Provincial Offences
How many demerit points will a ticket cost, and when is a licence suspended?
Last updated October 7, 2026.
Most Ontario tickets carry 2 to 7 demerit points, recorded only if you are convicted, and they count for two years from the date of the offence. A fully licensed driver gets a warning letter at 6 points, may be called to an interview at 9, and has the licence suspended at 15. A novice driver (G1, G2, M1 or M2) is suspended at 9 points.
Points are a Ministry of Transportation record, separate from the fine. They are often the real reason a ticket is worth a second look, which is why our page on help with provincial offences and traffic tickets starts with the driving record, not just the dollar amount. Below is how the demerit point system works under Ontario Regulation 339/94, what each common offence costs in points, and what you can do before a conviction lands on your record.
How do demerit points work in Ontario, step by step?
The rules come from section 56 of the Highway Traffic Act, which lets the province set up a demerit point system, and from Ontario Regulation 339/94, which sets the points and the consequences. The Ministry's own guide, Understanding demerit points, explains the same system in plain terms. Here is the usual order of events.
- You receive a ticket or summons. A ticket is only an allegation. No points go on your record when the officer hands it to you.
- You choose how to respond. Under the Provincial Offences Act, a Part I offence notice gives you 15 days to pay, ask for a meeting with the prosecutor (where the notice offers one) or file a notice of intention to appear for a trial (sections 5, 5.1 and 8). If you do nothing for 15 days, you are deemed not to dispute the charge and can be convicted without a hearing (section 9).
- A conviction is entered. Paying the fine is a guilty plea. So is a deal reached at an early resolution meeting, and so is a finding of guilt after a trial.
- The Registrar records the points. Section 2 of the regulation says the points are recorded "as of the date of commission of the offence," not the date you were convicted. That matters for the two-year count.
- Your total is checked against the thresholds. The Ministry adds up the points for offences committed within any two-year period (section 1 of the regulation) and sends a letter, calls you to an interview or suspends your licence depending on the total.
- Points drop off. Each conviction's points stop counting two years after the offence date. You do not "lose" points and earn them back: you start at zero and gain points for convictions.
Because nothing is recorded until there is a conviction, the period between the ticket and the court date is when the outcome can still change. For tickets issued in Hamilton, where and how to respond is set out on our Hamilton provincial offences court page.
How many points does each ticket carry?
The table to Regulation 339/94 lists more than 50 offences. These are the ones drivers ask about most often.
| Offence | Highway Traffic Act section | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Failing to remain at the scene of a collision | s. 200 | 7 |
| Failing to stop when signalled by police | s. 216 | 7 |
| Careless driving | s. 130 | 6 |
| Racing or stunt driving | s. 172 | 6 |
| Speeding 50 km/h or more over the limit | s. 128 | 6 |
| Failing to stop for a school bus | s. 175 | 6 |
| Speeding 30 to 49 km/h over the limit | s. 128 | 4 |
| Following too closely | s. 158 | 4 |
| Failing to yield to a pedestrian, or at a pedestrian crossover | ss. 144(7), 140 | 4 |
| Speeding 16 to 29 km/h over the limit | s. 128 | 3 |
| Holding or using a hand-held device while driving | s. 78.1 | 3 |
| Running a red light or stop sign | ss. 144, 136 | 3 |
| Failing to report a collision | s. 199 | 3 |
| Improper passing | ss. 148, 149, 150, 166 | 3 |
| Failing to signal, improper turns | ss. 141, 142 | 2 |
| Driver not wearing a seat belt | s. 106(2) | 2 |
| Speeding 1 to 15 km/h over the limit | s. 128 | 0 (not in the table) |
Some charges people worry about carry no points at all because they are not in the table. Driving without insurance and driving while suspended are examples: their consequences come through large fines and further suspensions instead. Speeding is split into bands, and the exact speed on the ticket decides the points, as our page on speeding fines and safety zones explains.
