What a Washington speeding ticket is

A Washington speeding ticket handed out by an officer is usually a notice of traffic infraction for a violation of RCW 46.61.400 (basic rule and maximum limits), or of the school / playground zone rule in RCW 46.61.440 or the roadway construction zone rule in RCW 46.61.527. It is not the same paper as a mailed Washington camera notice from a city or county automated traffic safety camera program (RCW 46.63.220–.260) or a WSDOT work-zone speed safety camera (RCW 46.63.200). If the paper has photos and names a camera program, see Washington automated camera notices. Confirm what your paper says.

US overview: What a speeding ticket notice is. Contrast: What an NYC speeding ticket is · What a California speeding ticket is · What a Florida speeding ticket is · What a Pennsylvania speeding ticket is · What a Virginia speeding ticket is · What a Colorado speeding ticket is · What a Maryland speeding ticket is.

Infraction, not a crime — what the RCW says

RCW 46.63.020 (app.leg.wa.gov, retrieved 6 Oct 2026): failure to perform an act required, or performing an act prohibited, by Title 46 “is designated as a traffic infraction and may not be classified as a criminal offense,” except for the offenses that section lists. Reckless driving under RCW 46.61.500 is on that list; the speeding sections above are not. That is the statute’s statement.

RCW 46.63.060(2) (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): the notice of traffic infraction must include a statement that a traffic infraction “is a noncriminal offense for which imprisonment may not be imposed as a sanction,” a statement of the monetary penalty established for the infraction, and the options for responding. Subsection (1): the notice “represents a determination that an infraction has been committed,” which “will be final unless contested.” That is the statute’s statement.

Separately, RCW 46.61.465 (retrieved 6 Oct 2026) states that driving above the maximum lawful speeds “shall be prima facie evidence” of reckless operation, and RCW 46.61.500 (version printed as “Effective until January 1, 2029,” retrieved 6 Oct 2026) makes reckless driving a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days and a fine of not more than $5,000, with a license suspension of not less than 30 days. That is a different, criminal charge. Read the charge printed on your paper.

Speed limits (RCW 46.61.400 and related sections)

RCW 46.61.400 (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): no person shall drive faster “than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions.” Unless a special hazard requires a lower speed, the maximum limits are 25 mph on city and town streets, 50 mph on county roads, and 60 mph on state highways, and those limits “may be altered as authorized in RCW 46.61.405, 46.61.410, and 46.61.415.” RCW 46.61.410 lets the Secretary of Transportation raise a limit to not more than 75 mph (vehicles over 10,000 lb and combinations not over 60 mph). RCW 46.61.415 lets local authorities alter limits as that section describes — generally after an engineering and traffic investigation (increase not above 60 mph, decrease not below 20 mph), and separately a 20 mph limit on nonarterial highways or 10 mph on shared streets under the conditions in subsection (3). Altered limits take effect when signs are posted. That is the statute’s statement. Read the posted limit and the charge on your notice.

Base penalty schedule (court rule IRLJ 6.2)

RCW 46.63.110(3) (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): “The supreme court shall prescribe by rule a schedule of monetary penalties for designated traffic infractions.” Subsection (1)(a): “No penalty may exceed $250 for each offense unless authorized by this chapter or title.” That is the statute’s statement.

Washington Courts, Infraction Rules for Courts of Limited Jurisdiction IRLJ 6.2 (courts.wa.gov PDF, amended effective 27 Jul 2025, retrieved 6 Oct 2026) lists base penalties “not including statutory assessments”:

Speeding (RCW 46.61.400) where the speed limit is over 40 mph: 1–5 mph over — $33; 6–10 — $43; 11–15 — $58; 16–20 — $73; 21–25 — $88; 26–30 — $108; 31–35 — $133; 36–40 — $158; over 40 — $188.

