within 30 days of the citation date, since that is the time to elect. Our election guide walks through each step after that.

What We Found on the Official Pages

On the clerk and FLHSMV pages we checked on October 27, 2026, the CDL bar was stated plainly. The Hillsborough County Clerk said a driver who holds a CDL, or who was driving a commercial motor vehicle, is not eligible. The Miami-Dade Clerk said the option is not open to CDL holders.

The FLHSMV BDI page listed four bars: a recent election, a lifetime count, a CDL and a 30 mph speed. Its lifetime count still said five, which is out of date. The statute says eight, and the statute controls.

Four Florida laws that rule out a traffic school election, with what each one bars

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Each item comes from a Florida statute or an FLHSMV page:

Thinking exactly 30 over qualifies. The bar is 30 mph “or more.”
Thinking a CDL holder can elect for a car ticket. The bar covers every CDL and CLP holder.
Treating reckless driving like careless driving. Reckless driving is criminal and cannot be elected.
Paying first and asking later. Paying is treated as admitting the ticket under s. 318.14(4)(b).
Trusting a page that says five. The lifetime limit is eight.
Assuming a school zone ticket is barred. The exclusion lists do not name it.

How Requirements Can Vary

Florida’s election rules, point values and suspension levels come from Florida Statutes and FLHSMV, and they apply statewide. The election fee, the date to finish the course and how proof is filed are set by the Clerk of Court in the county on your ticket, or by the court. A court order sets its own deadline and proof steps.

Laws, fees and clerk practice can change. Check your citation, your clerk’s instructions, any court order and the FLHSMV website before you enroll or file anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I elect traffic school for going 30 mph over?

No. Section 318.14(9) leaves out speeding by 30 mph or more, and s. 318.19 requires a hearing for it. That includes a ticket for exactly 30 over.

Does a careless driving ticket qualify?

Careless driving is a noncriminal moving violation under s. 316.1925, and no exclusion list names it. If you meet the driver rules, the clerk can confirm your citation qualifies.

Can I elect traffic school for reckless driving?

No. Reckless driving is a crime, and s. 318.17 says chapter 318, including the election, does not apply to it.

Can I elect for a school zone speeding ticket?

The exclusion lists in s. 318.14(9) and s. 318.19 do not name school zone tickets. Ask the clerk to confirm your ticket.

Can a CDL holder elect for a ticket in a personal car?

No. The statute allows an election only for a driver who holds no CDL or commercial learner’s permit. The vehicle does not change that.

What about a ticket after a crash?

A ticket for a crash that causes a death or serious bodily injury needs a hearing under s. 318.19, so there is no election. For other crash tickets, ask the clerk in the county on the ticket.

Can I elect if I have no CDL but I was driving a commercial vehicle?

No. The statute requires the ticket to be issued while driving a noncommercial motor vehicle. The Hillsborough County Clerk says the same for a driver in a commercial motor vehicle.

Who decides if my ticket qualifies?

The Clerk of Court in the county on your ticket handles the election and can confirm it. For advice about your own case, talk to a Florida attorney.

Conclusion

Florida traffic school covers noncriminal tickets for drivers who hold no CDL or CLP and were not in a commercial vehicle. High speeds, hearing tickets, criminal charges and used-up limits all close the door.

Check your citation against the lists, then confirm with the clerk within 30 days. When you are ready, you can take the Florida BDI course online.

Sources

Billy Forte is the owner of Driving Logic, a driver improvement course provider serving Florida and other U.S. states.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Election rules, deadlines, fines and penalties depend on your citation, county, court and case facts, and they can change. Use official FLHSMV, Florida Statutes and Clerk of Court sources, and consult a qualified Florida attorney for advice about your own case.