Do Texas Traffic Tickets Still Have Points or Surcharges?

Short answer: no. Texas eliminated its driver "points" system and the surcharges that came with it. The state repealed the Driver Responsibility Program through House Bill 2048, effective September 1, 2019, and the Department of Public Safety removed previously assessed points from drivers' records.

A lot of websites still describe Texas surcharges as if they're current — they're not. But that doesn't mean a ticket is harmless. Here's what actually happens now.

The old Driver Responsibility Program assigned points for moving-violation convictions and charged annual surcharges to drivers who accumulated them. House Bill 2048 (86th Texas Legislature) repealed that entire program — Chapter 708 of the Transportation Code — effective September 1, 2019.

The Department of Public Safety has stated it no longer assesses points for moving violations and that previously assessed points were removed from drivers' records. So today there is no points system and no surcharge system in Texas.

To make up the lost surcharge revenue, HB 2048 raised certain fines and fees rather than reinstating points — including a general state traffic fine (set at $50) and new state fines tied to DWI convictions.

In other words, the penalties shifted from an ongoing surcharge to one-time fines at conviction. Convictions still carry their own statutory fines and consequences.

Losing the points system did not make tickets consequence-free. A moving-violation conviction still appears on your Texas driving record, and the state can still suspend a license for too many convictions — generally four or more moving violations within 12 months, or seven or more within 24 months.

And insurers price off your driving record, so convictions can still raise your premiums. We cover that in how a ticket affects your insurance.

Because the conviction — not "points" — is what hurts you, keeping the conviction off your record is the whole game. Under Texas law (Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 45A), a charge dismissed through a driving safety course may not be made part of your driving record or used against you.

That's why hundreds of thousands of Texans still dismiss tickets with the course every year. See the full picture in Texas defensive driving by the numbers, or start with how dismissal works.

Texas dropped points and surcharges, but a conviction still sticks to your record and your premiums. If you're eligible, the $28 course keeps the ticket off your record entirely.