Speeding where the speed limit is 40 mph or less: 1–5 mph over — $43; 6–10 — $48; 11–15 — $63; 16–20 — $83; 21–25 — $108; 26–30 — $133; 31–35 — $158; over 35 — $188. Speed too fast for conditions (RCW 46.61.400(1)) — $48 ($73 if an accident occurs in conjunction). That is the court rule’s statement.

IRLJ 6.2(a) also states that the penalty for a listed infraction “may not be changed by local court rule,” and that whenever the base penalty plus statutory assessments “results in a total payment that is not an even dollar amount, the base penalty is deemed to be amended to a higher amount which produces the next greatest even dollar total.” That is the court rule’s statement.

Assessments and fees added by statute

RCW 46.63.110(7) (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): a person found to have committed a traffic infraction is assessed fees of $5, $10, and $10 per infraction, each of which “under no circumstances shall … be reduced or waived.” Subsection (8)(a): an additional penalty of $24 for a traffic infraction “other than of RCW 46.61.527 or 46.61.212.” Subsection (4): a penalty of $25 for failure to respond to a (non-parking) notice. RCW 3.62.090 (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): courts organized under Title 3 or 35 RCW assess a public safety and education assessment “equal to seventy percent” of the fine or penalty, plus an additional assessment “equal to fifty percent” of that first assessment; neither may be suspended or waived by the court. That is the statutes’ statement.

UNKNOWN from these texts alone: the exact total a given district or municipal court prints for your speed band after assessments, fees, and IRLJ 6.2(a) even-dollar rounding. This page does not compute a statewide “Washington speeding ticket = $X” total. The amount due should be printed on your notice (RCW 46.63.060(2)(d)). Confirm it with the court named on the notice.

School / playground zones and roadway construction zones

RCW 46.61.440 (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): it is unlawful to exceed 20 mph when passing a marked school or playground crosswalk that is fully posted with standard school or playground speed limit signs; that zone extends 300 feet in either direction from the crosswalk. A county, city, or town may also create a 20 mph school or playground speed zone bordering the property, extending up to 300 feet. Subsection (3): a person found to have committed “any infraction relating to speed restrictions within a school or playground speed zone shall be assessed a monetary penalty equal to twice the penalty assessed under RCW 46.63.110. This penalty may not be waived, reduced, or suspended.” That is the statute’s statement.

RCW 46.61.527 (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): no person may drive in a roadway construction zone “at a speed greater than that allowed by traffic control devices.” Subsection (3): a person found to have committed “any infraction relating to speed restrictions in a roadway construction zone shall be assessed a monetary penalty equal to twice the penalty assessed under RCW 46.63.110. This penalty may not be waived, reduced, or suspended.” Driving in a roadway construction zone in a way that endangers persons or property is a separate gross misdemeanor, reckless endangerment of roadway workers (subsection (4)). That is the statute’s statement. The statute’s doubling trigger is an infraction “relating to speed restrictions” in the zone; this page does not add other conditions to it.

Responding to the notice — what the statute and court rule say

RCW 46.63.070(1) (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): a person who receives a notice of traffic infraction “shall respond to such notice … within 30 days of the date of the notice.” IRLJ 2.4(a) (courts.wa.gov PDF, amended effective 1 Jan 2023, retrieved 6 Oct 2026) states that a person must respond “within 30 days of the date the notice is personally served or, if the notice is served by mail, within 33 days of the date the notice is mailed.” Those are the statute’s and the court rule’s statements. This page does not reconcile them. Use the response date and instructions printed on your notice.

IRLJ 2.4(b) lists the response options: paying the penalty; contesting by requesting a hearing; requesting a hearing to explain mitigating circumstances; requesting a decision on written statements if a local court rule allows it; or admitting responsibility and attesting to a current inability to pay in full. RCW 46.63.070(5) states that, at a contested or mitigation hearing, the court may defer findings for up to one year; a person “may not receive more than one deferral within a seven-year period for traffic infractions for moving violations,” and a commercial driver’s license holder, or a person operating a commercial motor vehicle at the time of the violation, may not receive a deferral. RCW 46.63.070(6): if a person fails to respond or fails to appear at a requested hearing, the court enters an order assessing the penalty and notifies the Department of Licensing. Those are the statute’s and court rule’s statements. We do not tell you which option to choose.

