New Jersey Speeding Tickets and Fines

Most New Jersey drivers will, sooner or later, get a speeding ticket. This article explains how New Jersey speed laws work and the penalties you'll face for a speeding ticket.

How Do New Jersey's Speed Limit Laws Work?

New Jersey has prima facie speed limits and a basic speed law that requires motorists to always drive at a safe speed. Below, we explained how these work and differ. (N.J. Stat. Ann. § 39:4-98 (2024).)

New Jersey's Basic Speed Law

New Jersey's basic speeding law requires motorists to drive at an "appropriate reduced speed" when approaching hazards like curves and hillcrests or when weather conditions, traffic, the presence of pedestrians, or the like make it necessary to do so. In other words, this law makes it illegal to drive at a speed that's unsafe regardless of what the posted speed limit is.

New Jersey's Prima Facie Speed Limits

New Jersey uses mostly prima facie (also called "presumed") speed limits. These include:

• 25 miles per hour in school zones
• 25 or 35 miles per hour on certain portions of Route 130 in Burlington City
• 25 miles per hour in residential and business districts
• 35 miles per hour in suburban business and residential districts, and
• 55 miles per hour in all other locations that aren't designated 65-mile-per-hour zones.

Prima facie speed limits are different than maximum limits. With maximum speed limits, if you exceed the posted limit, you've violated the law. But when you get caught driving faster than a prima facie limit, you can still beat the ticket by showing that your speed—though in excess of the prima facie limit—was safe.

Penalties for a Speeding Ticket in New Jersey

A speeding violation conviction generally results in fines of $50 to $200 and up to 15 days in jail (though jail time isn't common for speeding tickets). But the fines are doubled for violations involving driving at least 20 miles per hour over the limit or at least 10 miles per hour over a 65-mile-per-hour limit. And for speeding violations that occur on certain portions of Route 130, the fines are tripled.

A speeding violation will also lead to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) assessing demerit points to the motorist's driving record. The number of points (two to five) depends on the driver's speed in relation to the speed limit.

Of course, drivers who successfully fight their speeding ticket won't have to deal with these penalties.

Reckless Driving and Vehicular Homicide Charges in New Jersey

Depending on the circumstances, drivers who are caught speeding might face reckless driving charges. And if a driver causes the death of another person while speeding, vehicular homicide charges are a possibility.