How Many Points to Suspend License in Florida? What Next

Updated October 2026 · Reviewed by Billy Forte

If you searched how many points to suspend license in Florida, the answer is 12 points in 12 months, which lets FLHSMV suspend your license for up to 30 days. Higher totals allow longer suspensions: up to 3 months at 18 points in 18 months, and up to 1 year at 24 points in 36 months. To drive again, FLHSMV asks for proof of an Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI) course, plus a fee.

Key Facts

Point levels: 12 in 12 months, 18 in 18 months or 24 in 36 months. See the three suspension levels.
The clock: each window counts from the offense date of each conviction. See how the windows are counted.
Driving again: a hardship license needs ADI completion; reinstatement needs ADI enrollment. Both need a fee. See getting your license back.
After reinstatement: 3 points come off after a first points suspension. See the 3-point deduction.
BDI’s role: it is not a reinstatement course; it only keeps points off an eligible new ticket. See where BDI fits.

The Three Suspension Levels

Florida’s point suspensions come from s. 322.27(3). The law says FLHSMV “is authorized to suspend” a license when your points reach set totals. It also sets the longest each suspension can last.

How Many Points to Suspend License in Florida

Points reached	Inside this window	Longest suspension under s. 322.27(3)
12 or more	12 months	Not more than 30 days
18 or more	18 months	Not more than 3 months
24 or more	36 months	Not more than 1 year

The FLHSMV points page lists the same three levels. It shows them as a 30-day, a three-month and a one-year suspension.

Each level is its own test. A driver can reach the 12-month level, the 18-month level or the 36-month level, based on how close together the tickets fall.

What “Not More Than” Means

The statute sets a ceiling, not a fixed term. Each line says the suspension “shall be for not more than” a set time. For the first level, that is 30 days.

The law also uses the word “authorized.” It gives FLHSMV the power to suspend at these totals. For your own case, check with FLHSMV.

How Points Add Up

Points come from convictions for moving violations. Here are a few values from s. 322.27(3)(d):

Speeding 15 mph or less over the limit is 3 points. More than 15 mph over is 4 points.
Running a red light, when an officer writes the ticket, is 4 points.
Careless driving is 3 points, or 4 if it causes a crash.
Leaving the scene of a crash with more than $50 in damage is 6 points.

Simple math shows how totals grow. Four 3-point tickets in 12 months reach 12 points. Three 4-point tickets plus two 3-point tickets in 18 months reach 18 points.

Red light camera and school zone speed camera tickets add no points. For every offense and its points, see the Florida traffic violation points chart.

Tickets from other states can count too. Under s. 322.27(3)(e), a conviction in another state may be recorded with the same points it would carry in Florida.

Which Tickets Count

Only convictions add points. Under s. 322.01(11), a conviction includes an admission or a finding on a noncriminal traffic ticket. Paying the civil penalty without electing BDI counts.

Some tickets add nothing to your total:

Camera tickets. Red light camera and school zone speed camera tickets carry no points.
Elected tickets. An eligible BDI election, finished on time, means no points for that ticket.
Nonmoving violations. A seat belt ticket is a nonmoving violation under s. 316.614. The point list in s. 322.27(3)(d) is for moving violations.

Summary card of which Florida tickets add points toward a suspension total, from paid tickets to camera and seat belt tickets

How the Windows Are Counted

The windows use offense dates. Section 322.27(4) says FLHSMV “shall use the offense date of all convictions” when it counts points for a suspension.

So the date that matters is the day of each ticket’s violation. It is not the day you paid or the day the court ruled.

A second clock also exists. FLHSMV says points “remain on the driver record for at least five years from the date of disposition.” That is how long points show on your record. The 12, 18 and 36-month windows are only for deciding a suspension.

Getting Your License Back

A points suspension does not end with just waiting. FLHSMV ties the way back to the Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI) course. The FLHSMV points page sets two paths:

Hardship license: submit proof that you completed an ADI course, plus a reinstatement fee.
Full reinstatement: submit proof that you enrolled in an ADI course, plus a fee.

The law says the same about enrollment. Under s. 322.291, a driver “whose license was suspended under the point system” must present “proof of enrollment in a department-approved advanced driver improvement course.”

The FLHSMV Driver Improvement Schools page also says ADI is required after a points suspension. It lists other cases too, such as a habitual traffic offender suspension not tied to DUI, or a court order.

This guide does not list fee amounts. Check the FLHSMV points page or ask FLHSMV for the current fee in your case.

Watching Your Total Before It Gets Close

You can see your points before FLHSMV acts. FLHSMV says you can review your license status online at no cost. That free check does not list points.

To see points, FLHSMV says you can buy a 3-year, 7-year or complete driver record. The record “will indicate the number of points.” Our guide to the Florida driving record explains how to order one.

When you add up your points, use the offense date of each ticket. Then compare the total to each of the three windows.

