Virginia Driving Record Background Check: What Shows Up

Updated October 2026 · Reviewed by Billy Forte

A Virginia driving record background check by an employer can show your Virginia traffic convictions from up to the last 7 years, because each conviction goes on your DMV driving record. An employer can get your employment record, which covers up to 7 years, only with your signed release. Order your own record first, so you see the same entries before anyone else does.

Key Facts

Convictions show: courts report convictions to DMV, and DMV posts them to your record. See what shows.
Signed release: an employer needs your signed release for the employment record. See how employers get it.
Monitoring: DMV runs a required program for school bus drivers and driving instructors, plus a voluntary one for employers. See DMV programs.
Reckless vs. speeding: reckless driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor kept 11 years; speeding is an infraction kept 5 years. See the difference.
Check first: a copy of your record costs $9, or $8 online. See checking your record.

What Shows on a Virginia Driving Record

Your DMV driving record lists your traffic convictions. When a court finds you guilty, it reports the conviction to DMV. DMV then adds it to your file, along with any demerit points.

The DMV’s Moving Violations and Point Assessments page adds two points worth knowing:

No-point entries. DMV also posts traffic violations “that do not carry demerit points.”
Other states. Demerit points are also assigned for traffic convictions in other states.

So a Virginia record can show more than just tickets with points. It shows the convictions DMV has on file for you.

What Does Not Show

A mailed speed camera ticket is different. Under Code § 46.2-882.1, it is a civil penalty of up to $100. It is not a conviction, it is not on the driving record, and it is not used for insurance.

The rule is different when an officer hands out the summons at the time of the violation. In that case, the conviction goes on the driving record.

Virginia Driving Record Background Check: How Employers Get It

An employer cannot just look up your full record. The DMV’s record request page lists an employment version that covers up to 7 years. DMV says this record “must be accompanied by a signed release.”

DMV form CRD-93 says the same thing in other words: “An authorization from the subject is required for employers and others not authorized by Virginia code.”

So before an employer runs a Virginia driving record background check, it needs your signed release, unless Virginia law authorizes it to get the record. Our guide to Virginia driving record types compares all the versions.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

A release is your consent, so it helps to know what it covers. These questions are fair to ask the employer:

Which DMV record version will you request?
Is this a one-time check, or part of a monitoring program?
Will I get a chance to see the record you receive?

The answers come from the employer, not from DMV rules. Ask before you sign, not after.

DMV Record Monitoring Programs

Some checks do not stop after one look. The DMV record request page names two monitoring programs:

Mandatory Driving Record Monitoring Program. It covers school bus drivers and driving instructors.
Driver Alert. It is a voluntary program for employers.

DMV’s page lists these programs by name. For how a program applies to your job, ask your employer or DMV.

Reckless Driving Versus Speeding

How a conviction looks to an employer depends on what it is. Reckless driving and regular speeding are very different under Virginia law.

Reckless driving is a crime. Code § 46.2-868 makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Under Code § 18.2-11, that means up to 12 months in jail and a fine up to $2,500, either or both. It stays on the DMV record for 11 years.

Regular speeding is a traffic infraction. Code § 18.2-8 says traffic infractions are “not deemed to be criminal in nature.” A speeding conviction stays on the DMV record for 5 years.

Speed alone can cross the line. Driving 20 mph or more over the limit, or over 85 mph, is reckless driving. Our guide on whether a speeding ticket is a misdemeanor explains the difference.

Paid Tickets Still Become Convictions

Paying a ticket ahead of court does not keep it off the record. Under Code § 16.1-69.40:1, a person who prepays enters a guilty plea, and the conviction goes to DMV.

Reckless driving works differently. It cannot be prepaid, so it goes through court. Whether to pay or go to court is a choice for you, the court or a Virginia attorney.

Court Penalties Can Add Record Time

A reckless driving conviction can bring a license suspension too. Under Code § 46.2-392 and § 46.2-393, a court may suspend the license for up to 6 months. Over 100 mph, the court must order a suspension or the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program.

That matters for the record. DMV says a suspension or revocation can keep convictions on the record longer than the usual time.

How Long Common Entries Stay

This table shows the legal type and record time for a few entries. Each DMV point list shows record time in parentheses beside each violation.

Record entry	Legal type	Time on the DMV record
Speeding, any tier that is not reckless	Traffic infraction	5 years
Reckless driving	Class 1 misdemeanor	11 years
Driving while license is suspended or revoked	Class 1 misdemeanor	11 years
Mailed speed camera ticket	Civil penalty	Not on the record

Driving while suspended is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Code § 46.2-301. The DMV’s Six Point Violations page lists it with an 11-year record time. A suspension or revocation can also keep convictions on the record longer.

See how long violations stay for more entries.

Steps to see what a Virginia employer will see on your DMV driving record

Check Your Own Record First

You can see your record before an employer does. DMV takes orders online, by mail, or in person.