Driving record and DOL suspension for moving violations

RCW 46.52.101(2) (retrieved 6 Oct 2026): after a finding that a traffic infraction was committed, the court clerk forwards an abstract to the Director of Licensing. WAC 308-104-160 (retrieved 6 Oct 2026) lists “speed too fast for conditions” and “speed in excess of maximum limit” (RCW 46.61.400 or 46.61.460) and “speeding in a school zone” (RCW 46.61.440) as moving violations. That is the statute’s and rule’s statement. The sources retrieved for this page describe a count of moving-violation “occasions,” not a points schedule; this page does not invent Washington points.

RCW 46.20.2892 (app.leg.wa.gov, retrieved 6 Oct 2026) is printed in three versions. The version “as amended by 2025 c 175” carries the note “This act takes effect April 1, 2026.” It states: “Whenever the official records of the department show that a person has committed a traffic infraction for a moving violation on three or more occasions within a one-year period, or on four or more occasions within a two-year period, the department must suspend the license of the driver for a period of 60 days and establish a period of probation for one year to begin when the suspension ends, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section. Prior to reinstatement of a license, the person must complete a safe driving course as recommended by the department.” Subsection (2) of that version states that the department “must terminate a suspension or pending suspension prior to the expiration of the 60-day period when the department receives notice that the person has completed the safe driving course,” if the other requirements that subsection lists are met, and that a suspension or pending suspension “may only be terminated early once every five years under this subsection.” The same version states that a moving-violation infraction during probation “shall result in an additional 30-day suspension,” that “The department may not charge a reissue fee at the end of the term of suspension under this section,” and that “multiple traffic infractions issued during or as the result of a single traffic stop constitute one occasion.” The version amended by 2025 c 23 (that act’s note: effective October 1, 2025) states the same thresholds, 60-day suspension, one-year probation, safe driving course, no-reissue-fee and single-stop texts, without the early-termination subsection. The code reviser’s note states the section “was amended twice during the 2025 legislative session, each without reference to the other,” and refers to RCW 1.12.025. The third version, “as amended by 2025 c 228,” is printed “(Effective January 1, 2029.)” and is not in effect on the retrieve date. That version would add an intelligent speed assistance device requirement during the first 120 days of probation where one or more counted violations is “excessive speeding, as defined in RCW 46.04.16991” (a definition also printed “Effective January 1, 2029”). That is the statute’s statement. We do not tell you how a ticket will affect your license.

Washington Department of Licensing page “Accumulation of traffic tickets (moving violations for traffic infractions)” (dol.wa.gov, retrieved 6 Oct 2026) restates a 60-day suspension for a moving violation on 3 separate occasions in a 12-month period or 4 separate occasions in a 24-month period, a 1-year probation, a 30-day suspension for each qualifying ticket during probation, and early termination after an approved safe driving course, an opportunity that “is only available once every 5 years.” That is DOL’s statement. Where a DOL page and RCW 46.20.2892 differ, this page follows the statute. Confirm your driving record with DOL. We do not tell you how a ticket will affect your license or insurance.

Do not mix this officer path with camera notices: RCW 46.63.220(16) and RCW 46.63.200(8)(e) state that infractions detected by those camera programs are not part of the registered owner’s driving record and are processed like parking infractions. Camera track: Washington automated camera notices.

Paths the paper / court describe (not which to choose)

An officer-issued Washington notice of infraction names the court and lists the response options the statute and IRLJ 2.4 describe. We do not tell you whether to pay, request a hearing, or request any other option.

Violation.com does not collect Washington penalties. If you upload a speeding notice, we summarize what the notice shows. It is not legal advice.

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Sources retrieved 6 Oct 2026:

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