With the Colorado point system, your driver’s license can be suspended for six months to one year if you accumulate
- 12 or more points within a 12-month period, or
- 18 or more points within a 24-month period.
You may contest your suspension at a Colorado DMV point hearing.1
1. How many points on a Colorado license will trigger a suspension?
The number of driver’s license points at which the Colorado DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) will suspend your driving privileges depends on your age and whether you are a professional driver.
| Driver | Points triggering a Colorado license suspension |
| Adults 21 and older |
|
| Drivers ages 18 to 20 |
|
| Teenage drivers under 18 |
|
| Chauffeurs, including cab drivers (You have the burden to prove that the violation occurred during the course of your employment) |
|
See our related articles, How long do points stay on your license in Colorado? and How many points on a Colorado license trigger a license suspension?
2. How many points to traffic violations carry?
The following are examples of some traffic crimes/infractions and the number of points they carry:
| Colorado driving offense | Demerit Points |
| DUI (driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol) | 12 |
| DUI per se (driving with a BAC of .08% or higher) | 12 |
| Evading / eluding an officer | 12 |
| Leaving the scene of an accident | 12 |
| Speed contests | 12 |
| Speeding 40 mph or more over limit | 12 |
| DWAI (driving while ability impaired) | 8 |
| Failure to stop for a school bus | 8 |
| Reckless driving | 6 |
| Speeding 20 mph to 39 mph over limit | 6 |
| Careless driving | 4 |
| Driving on wrong side of road | 4 |
| Failure to observe traffic sign or signal | 4 |
| Failure to show or maintain proof of insurance | 4 |
| Failure to yield to emergency vehicle | 4 |
| Improper passing | 4 |
| Speeding 10 mph to 19 mph over limit | 4 |
| UDD (underage drinking and driving) | 4 |
| Driving in wrong direction on one-way street | 3 |
| Driving through safety zone | 3 |
| Failure to yield right of way | 3 |
| Improper turn | 3 |
| Failure to dim – or turn on – lights | 2 |
| Improper backing | 2 |
| Improper signal / failure to signal | 2 |
| Not wearing a seat belt | 2 |
| Operating an unsafe vehicle | 2 |
| Speeding 5 mph to 9 mph over limit | 1 |
The more serious the traffic violation, the more points it carries.3
3. What is a DMV point hearing?
DMV point hearings are administrative trials at the Colorado DMV where you can contest your driver’s license suspension. Everyone who faces a license suspension for accruing too many DMV points is entitled to a hearing. The DMV mails you notice of the date and time of your hearing.
DMV point hearings occur in person or over the phone. You can appear by yourself or with your attorney.
They are less formal than criminal proceedings. Similar to trials, at DMV hearings you can present evidence and witnesses and cross-examine state witnesses, such as the police officer.
What the hearing officer does
The hearing officer presiding over the DMV hearing decides whether enough evidence exists to suspend your license. They will take into account:
- the nature of the traffic violation(s)
- your age
- your driving history
Ultimately, the hearing officer has the discretion to impose a suspension of six months to one year. If you do not attend your DMV hearing, you get your license automatically suspended for one year.4
4. How do I reinstate my Colorado license?
The requirements for reinstatement of your license vary depending on what the point suspension or revocation was for. In most cases they include:
- Application for reinstatement (Form DR 2870),
- A reinstatement fee of $95 (plus a fee of $25 in DUI/DWAI/UDD cases) payable to the Department of Revenue, and
- Proof of insurance.
In addition, if you refused a DUI chemical test or your license was revoked or suspended due to alcohol and/or drug use, you may be required to provide some or all of the following:
- a Colorado DR 2598 certification form
- SR-22 from your insurance company,
- affidavit of enrollment in an alcohol and drug education and treatment program (Form DR 2643), and/or
- Restricted License Ignition Interlock Agreement Affidavit (Form DR 2058).
Additional requirements
You may also be subject to an eligibility hearing if your license was suspended due to:
- Vehicular homicide, or
- Criminally negligent homicide or vehicular assault while driving.
Finally, if your license was revoked (as opposed to suspended), you will be required to take a new
- vision,
- written and
- driving tests.5
Note that you may have to meet certain conditions before being eligible for a license reinstatement, such as:
- paying fees
- taking a driving safety court
- completing community service
- being up to date on child support payments
- completing a jail sentence
See our related article, how to reinstate a suspended driver’s license in Colorado.
If you are 21 or older, you face a license suspension if you accumulate 12 or more points in a year.
5. How do I check my Colorado driving record?
The quickest way to check your driver’s license status is to go online at the Colorado DMV. You will need to provide your email and a credit card to buy your MVR (motor vehicle report):
- non-certified driving records cost $9
- certified driving records cost $10
In person or by mail
You can also purchase a non-certified copy of your Colorado motor vehicle record at any full-service driver’s license office. The DMV accepts:
- cash,
- check,
- money order,
- credit cards, and
- debit cards
For a certified copy, you must contact:
Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles
1881 Pierce St.
Lakewood, CO 80214.
Written requests must include:
- Your full name
- Date of birth
- Driver license number (if available), issue date, and expiration date
- Last for numbers of your SSN
- Full and legible signature
- Reason for the request
- Photocopy of driver’s photo ID with signature
- Check or money order for $9 (for non-certified copy) or $10 (for a certified copy).
To report traffic violation errors on your driving record, you can call the Colorado DMV at (303) 205-5600 or TDD (303) 205-5940.6
See our related article, How to check points on my Colorado license.
6. How long do driving history reports go back?
Your Colorado driving history reports (a.k.a. motor vehicle records) go back for seven years. However, it shows DUIs for the last 10 years. Plus the report will show any “red licenses,” which is shorthand for having had your license suspended, restricted, or revoked.
Note that your insurance company relies on your driving history to determine your premium rates.
Learn more in our article, How long does it take to get points off your license in Colorado?
Legal References
- CRS 42-2-127. Point Suspensions, Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles.
- Same.
- Same. See also: Edwards v. Motor Vehicle Div., (1974) 33 Colo. App. 382, 520 P.2d 598; Ewing v. Motor Vehicle Div., (Colo. App. 1980) 624 P.2d 353.
- CRS 42-2-126.
- Process to Reinstate Driving Privilege, Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles.
- Motor Vehicle Record, Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles.
- See note 1.
7. How can I remove points from my license in Colorado?
It may be possible to remove three driver’s license points simply by paying the traffic ticket on time.
It also may be possible to remove up to three driver’s license points by taking a certified Traffic School course. Be sure to check ahead of time that the DMV recognizes the specific Traffic School. Plus, you can remove points this way only once a year.
Note that the DMV stops looking at points that are more than 24 months old. So once 2 years have passed, it is as if those points never existed.7
Learn more in our article, How to remove points from my Colorado driver’s license.
Additional resources
For more information, refer to these Colorado DMV websites: