Reviewed and updated October 12, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was read from the California DMV's own pages that day, and the DMV page each fact came from is linked where it appears.
California's negligent operator point system, as the DMV runs it: how points are assigned to convictions and collisions, the one-point and two-point examples, the higher counts allowed to Class A and B drivers, and the four levels of the Negligent Operator Treatment System from a warning letter to a revocation. How long each item stays on the record is on the driving record guide; DUI actions on the DUI guide.
In this guide: How points are assigned, The four NOTS levels, The higher counts for Class A and B drivers, Hearings, Questions about California DMV points
How points are assigned
The DMV's negligence page describes negligent operator points as values from 0 to 3 added to the driver record for convictions involving the safe operation of a vehicle and for collisions the driver is found responsible for. Vehicle Code section 12810 requires one point for any conviction involving the safe operation of a motor vehicle on the highway; the DMV's examples are speeding (section 22348(a)) and an unsafe vehicle (section 24002), while a mechanical violation such as no license plate light can carry zero points. Two-point convictions are mandated by the Vehicle Code for the more serious violations; the DMV's examples are hit and run (section 20002) and driving under the influence (section 23152). A conviction while operating a vehicle that requires a Class A or B license, or any listed certificate or endorsement, counts 1½ times its usual value, so a one-point speeding violation becomes 1½ points. Major convictions in a commercial vehicle carry 3 points. A collision adds one point when law enforcement reports show the driver contributed, was at fault or was responsible, and the DMV says it weighs all evidence submitted before making that finding.
Convictions from other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada count when the DMV determines the same violation would carry points or be grounds for suspension in California. Out-of-state collisions reach the record through the Problem Driver Pointer System, the National Driver Register or other agencies; without enough information to decide responsibility they carry no point, unless the driver was already suspended at Level III or IV.
The four NOTS levels
| Level | Point count | What the DMV does |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | 2 in 12 months, 4 in 24, 6 in 36 | Warning letter (also possible when a major conviction is added) |
| Level II | 3 in 12 months, 5 in 24, 7 in 36 | Notice of intent to suspend |
| Level III | 4 in 12 months, 6 in 24, 8 in 36 | Order of probation and suspension: one year of probation including a six-month suspension, effective 34 days after mailing; the driver is presumed a prima facie negligent operator under Vehicle Code section 12810.5 |
| Level IV | Any violation or collision during a suspension; any one or two point violation or responsible collision during probation; a failure to appear in court; a provisional driver violating provisional probation | Violation of probation: a further six-month suspension and the probation extended one year from the violation; a third violation brings a one-year revocation |
Source: the DMV's negligent operator actions page. A driver on NOTS probation who receives any violation or is in any collision, regardless of fault, while suspended gets the additional six-month suspension and the one-year extension.
The higher counts for Class A and B drivers
Under Vehicle Code section 12810.5 a Class A or B driver is allowed a higher count before being presumed negligent, if three conditions hold: the driver requests and appears at a NOTS hearing; holds none of the ambulance, school bus, school pupil activity bus, farm labor, tour bus, youth bus, general public paratransit or hazardous materials certificates or endorsements; and does not have 4 or more points in 12 months, 6 in 24 or 8 in 36 from driving that needs only a Class C or M license. A driver meeting all three is a prima facie negligent operator at 6 points in 12 months, 8 in 24 months or 10 in 36 months.
Hearings
The DMV's negligent operator pages are accompanied by its Negligent Operator Treatment System hearings page, and the hearing rights it describes elsewhere apply: representation at your own expense, testimony, reviewing the DMV's evidence, presenting your own, and appeal through a departmental review or the court; a request must be made within 10 days of a notice handed over or 14 days of a mailed one, as set out on the senior drivers guide. NOTS applies to drivers 18 and older; a provisional driver is included on violating provisional probation or suspension and is given a hearing under Vehicle Code section 12814.6(c) only when involved in an accident. The DMV may also act against a driver involved in a fatal or serious injury accident without any prior points, considering the degree of negligence, the driving record, the driver's attitude, the likelihood of recurrence, the deterrent effect of a sanction and the mileage driven, with revocation for flagrant acts such as racing or evading law enforcement, suspension for a violation that caused the accident, restrictions where recurrence is unlikely, and probation as the minimal action.
Questions about California DMV points
How many points before the DMV suspends a license?
4 points in 12 months, 6 in 24 months or 8 in 36 months brings an order of probation and suspension: one year of probation including a six-month suspension, effective 34 days after the order is mailed. A warning letter comes at 2, 4 or 6 points and a notice of intent to suspend at 3, 5 or 7, over the same periods.
How many points is a speeding ticket?
One point, as the DMV's example of a one-point violation under Vehicle Code section 12810; a conviction while driving a vehicle that needs a Class A or B license counts 1½ times.
Which violations are two points?
The DMV names hit and run and driving under the influence as examples; two-point violations are set by the Vehicle Code as the more serious ones.
Do out-of-state tickets count?
Yes. The DMV assesses points for convictions in other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada when the same violation would carry points in California.
Do accidents count?
A collision counts one point when law enforcement reports find the driver responsible, contributing or at fault; the DMV says it considers all evidence before deciding. An out-of-state collision with too little information to assign responsibility adds no point.
Does NOTS apply to provisional drivers?
The DMV says NOTS affects drivers 18 and older; a provisional driver comes under it on violating provisional probation or suspension, and gets a hearing only when involved in an accident.
Written by SearchSystems.net from the California DMV's negligence, negligent operator actions and fatal and serious injury accidents pages, read on October 12, 2026.