Web: order through the DMV online record request service.
Mail: form CRD-93, or a letter with your request.
Cost: $9 per record, or $8 online, under DMV 201. Certification adds $5.

Pick the personal version for the widest view. It reaches back up to 11 years, which is longer than the 7-year employment version.

DMV’s “Log on to See Your Point Balance” service shows just your current points. A record you open online can be opened again within 5 days, the DMV page says.

Read each entry and compare it with your court papers. If something looks wrong, our guide on disputing a record error explains what to check.

Points Versus Convictions

Points and convictions run on separate clocks. Code § 46.2-493 gives demerit points a 2-year life, counted from the offense date. Each conviction has its own record time, set per violation.

So a conviction can still show after its points stop counting. DMV says the dates points come off “are not related to” the dates convictions come off.

Insurance and Your Record

DMV also lists an insurance summary record that covers up to 5 years.

After a conviction, DMV “notifies your insurance company upon request.” Insurance company points are set by each company and are not related to DMV demerit points.

The Bureau of Insurance says premium increases for violations “may be applied for 36 months.” It also says a surcharge “has nothing to do with the points on your motor vehicle record.”

Where the Driver Improvement Clinic Fits

A Driver Improvement Clinic does not take a conviction off your record. The conviction stays for the full time DMV sets.

What the clinic can do is earn 5 safe driving points, once every 24 months. Code § 46.2-498 words it as five demerit points subtracted from the driver’s total. The balance never goes above +5.

Other Kinds of Checks

A DMV driving record is one kind of record. The DMV pages we read cover only the driving record, not other background checks.

If an employer asks to check your background, ask which record it will pull. For questions about your own case, a Virginia attorney can help.

What We Found on the Official Pages

When we reviewed DMV’s record request page on October 27, 2026, it showed the 7-year employment record and its signed release. It also named the mandatory monitoring program and the voluntary Driver Alert program.

The fee sheet, DMV 201 (rev. August 10, 2026), still showed $9 per record.

The request form, CRD-93 (rev. July 1, 2026), still carried the employer authorization line.

Virginia driving record background check summary: 7-year employment record, signed release, and record times

Common Mistakes

These errors run against the Code of Virginia or DMV’s own pages:

Thinking employers can pull the record freely. The employment record needs your signed release.
Treating all speed tickets the same. Regular speeding is an infraction, but reckless driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Expecting old points to hide a conviction. The 2-year point clock does not end the conviction entry.
Assuming a camera ticket is on the record. A mailed camera ticket is not a conviction and is not on the record.
Treating insurer points as DMV points. Each insurer builds its own; DMV points are separate.
Skipping your own copy. At $9, or $8 online, your own record shows what is on file.

How Requirements Can Vary

Virginia’s point rules, safe driving points and DMV clinic orders come from the Code of Virginia and DMV rules, and they apply statewide. What you must do still depends on whether you take the clinic by choice, because of a DMV notice, or under a court order. A court order sets its own deadline and proof steps.

Laws, fees and court practice can change. Check your DMV notice, your court order and the Virginia DMV website for current rules before you enroll or file anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do traffic tickets show up on a background check in Virginia?

Traffic convictions show on your Virginia DMV driving record. An employer can get the employment version, which covers up to 7 years, only with your signed release.

How far back does a Virginia employment driving record go?

DMV lists the employment record as covering up to 7 years. The personal record covers up to 11 years, and the insurance record up to 5 years.

Is a speeding ticket a crime in Virginia?

A regular speeding ticket is a traffic infraction. Code § 18.2-8 says infractions are “not deemed to be criminal in nature.” Reckless driving by speed is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

How long does reckless driving stay on a Virginia driving record?

Reckless driving stays on the DMV record for 11 years. Its 6 demerit points count for only 2 years from the offense date.

Can an employer see my record without asking me?

DMV says the employment record must come with a signed release. Form CRD-93 says authorization from you is required for employers not authorized by Virginia law.

What is Driver Alert?

Driver Alert is a voluntary DMV program for employers. The DMV record request page lists it next to the mandatory program for school bus drivers and driving instructors.

Does paying a ticket keep it off my record?

No. Prepaying a ticket is a guilty plea, and the record of conviction is sent to DMV. The conviction then shows on your driving record.

Do speed camera tickets show up on my record?

No. A mailed speed camera ticket is a civil penalty. It is not a conviction and is not on your driving record.

Conclusion

A Virginia driving record background check shows your traffic convictions, and an employer needs your signed release for the 7-year employment record. Reckless driving stays 11 years as a Class 1 misdemeanor, while regular speeding stays 5 years as an infraction.

When a DMV notice calls for a clinic, or you want the safe driving point benefit, you can take the Virginia Driver Improvement Course. For a court-ordered clinic, check with the court before you enroll that it accepts an online course.

Sources

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

This article is general information, not legal advice. Virginia DMV rules, court orders, fines and penalties depend on your notice, summons, court and case facts, and they can change. Use official Virginia DMV and court sources, and consult a qualified Virginia attorney for advice about your own case.