Traffic Tickets in Fairfax

Before paying a Fairfax traffic ticket, check the charge on your summons. Eligible traffic infractions can be prepaid, but payment is a guilty plea. Reckless driving, driving while suspended and DUI are criminal charges that cannot be prepaid. Your record, license and work may make even an ordinary ticket worth reviewing. We handle both ordinary tickets and criminal traffic cases in Fairfax, and we can help you decide what makes sense for yours.

At a glance

• Fairfax County clerk: Traffic Division, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Room 106, Fairfax, VA 22030. Clerk’s office hours are Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; phones close at 3:30 p.m., (703) 246-2815. Room 106 is the clerk’s office, not your trial courtroom. Follow the court and hearing details on your summons.
• Prepayment: Only eligible charges may be prepaid. Payment waives trial and is a guilty plea. The court must receive it by the business day before the hearing; the method-specific cutoffs below matter. Credit-card payments add 4%.
• Criminal charges: Reckless driving, DUI, driving while suspended, driving without a license and hit and run cannot be prepaid. Plan to attend unless counsel confirms court permission excusing you.
• DMV points: Point-bearing convictions carry three, four or six points. Points count for two years from the offense date. Conviction retention is separate and varies by offense.
• Our fees: We handle Fairfax traffic infractions as well as criminal traffic charges. Fees vary by charge, and we tell you the fee before you hire us. Court fines and costs are separate.

Is Your Fairfax Ticket an Infraction or a Criminal Charge?

Virginia divides driving offenses into traffic infractions and crimes, and the difference matters more than anything else on your summons.

A traffic infraction is not a crime and does not carry jail. Ordinary speeding, following too closely, sign or signal violations, improper turns and failure to yield are examples. A conviction can bring a fine, costs and applicable demerit points, and may affect insurance or work. The charge written on the summons matters, not just the speed alleged.

Criminal traffic charges may be misdemeanors or, in some circumstances, felonies. Common examples include:

• Reckless driving by speed on a highway means 20 mph or more over the limit, or more than 85 mph regardless of the limit. Reckless driving is ordinarily a Class 1 misdemeanor, carrying up to 12 months in jail, a $2,500 fine, or both; statutory felony exceptions have different penalties. Our Fairfax reckless driving page and reckless driving versus speeding guide explain the distinction.
• Driving on a suspended or revoked license under § 46.2-301.
• Driving under the influence under § 18.2-266.
• Driving without a valid license, subject to statutory exemptions, and hit and run. The actual offense and circumstances determine whether the charge is a misdemeanor or felony.

Read the actual charge and code section. Section 16.1-69.40:1 excludes the criminal charges above from prepayment. Fairfax’s prepayment page warns that an incorrectly marked checkbox does not make a charge prepayable. Conversely, some eligible county or town tickets cannot be paid online but can be prepaid by another method. If the paperwork is unclear, send us a photo of your summons so we can help you understand the charge and whether it can be prepaid.

How Traffic Ticket Points Work in Virginia

Virginia DMV assigns demerit points after conviction, not after a stop. Point-bearing offenses carry three, four or six points. Examples from its official lists are:

• Three points: speeding 1 to 9 mph over the limit (on your record five years), improper passing, an improper turn, failing to obey a highway sign, or driving without lights (each three years).
• Four points: speeding 10–19 mph over the limit (five-year conviction retention); following too closely, failing to obey a traffic signal and failing to yield (each three years). A mailed school-bus camera notice is a different issue, addressed below.
• Six points: reckless driving by speed (11-year retention), ordinary speeding at 20 mph or more over the limit (five years), driving while suspended or revoked (11 years), and DUI (11 years). Not every reckless-driving offense has the same point value.

Demerit points count for two years from the offense date. The conviction can remain longer, commonly three, five or 11 years depending on the offense. DMV’s points page and offense lists distinguish those periods.

A qualifying violation-free year with a valid Virginia license can earn one safe-driving point, up to five. A qualifying clinic may earn five, generally once every 24 months; court-ordered attendance requires the court’s authorization for points. Under § 46.2-506, adult drivers reaching 18 demerit points in 12 months or 24 in 24 months receive a choice of a 90-day suspension plus a clinic, or nine months in the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program plus a clinic. Respond within the notice’s 30-day window. The program requires a restricted license and devices and does not authorize commercial-vehicle driving. Other point thresholds and younger-driver rules can require clinics sooner.