What happens at each point total?
| Points within two years | Fully licensed driver | Novice driver (G1, G2, M1, M2) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 5 | Nothing yet | Warning letter |
| 6 to 8 | Warning letter | May be required to attend an interview; suspension or cancellation possible if you do not attend or show cause |
| 9 to 14 | May be required to attend an interview; suspension or cancellation possible if you do not attend or show cause | Licence suspended for 60 days (first time) |
| 15 or more | Licence suspended for 30 days (first time) | Licence suspended |
| After a suspension | Points reduced to 7 | Points reduced to 4 |
For a fully licensed driver, a second suspension under the same section lasts six months if it comes from an offence committed within two years after the earlier suspension ended (section 9). The suspension period runs from the day you surrender your licence, or two years from the date of the suspension, whichever comes first. That is why the Ministry warns that a driver who never surrenders the licence can lose it for up to two years. The Ministry's guide describes the 9 to 14 point stage for full drivers (and 6 to 8 for novices) as a second warning letter; the regulation itself allows the Registrar to require an interview at that stage.
Getting the licence back also costs money. The Ministry's page on reinstating a suspended licence lists a $281 reinstatement fee, which does not apply to medical suspensions.
What changes the answer?
A court-ordered suspension can replace the points
If the sentence for an offence includes a licence suspension, no demerit points are recorded for that conviction, except for the hand-held device and display screen offences (sections 78 and 78.1) and racing or stunt driving under section 172 (O. Reg. 339/94, s. 3(1), as amended by O. Reg. 281/25). So a careless driving conviction with a court-ordered suspension does not also add 6 points, but a stunt driving conviction does.
Several charges from one stop
When you are convicted of two or more offences from the same incident and no suspension is ordered, only the conviction with the most points counts (section 3(2)). Two tickets from one stop do not double up.
A second distracted driving conviction
If you are convicted under section 78 or 78.1 for an offence committed less than five years after an earlier conviction under either section, 6 points are recorded instead of 3 (section 2(2)). Our page on distracted driving penalties covers the fines and suspensions that come with it.
Your licence class
Novice drivers face lower thresholds and also face escalating penalties. The Ministry's guide says a novice convicted of an offence worth 4 or more points can have the licence suspended for 30 days for a first occurrence, 90 days for a second, and cancelled for a third. Our page on tickets for G1 and G2 drivers goes through those rules. If you hold a full licence in one class and a novice licence in another, the fully licensed rules apply (section 18).
Tickets outside Ontario
The Ministry's guide says convictions in other Canadian provinces and territories, New York and Michigan add points as if the offence happened in Ontario, for offences such as speeding, failing to obey a stop sign or signal, racing and careless driving (see also section 4 of the regulation).
An appeal
If you appeal a conviction and serve notice of the appeal on the Registrar, the conviction and its points are kept off your record, or removed, unless the conviction is upheld (section 5). Section 55 of the Highway Traffic Act likewise stays a conviction-based suspension while an appeal goes ahead, once the Registrar has satisfactory notice.
Stunt-level speeding
The Ministry's guide lists 6 points for going 40 km/h or more over in a zone under 80 km/h. That speed is defined as a stunt in Ontario Regulation 455/07, so the charge is usually stunt driving under section 172, which carries 6 points plus the suspensions described on our stunt driving penalties page.
A worked example
For example, imagine a Hamilton driver named Dana who has held a full G licence for years. In March 2025 she was convicted of failing to stop at a stop sign (3 points, counted from the offence date). In August 2026 she is ticketed for going 35 km/h over the limit on a city road, which is a 4-point offence. If she pays, she reaches 7 points within two years and the Ministry mails her a warning letter.
Then imagine a third ticket in early 2027 for careless driving after a minor collision. Six more points would bring her to 13, inside the interview range. The stop sign points from March 2025 drop off two years after that offence, so the timing of each offence date matters.
Dana could instead ask for a meeting with the prosecutor on the speeding ticket. At that meeting a defendant and the prosecutor can agree on a plea to the offence or to a substituted offence (Provincial Offences Act, s. 5.1(7)). If a plea to 29 km/h over were agreed, the band would drop to 3 points. Nothing about this is automatic: it depends on the prosecutor, the evidence and her record. It shows why points are worth checking before paying.