The 3-Point Deduction

Reinstatement can bring one benefit. Under s. 322.27(3)(h), “Three points shall be deducted” from the record of a driver whose license was suspended under the point system only once and who has been reinstated. The driver must also have met all other requirements of the chapter.

This is the only point deduction in Florida law. A course does not remove points already on your record. Our guide on whether a course can take points off explains why.

Where BDI Fits

The Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course is not a reinstatement course. It does not end a suspension, and it does not stand in for ADI.

BDI has one job in the point system. Under s. 318.14(9), an eligible driver who elects BDI within 30 days of a new ticket gets no points for that ticket. Adjudication is withheld, and the civil penalty is cut by 18 percent.

That is why the election matters to drivers near a suspension level. A ticket with no points does not add to the 12, 18 or 24-point totals.

The election has limits:

No CDL or permit. Holders of a commercial driver license or commercial learner’s permit cannot elect.
Not too fast. Speeding 30 mph or more over the limit is excluded.
Not too frequent. No election if you made one in the preceding 12 months, and no more than eight in a lifetime.
Ask first. You tell the Clerk of Court and pay the clerk’s election fee before you take the course.

To compare the two courses side by side, see our guide to BDI versus ADI.

Other Ways a Course Can Affect Your License

Not every suspension comes from points. Two other rules tie a suspension or cancellation to a course:

Missing the BDI finish date. Under s. 318.15(1)(b), a driver who elects and pays but does not attend is adjudicated guilty, and points are assessed. Separately, s. 318.15(1)(a) lists failing to attend driver improvement school among the failures the clerk reports to FLHSMV, which then suspends the license.
Crash-related courses. Under s. 322.0261, FLHSMV requires a driver improvement course after certain crashes or convictions. You must finish within 90 days after FLHSMV’s notice, or the license is canceled.

A third crash within 36 months calls for a course with behind-the-wheel training and a behind-the-wheel exam. That is a different course from ADI.

Teen Drivers and Points

Drivers aged 15 to 17 face the same suspension levels as adults. They also have a separate rule in s. 322.161. Six or more points in 12 months limits a teen’s license to “business purposes only.”

Our teen points guide covers that rule in full.

What We Found on the Official Pages

On the FLHSMV pages and statutes we checked on October 27, 2026, the three point levels matched. The wording was a little different. FLHSMV’s points page lists a “30-day suspension,” while s. 322.27(3) says “not more than 30 days.” The statute controls: 30 days is the most FLHSMV can impose at that level.

The FLHSMV Driver Improvement Schools page also listed “12 points within 12 months (30 day suspension)” as one reason ADI is required. Both pages tied the way back to ADI, not BDI.

Steps for adding up Florida points by offense date to see whether a suspension level is reached

Common Mistakes

These errors are measured against Florida statutes and FLHSMV pages:

Counting from the court date. Suspension windows use the offense date.
Taking BDI to get the license back. Reinstatement after a points suspension needs ADI.
Mixing up the two ADI steps. A hardship license needs ADI completion; full reinstatement needs ADI enrollment.
Forgetting the fee. FLHSMV lists a fee for both paths.
Ignoring out-of-state tickets. They may be recorded with Florida point values.
Thinking points vanish after the window. They stay on the record at least 5 years from disposition.
Expecting a second 3-point deduction. The rule applies only to a driver suspended once under the point system.

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

How many points does it take to lose your license in Florida?

Twelve points in 12 months lets FLHSMV suspend your license for up to 30 days. At 18 points in 18 months, the limit is 3 months. At 24 points in 36 months, it is 1 year.

What course do I need after a points suspension?

Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI). FLHSMV requires proof of ADI completion for a hardship license and proof of ADI enrollment for reinstatement, plus a fee.

Can BDI get my license back?

No. BDI is not a reinstatement course. It only keeps points off an eligible new ticket when you elect it within 30 days.

Which date starts the 12, 18 and 36-month windows?

The offense date. Section 322.27(4) says FLHSMV uses the offense date of all convictions when it counts points for a suspension.

Do points come off after a suspension?

Three points are deducted if your license was suspended under the point system only once and you were reinstated. You must also have met all other requirements.

Does a paid ticket count toward a suspension?

Yes. Paying the civil penalty without electing BDI counts as a conviction, and points are added. Those points count toward the 12, 18 and 24-point levels.

Do camera tickets count toward a suspension?

No. Red light camera and school zone speed camera tickets carry no points, so they do not add to your total.

Do tickets from other states count toward a suspension?

They can. Under s. 322.27(3)(e), a conviction in another state may be recorded with the same points it would carry in Florida.

Conclusion

Florida can suspend a license at 12 points in 12 months, 18 in 18 months or 24 in 36 months, counted by offense date. The way back runs through ADI, plus a fee, and after a single points suspension and reinstatement, 3 points are deducted.

For a new eligible ticket, a BDI election within 30 days keeps points off your total. When you have elected and 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.