Should You Pay Your Fairfax Ticket?

Paying an eligible minor ticket may be reasonable. Before doing so, consider your record and any license or work concerns. Prepayment is a guilty plea and waiver of trial. A resulting point-bearing conviction is reported to DMV; it is not simply a fee to make the allegation disappear.

For Fairfax County prepayments, the court must receive payment by the business day before the hearing. The automated phone system stops two business days before court; on the last business day, speak to a clerk. Mail must arrive on time, and some county or town codes require phone, mail or in-person payment. Consult the prepayment page for current methods and the 4% credit-card fee. Virginia’s Online Case Information System can locate a case and hearing date, but does not accept payment.

Under § 19.2-258.1, an infraction case may be heard without a driver who neither prepays nor appears. Guilt must still be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Only a conviction brings the fine, costs and applicable points; missing court for an infraction alone does not authorize an arrest warrant. Missing required court on a criminal charge can lead to a warrant. If you missed a date, promptly confirm the case status and obtain legal advice.

If your license is from another state, resolve the Virginia case and check that state’s rules. The Driver License Compact requires reporting convictions to other member jurisdictions, but the home state’s point and licensing consequences are not necessarily Virginia’s.

What a Fairfax Speeding Ticket Costs

For eligible prepaid speeding charges, § 46.2-878.3 sets $6 per mph over the limit, $7 in qualifying school-crossing or work zones, and $8 plus a $200 base fine in designated residence districts under § 46.2-878.2. Above 80 but below 86 mph on a 65-mph highway, another $100 applies. These fine rates do not make a reckless-driving charge prepayable.

Under § 16.1-69.48:1, the base court-cost fee is $51 for a traffic infraction and $61 for a misdemeanor. Other statutory costs may apply. The court’s payment system or clerk can confirm the total for your ticket.

Our legal fee is separate from the fine and costs. For Fairfax traffic infractions there is no single fee because the charges vary so much, from speeding to sign violations, U-turns and red lights. We tell you the fee before you hire us, and the consultation is free.

When Hiring a Fairfax Traffic Lawyer Makes Sense

Most of our Fairfax traffic work involves criminal traffic charges: reckless driving, driving on a suspended license and DUI, where jail, a criminal record and a license suspension are on the table. If your summons carries one of those charges, talk with a lawyer before your court date.

We also represent drivers on ordinary Fairfax infractions. Hiring a lawyer for a ticket tends to make the most sense when the stakes behind the ticket are larger than the fine:

• You hold a commercial driver’s license, drive for work, or hold a security clearance that asks about your driving record.
• You already carry points, or you are within reach of a DMV suspension.
• You are not sure whether your charge is a ticket or a misdemeanor, or the speed on the summons is close to the reckless driving line.
• You live out of state and want to know what the Virginia conviction will mean at home.
• You disagree with what the officer wrote and want the case heard.

We will give you a candid assessment of the evidence, risks and fee. For some minor tickets, hiring a lawyer may not be worth the cost.

How We Handle Fairfax Traffic Cases

We start with your summons, driving record and the questions you want answered. We explain what you were charged with, whether it can be prepaid and what a conviction could mean for your license or work. You will understand the options and our fee before deciding whether to hire us. Benjamin Schaefer has practiced law since 2010, and Ryan Rambudhan has represented people accused of crimes since 2013.

Our regular work in Fairfax traffic court helps us prepare your case and explain the steps ahead. We review the available evidence, discuss what preparation will help and keep you informed about your court date. We can also discuss whether your appearance may be excused; until we confirm court permission, plan to attend. Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Herndon and Vienna have separate court locations, so we check your summons with you.

Our Fairfax criminal defense page covers the other charges we handle in the county. Our traffic ticket defense page explains driving offenses across Northern Virginia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk With a Fairfax Traffic Lawyer

At NOVADefenders, our office is in Fairfax, and we regularly handle cases in Fairfax County. Send us a photo of your summons and tell us about any concerns with your record, license or work. We will explain the charge, the next deadline and our proposed fee.

Call 703.273.6431 at any hour and you will speak with a real person. The consultation is free, and you can also contact us online.

Reviewed by attorney Ryan Rambudhan | Updated October 16, 2026