Common mistakes drivers make with demerit points
- Paying without checking the points. Payment is a guilty plea under section 8 of the Provincial Offences Act, and the points follow automatically. Our article on when to pay and when to fight a traffic ticket walks through that choice.
- Letting the 15 days run out. After 15 days with no response, the clerk can enter a conviction without a hearing and impose the set fine (section 9). The points follow that conviction too.
- Counting two years from the conviction date. Points count from the offence date, so a conviction entered months after the ticket may drop off sooner than you think.
- Assuming an out-of-province ticket stays out of province. Convictions in other provinces, New York and Michigan can be added to your Ontario record.
- Ignoring the suspension letter. The 30 or 60 days run from surrender. Keeping the licence in a drawer stretches the suspension, and driving during it is a separate charge covered on our page on driving while suspended.
- Forgetting unpaid fines. A fine left unpaid can lead to its own licence suspension, separate from points, as explained on our page about unpaid traffic fines.
What to do this week
- Find the offence date, the section number and the speed or details on your ticket, and match the section to the points table above.
- Add up any other convictions with offence dates in the last two years to see where this ticket would leave you.
- Check the deadline: for a Part I ticket, you have 15 days from service to choose an option.
- If the notice offers it, consider an early resolution meeting with the prosecutor to discuss the charge before any conviction.
- Check your licence status with the Ministry's online licence status check, especially if you have had letters from the Ministry.
- If the ticket would take you to an interview or suspension total, get advice from a licensed paralegal before the deadline passes.
Frequently asked questions
Do demerit points affect my insurance?
Demerit points and insurance are separate systems. The points belong to the Ministry of Transportation record, while each insurer decides for itself how a conviction affects your premium. Ask your insurer or broker if that is your main concern.
Do I get points as soon as I get a ticket?
No. Points are recorded only after a conviction, whether by paying, pleading guilty, being convicted at trial or being deemed not to dispute the ticket. Until then the ticket is only a charge.
How long do demerit points stay on my record?
The Ministry says points stay on your record for two years from the offence date. Points from a conviction entered months after the ticket still expire two years after the offence date, not the conviction date.
Can a licensed paralegal help reduce the points?
A licensed paralegal can represent you on a Provincial Offences Act ticket, speak with the prosecutor and, where it fits the facts, discuss a plea to a lesser offence or take the matter to trial. Any change depends on the evidence and the prosecutor's position, so no result can be promised.
What if I never received the warning letter?
The regulation says a failure to mail the 6 to 8 point notice does not make later steps, such as an interview or suspension, ineffective (section 7(2)). Keep your address with the Ministry up to date so that letters reach you.
Does a suspension wipe out all my points?
Not all of them. After a demerit suspension, a fully licensed driver's points are reduced to 7 and a novice driver's to 4, keeping the points from the most recent offences. New convictions add on top of that.
Do parking tickets carry demerit points?
Parking infractions are not listed in the table to Regulation 339/94, so they do not add demerit points. Unpaid parking penalties are handled differently, and Hamilton's process is set out on our red light camera and parking tickets in Hamilton page.
Sources
- O. Reg. 339/94, Demerit Point System (Ontario e-Laws)
- O. Reg. 281/25, amending the Demerit Point System regulation (Ontario e-Laws)
- Understanding demerit points (Ministry of Transportation, ontario.ca)
- Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, ss. 55, 56, 128, 130, 172 (Ontario e-Laws)
- Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33, ss. 5, 5.1, 8, 9 (Ontario e-Laws)
- O. Reg. 455/07, Races, Contests and Stunts (Ontario e-Laws)
- Reinstate a suspended driver's licence (ontario.ca)
Need help with a provincial offence? Contact us today for legal support.
This page gives general information about Ontario law, not legal advice for your situation. Cheddar Paralegal PC is a paralegal firm licensed by the Law Society of Ontario; licensed paralegals can help only with matters the Law Society allows paralegals to handle.