Missouri Traffic Laws: Points, Tickets, License Suspension and DUI

Missouri uses a point system run by the Director of Revenue. Points are assessed only after a conviction. The Department sends a notice at 4 or more points in 12 months, suspends the license at 8 points in 18 months, and revokes it at 12 points in 12 months, 18 points in 24 months, or 24 points in 36 months. A points suspension lasts 30 days the first time, 60 days the second time, and 90 days for later suspensions; without proof of insurance (SR-22) it continues for two years.

A speeding conviction under state law is 3 points; under a county or municipal ordinance it is 2 points.

Points are reduced over time without new moving-violation convictions: by one-third after the first full year, by half of the remainder after the second consecutive year, and the rest are removed after the third consecutive year.

When ordered and verified by the court, completing an approved driver-improvement program (meeting the National Safety Council eight-hour Defensive Driving Course standard; online or in person) is accepted instead of points for most moving violations, including speeding. It can be used only once in any 36-month period and must be completed within 60 days of conviction. It is not available for violations in a commercial motor vehicle or by commercial license holders.

Find out why your privilege was suspended, revoked or denied from the Driver License Bureau's letters or your driver record ($2.82 at a license office or by calling 573-526-2407). Reinstatement fees vary by reason and are added together: for example, $20 for non-alcohol points; $45 for alcohol-related points or administrative alcohol suspension; mandatory insurance $20 (1st offense), $200 (2nd), $400 (3rd); false insurance $150. Some cases also require completing SATOP and filing SR-22 proof of insurance (kept for two years, or three years for mandatory insurance suspensions). Pay online at mydmv.mo.gov by card (convenience fee 2.0% + $0.25 per transaction), in person at the Driver License Bureau, Truman State Office Building, 301 West High Street, Room 470, Jefferson City, or by mail to Driver License Bureau, PO Box 200, Jefferson City, MO 65105-0200. After a revocation of one year or more, you must retake the complete driver exam.

Grounds include point accumulation (suspension at 8 points in 18 months; revocation at 12/18/24 points in 12/24/36 months), an alcohol test at or above the legal limit (administrative suspension), test refusal (one-year revocation), and DWI convictions. Points suspensions end after 30, 60 or 90 days only if proof of financial responsibility is filed; otherwise they last two years.

0.08 for drivers generally; 0.04 for commercial motor vehicle drivers; 0.02 for drivers under 21 (administrative suspension).

A first driving-while-intoxicated offense is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. It adds 8 points. The administrative suspension for a test at or above the limit with no prior alcohol-related contacts in five years is 30 days followed by a 60-day restricted driving privilege (which requires an ignition interlock); if the driver files proof of a certified ignition interlock, there is no suspension period and a 90-day restricted period applies instead. Having a child under 17 in the vehicle raises the offense to a class A misdemeanor.

Refusing a chemical test after a lawful request results in a one-year license revocation (or a one-year denial for unlicensed residents and revocation of a nonresident's privilege).

5 years. A 'prior offender' is someone found guilty of one intoxication-related traffic offense that occurred within five years of the current offense; prior offenders face a class A misdemeanor. Administrative suspension length also depends on alcohol-related contacts in the preceding five years.

A court or the Director of Revenue may grant a limited driving privilege to a person whose license is suspended or revoked when the person must drive for work, medical treatment, school, or similar needs, subject to eligibility limits. A circuit court must grant a limited driving privilege to an otherwise eligible person who has filed proof of installation of a certified ignition interlock device.

The 'Siddens Bening Hands Free Law' bars all drivers on any highway or public road from physically holding or supporting an electronic device, reading or writing texts, emails or social media, making calls except in voice-operated or hands-free mode, and retrieving data on a device. Violations are infractions: up to $150 with no prior conviction in 24 months, up to $250 with one prior, and up to $500 with two or more priors, with higher penalties in work zones and school zones. Only warnings were issued for noncommercial drivers before January 1, 2025. A driver may not be stopped solely for this violation.

DWI becomes a felony based on the driver's prior record or the harm caused. It is a class E felony for a 'persistent offender' (two or more prior intoxication-related traffic offenses, or one involving injury or death); a class D felony for an 'aggravated offender' (three or more priors) or when the DWI causes physical injury through criminal negligence; a class C felony for a 'chronic offender' (four or more priors) or when it causes serious physical injury; and a class B felony for a 'habitual offender' (five or more priors) or when it causes a death. Causing a death can be a class A felony in some cases, including for someone already found guilty of a class B DWI. The offender categories use prior offenses committed on separate occasions, with no time limit except for the 'prior offender' (misdemeanor) level, which uses a 5-year window.

After at least 10 years, a person with a single misdemeanor (or municipal ordinance) intoxication-related traffic offense, not involving a commercial vehicle, and no later intoxication-related offense or alcohol-related enforcement contact, can ask the court to expunge all records of the arrest, plea, trial or conviction. Only one such expungement is allowed in a lifetime. How long a DWI stays on the Missouri driving record was not found on an official page.

Yes, they have been used. The Missouri State Highway Patrol has announced sobriety checkpoints where motorists are contacted for the limited purpose of determining whether they are impaired by alcohol or other drugs.