Fines for tickets in Louisiana range from $25 to $15,000 or more. In Louisiana, the amount of your fine is not listed on the ticket. You will need to contact the parish or city court to obtain that information.
While speeding tickets are the most common traffic violation, there is a wide variety of citations you can receive. Let’s take a look at the types of fines and tickets issued in Louisiana.
Prohibited in Louisiana
One unusual restriction in Louisiana is the prohibition against studded tires on your vehicle. A common citation is for having open intoxicants in your vehicle. If you are driving a motorcycle the state requires all persons on the bike wear a helmet.
If you are pulled over it is required that the vehicle registration and insurance card be in the vehicle. Although not motorized, you can also be cited if you fail to have your bicycle properly registered.
All front-seat occupants of a car are required to wear a seatbelt. The law makes it mandatory for all passengers under 6 years old to be in a restraint system, and if under 3 years of age they must be in a child car seat.
The more common traffic violations include speeding, improper lane usage, failure to control your speed, running a stop sign or red light, and failure to yield the right-of-way. Some tickets allow you to plead guilty or no contest and pay by mail, online, or in person. In some cases you may want to hire an attorney to fight speeding ticket fines in Baton Rouge
Before paying for a ticket, it is recommended you contact an attorney. Not only will the ticket fines be costly, but it may also affect your employment and cost for auto insurance.
Types of Fines and Tickets
The most common traffic ticket is speeding. With almost 770 traffic fatalities in Louisiana in 2018, speed is always a concern. Fines are set by individual courts, not by the state. Therefore, you must call the parish or county where your ticket was issued to get a true fine cost.
Tickets that are issued by a city police officer are handled by city courts. If the ticket was issued by a parish or state police officer, then the ticket will be handled in district court. Below is an example of some of the tickets and fines in Louisiana.
Speeding Tickets
Speeding ticket fines increase with the amount you were over the posted speed limit. The amount of your ticket may be different than what is listed below:
1-9 mph over the speed limit has a fine of $115.00 or more
10-14 mph over the speed limit has a fine of $215.00 or more
15-20 mph over the speed limit has a fine of $240.00 or more
21 mph or more over the speed limit requires the driver to appear in court.
For each mile over the speed limit, $2.00 is added to the fine. If the driver was also in violation of the seatbelt law, there will be an additional $25.00 added to the fine.
Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) Surcharges
In addition to court costs and driving restrictions, such as license suspension, incarceration, or felony criminal charges that result from driving while intoxicated, Louisiana has DWI surcharges. The amount of the surcharge is based on the number of DWI convictions you have.
For the first and second offense of driving while intoxicated, the driver will incur a $1,000.00 surcharge. If the driver receives a third charge of DWI the surcharge increases to $2,000.00. For the fourth offense, the surcharge raises significantly to $5,000.00.
Negligent Injury and Homicide Surcharge
When you are ticketed for excess speed that included an accident you may incur an additional surcharge. If you cause bodily harm or death with a vehicle, Vehicle Negligent Injury has a surcharge of up to $1,000.00.
First Degree Vehicle Negligent Injury carries a surcharge of up to $2,000.00. When a passenger or driver of a vehicle dies you may be charged a Vehicular Homicide surcharge that ranges from $2,000.00 to $15,000.00. Vehicle Negligent Injury and First Degree Vehicle Negligent Injury surcharges are entered when a driver is under the influence of drugs or had a BAC of 0.08% or higher.
Other Violations
In the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, fines vary based on the citation. If you have an expired inspection sticker, expired license plate, play loud music, or have improper equipment you will be charged $119.00 for each violation. The same fee applies if you allow someone who is not properly licensed to drive your vehicle.
Baton Rouge charges $139.00 for each violation of careless driving, failing to maintain control of the vehicle, failure to signal, and failure to yield. You will also be fined if you fail to obey a police officer, following an emergency vehicle, or follow another vehicle too close.
The $139.00 citations also include failing to have headlights on or failing to dim them, improper backing, improper lane usage, and improper passing on the left or right. Violating traffic signals, operating motorcycles in an unsafe manner, improper turns, and speeding between 1-30mph over will also render a $139.00 fine.
There is one group in which Baton Rouge has a $119.00 fine for each violation, but if you correct the problem you will not be required to appear in court. This includes correcting an expired driver’s license, expired insurance, failure to change the address on driver’s license, no driver’s license on person, no insurance, and no proof of insurance.
Baton Rouge also has a fine of $25.00 for failing to register a bicycle. Those who ride motorcycles and three-wheelers on vacant lots or land where prohibited are fined $191.00. Failing to have a child properly restrained is a $50.00 fine. Parking, storing or driving a vehicle or watercraft on neutral ground will result in a $67.00 fine.
Non-Moving and Moving Violations
A moving violation is issued for something that happens when the vehicle is in motion, such as speeding, running a stop sign, or drunk driving. Moving violations are reported to the Department of Licensing.
A non-moving violation can happen even when the car is in motion. This includes inattentive driving, talking on a cell phone, or not using a seat belt. Other none moving violations include parking or faulty equipment. Non-moving violations are not reported to the Department of Licensing.
Consult an Attorney Before You Pay
If you are issued a ticket you should consult an attorney regarding the types of fines and tickets you were issued. One in four tickets are issued in error, but only 5% of drivers contest their tickets. While an attorney cannot guarantee a ticket dismissal, they may be able to prevent it from going on your driving record.
