Arkansas Driver’s License Points: The 14-Point Hearing And Suspension
Last updated on October 22, 2026
In Arkansas, reaching 14 points within 36 months triggers a hearing with the Office of Driver Services, and it can end in probation or a suspension: up to three months at 14 points, and up to a year at 24 or more. Most moving violations carry 3 to 8 points. A warning letter goes out at 10. If you skip the hearing, your license is automatically suspended.
At Wesley Rhodes, Attorney at Law, Little Rock criminal defense attorney Wesley Rhodes represents drivers facing a points suspension and defends the serious driving charges that carry the most points, such as reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. We serve Little Rock, Saline County, Faulkner County, and the surrounding areas.
| Points Within 36 Months | What Driver Services Can Do |
|---|---|
| 10 to 13 | Sends a warning letter |
| 14 to 17 | Schedules a hearing; suspension of up to 3 months |
| 18 to 23 | Suspension of up to 6 months |
| 24 or more | Suspension of up to 1 year |
Driver Services Regulation 1993-9 (006.05.93 Ark. Code R. 014); Ark. Code § 27-16-907(a); Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Driver Improvements. The ranges are maximums, and the hearing can also end in probation.
Don’t Skip the Hearing
If you don’t attend, your license is automatically suspended. Under Driver Services’ regulation, not attending is treated as choosing to waive the hearing in favor of the suspension. The hearing is your chance to be heard before that happens.
How Many Points Each Violation Carries
Points are set by the Department of Finance and Administration’s violation schedule. Common driving offenses.
| Violation | Points |
|---|---|
| Speeding 1 to 10 mph over the limit | 3 |
| Speeding 11 to 20 mph over | 4 |
| Speeding 21 to 30 mph over | 5 |
| Speeding 31 mph or more over | 8 |
| Running a stop sign or red light; failure to yield | 3 |
| Improper lane change; following too closely; improper passing or turn; failure to signal | 3 |
| Careless or inattentive driving | 3 |
| Driving on a suspended or revoked license | 3 |
| Reckless driving | 8 |
| Hit-and-run or leaving the scene of an accident | 8 |
| Fleeing or evading police; speed contest (racing); passing a school bus displaying its warning | 8 |
| Texting or using a hand-held phone while driving | 0 |
| DWI — handled through its own suspension instead | 0 |
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Violations and Points. Speeding is coded by how far over the limit you were; the schedule also includes an Arkansas-only code for 15 mph or more over, which carries 5 points.
How Points Add Up
- Points come from convictions, not tickets. A ticket that’s dismissed or that you beat adds nothing. Paying a ticket is different: payment is accepted as a plea of guilty or no contest.
- Out-of-state convictions count the same as Arkansas convictions.
- The count covers 36 months, measured back from the date your hearing is scheduled.
- The whole record matters. Driver Services can act based on your points and your total driving record.
- The 36-month count isn’t the same as your driving record. The insurance version of your record shows violations for three years; the full history record goes back to when you were first licensed. You can order your record from Driver Services.
Driver Services Regulation 1993-9; Arkansas Judiciary, citation payments; Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Driving Records.
What Happens At The 14-Point Hearing
At 14 points, Driver Services sends a notice of suspension and schedules a hearing automatically. A hearing officer appointed by the Department of Finance and Administration conducts it at the Revenue office in your county, unless you agree to another location or to a hearing by phone. The hearing officer explains the point-system laws and the possible consequences, which can include probation or a suspension, and based on the evidence can modify, rescind, or affirm the action.
Preparation matters. Before the hearing, we check the math: the dates, the 36-month window, and whether every conviction on the record is yours and correctly coded. We also gather what supports a lesser outcome, such as why you need to drive for work, school, or family.
Ark. Code § 27-16-907(e); Driver Services Regulation 1993-9. See license suspension representation.
Can You Get Points Removed?
Not directly. But four different things affect what counts against you, and they work differently:
Court Outcomes
No conviction, no points. A dismissal or acquittal keeps them off, and some district courts offer programs for moving violations that end in dismissal. They vary by court. See deferred disposition.
Record Corrections
A conviction that isn’t yours, a dismissed ticket posted as a conviction, or the wrong violation code is an error to fix, not points to remove. The court’s disposition paperwork is where the fix starts.
Expiration
A conviction stops counting once it falls outside the 36-month window. There is no early release.
No Course That Erases Points
Neither Driver Services’ point regulation nor its Driver Improvements page offers a course that removes points. Be skeptical of anyone who promises one.
Driver Services Regulation 1993-9. For commercial license holders, federal rules bar courts from deferring or diverting a traffic conviction to keep it off the record (49 C.F.R. § 384.226).
Commercial Drivers
A suspension of your driving privilege takes your CDL off the road too. Separately, Driver Services’ schedule labels certain violations “serious,” including speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, following too closely, and texting while driving. Texting carries no points, but it still counts as serious.
- Two serious violations in a commercial vehicle within three years mean a 60-day CDL disqualification; three mean 120 days.
- Serious violations in your own car count toward those disqualifications if the conviction leads to a suspension, revocation, or cancellation of your license.
- No deferrals. Courts can’t defer or divert a CDL holder’s traffic conviction to keep it off the record.
See CDL DWI in Arkansas for the disqualifications that follow a DWI or test refusal.
Ark. Code §§ 27-23-103, 27-23-112(c); 49 C.F.R. § 384.226; Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Violations and Points.
Points Aren’t The Only Way To Lose Your License
Several offenses carry their own suspension, separate from the point system:
- DWI or a test refusal starts its own administrative suspension, with a seven-day deadline to request a hearing. See DWI license suspension.
- Not paying or appearing on a citation leads to a license suspension. See what happens if you miss your court date.
- Leaving the scene of an accident with injuries brings a mandatory revocation on top of the eight points.
How We Help
Points are often a symptom of something bigger: a pending suspension, a criminal driving charge, or a commercial license at risk. That’s where we focus:
- Representing you at the Driver Services hearing
- Reviewing your driving record and the 36-month count for errors
- Defending the criminal charges that carry eight points, such as reckless driving, leaving the scene, and fleeing
- Defending a charge of driving on a suspended license
- Protecting a CDL from disqualification
Related Guides
Facing a Points Hearing or Suspension?
Bring the notice and your driving record. Let’s check the math and your options before the hearing date.
Call us at 501-301-4591 or email us for a free consultation about a points suspension or a serious driving charge.
This page reflects Arkansas law and Driver Services rules as of October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice about your specific case.