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Rhode Island good driving record dismissal rules

In Rhode Island a first ticket in three years can be dismissed on a good driving record, with no course. It applies up to 14 mph over, once every 3 years.

Rules checked

Rhode Island has no traffic school for dismissal. A driver licensed for more than three years whose ticket is the first in the past three years can ask the Traffic Tribunal or municipal court, in person, to dismiss it on a good driving record, with a $35 fee plus a $25 surcharge. No course is required. Speeding more than 14 mph over, school bus, crash, child restraint and CDL or commercial vehicle tickets are excluded. The court cannot grant it more than six months after disposition. The 6 hour Defensive Driving course is court ordered, not elective.

What a course does
Dismissal on a good record, no course
Speed limit for the course
Up to 14 mph over
How often
Once every 3 years
Deadline to ask
Not published
Speeding points
No point system
Points count for
No point system

The Rhode Island rule

Every field of the rule. The number points to its source at the foot of the page.

The program
Dismissal based on good driving record (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-41.1-7; no course involved)
Source 1
What it does
Dismissal on a good record, no course
Source 1
Set by each court
No
Source 1
Speed limit for the course
Up to 14 mph over
Source 1
Bar at double the posted limit
Not published
Open to CDL holders
No
Source 1
Open to tickets in a commercial vehicle
No
Source 1
Open to learner and provisional licenses
Not published
Open to drivers licensed in another state
Yes
Source 4
How often
Once every 3 years, counted from the ticket date
Source 1
Lifetime limit
Not published
Deadline to ask
Not published
Court fee for the course
$60thirty-five dollar ($35.00) administrative fee for court costs, plus a twenty-five dollar ($25.00) surcharge on all dismissals based upon a good driving record
Source 1
Course length
Not published
Course price the rule publishes
Not published
Crashes
Closed to tickets with a crash
Source 1

Who qualifies

  • CDL holders do not qualify, in any vehicle.
  • Tickets written in a commercial vehicle do not qualify.
  • Drivers licensed in another state can qualify.
  • Speeding tickets up to 14 mph over the limit qualify.
  • Closed to tickets with a crash.
  • Once every 3 years, counted from the ticket date.

Left out of the program, in the words of the rule

  • any violation within the original jurisdiction of superior or district court
  • refusal to submit to a chemical test (31-27-2.1)
  • any violation involving a school bus
  • any violation involving an accident with property damage or personal injury
  • speeding in excess of 14 mph above the posted limit
  • child restraint violations (31-22-22)
  • any violation by a commercial license holder, or in a commercial motor vehicle by a driver without a commercial license

Deadline and how to ask

  1. Ticket writtenDay 0
  2. Deadline to askBy the date on your citation

The state rule names no day count. The date on your citation or notice applies.

Ask in person.

Get the date for your ticket

Points in Rhode Island

Rhode Island keeps no point record for drivers.

Points table, low confidence: we found no published point schedule.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 31-27-24, Multiple moving offenses (Internet Archive capture of 2026-05-14) (opens in a new tab)

Fees as published

Court fee for the course
$60State, in its own words: thirty-five dollar ($35.00) administrative fee for court costs, plus a twenty-five dollar ($25.00) surcharge on all dismissals based upon a good driving recordR.I. Gen. Laws 31-41.1-7, Application for dismissal based on good driving record (Internet Archive capture of 2026-01-09) (opens in a new tab)

What we could not confirm

  • Not publishedWe found no published point schedule, so the points table carries low confidence.

Check a Rhode Island ticket

The form opens the checker with Rhode Island filled in. Add the violation and the date from your ticket.

Open the full checker for Rhode Island

Rhode Island traffic school questions

Can a ticket be dismissed without traffic school in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island a first ticket in three years can be dismissed on a good driving record, with no course. It applies up to 14 mph over, once every 3 years. The program: Dismissal based on good driving record (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-41.1-7; no course involved).

How many mph over can you be for traffic school in Rhode Island?

Up to 14 mph over the limit under the state rule.

How often can you take traffic school in Rhode Island?

Once every 3 years, counted from the ticket date.

Can CDL holders take traffic school in Rhode Island?

No. The published rule closes the course to CDL holders, in any vehicle.

Does Rhode Island use a point system for traffic tickets?

No. Rhode Island keeps no point record for drivers.

Sources

Checked against these pages in .

  1. R.I. Gen. Laws 31-41.1-7, Application for dismissal based on good driving record (Internet Archive capture of 2026-01-09) (opens in a new tab)Statute, read
  2. Driver Retraining, Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-09) (opens in a new tab)State driver license office, read
  3. R.I. Gen. Laws 31-27-24, Multiple moving offenses (Internet Archive capture of 2026-05-14) (opens in a new tab)Statute, read
  4. Know Your Rights, Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal (revised December 2015) (opens in a new tab)State court system, read