Speeding violations are the most common traffic offense our firm handles. Wisconsin’s basic speeding law (Wis. Stat. § 346.57) prohibits driving faster than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions, even when you’re under the posted limit. Add a work-zone multiplier, a school-zone enhancer, or a 20-over allegation and the stakes climb quickly.
The three real costs of every speeding conviction
Every speeding ticket carries three separate costs: demerit points against your Wisconsin driving record, a fine and court surcharge, and a multi-year insurance-premium increase.
On a typical $1,800 annual policy, a single 15-over conviction adds $270 to $720 per year for three to five years, about ten times the one-time fine. The insurance hit is almost always the real expense of a ticket, and it’s the one that continues long after the citation is paid and forgotten.
When the stakes climb further
The consequences compound for drivers who already carry points, hold a commercial driver’s license, or are within the first two years of licensure. A 20-over citation adds six demerit points under Wis. Admin. Code Trans 101; two such tickets in a twelve-month window triggers an automatic license suspension.
For CDL holders, speeding 15+ mph over is a serious traffic violation under 49 CFR § 383.51(c) even when driving a personal vehicle. Two serious violations in a rolling three-year window triggers a 60-day CDL disqualification, which typically means a lost job, not just a traffic ticket.
How we investigate and defend your case
We review the citation, the officer’s radar or LIDAR calibration and training records, any dashcam or body-camera footage, and every discrepancy between the ticket and the underlying probable cause. Wisconsin case law (State v. Hanson, 85 Wis. 2d 233) permits radar evidence only when the operating officer was properly trained on the unit and the device was calibrated before and after the stop.
When any of those elements are missing from the discovery file, the State’s case is vulnerable to suppression or outright dismissal. In most Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth County cases we appear in court so you don’t have to. Our goal on every speeding case is the same: reduce points, reduce the fine, and keep the conviction off your insurance record whenever the facts allow.
What a speeding conviction costs in Wisconsin
- Demerit points
- 3 · 4 · 6 1–10 over · 11–19 over · 20+ over (Wis. Admin. Code Trans 101)
- Fine + surcharge
- $175 – $295+ Plus $93 court surcharge; doubled in work and school zones (Wis. Stat. § 346.57(5)(f))
- Insurance increase
- 15–40% for 3–5 years ≈ $270–$720/year on a $1,800 policy
- License suspension
- 12 points in 12 months Triggers 2–12 month automatic suspension
- CDL impact
- Serious violation at 15+ over Two in 3 years = 60-day disqualification (49 CFR § 383.51(c))
- Record duration
- 5 years Wis. Admin. Code Trans 101; expungement not available (civil forfeiture)
Our speeding defense playbook
Radar & LIDAR calibration challenge
We subpoena the calibration log for the specific unit used on your stop, along with the officer’s training certification on that model. State v. Hanson, 85 Wis. 2d 233 requires both pre- and post-stop calibration and operator training for radar evidence to be admissible, a missing entry in either record routinely suppresses the speed reading.
Probable-cause and stop-basis review
Wisconsin officers must have articulable probable cause for the stop itself. We pull the dashcam, body-cam, and CAD dispatch records and compare the officer’s written basis against what the video actually shows. Pacing errors, sight-line obstructions, and misidentified vehicles are all recurring weak points.
Negotiated reduction to a non-moving violation
Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth County prosecutors routinely amend speeding citations to zero-point ordinance violations (defective equipment, non-registration) when the underlying facts support it. A non-moving reduction preserves your insurance record entirely, zero points, no MVR entry a carrier will rate on.
Unwinding a 100-MPH or reckless-driving pairing
Speed 25+ mph over is frequently charged alongside reckless driving (Wis. Stat. § 346.62), a criminal misdemeanor. We negotiate the reckless charge down to imprudent speed or inattentive driving to keep the matter civil and off your criminal record, often the most consequential piece of a high-speed case.
Signal-timing, signage, and survey-speed defenses
Wisconsin requires posted speed limits to be supported by an engineering survey for the roadway segment. For out-of-town stops on less-traveled roads we verify the survey exists and is current, and we challenge stops where construction signage was inconsistent or the zone transition was not properly marked.
Racine, Kenosha & Walworth county courts
Your speeding case is heard in one of three forums depending on who wrote the ticket: a municipal court (for city or village police citations), a county circuit court (for sheriff and Wisconsin State Patrol citations), or (when criminally charged alongside the speeding) the county circuit court.
Our attorneys appear regularly in Racine County Circuit Court (730 Wisconsin Ave., Racine), Kenosha County Courthouse (912 56th Street, Kenosha), Walworth County Judicial Center (1800 County Road NN, Elkhorn), and the municipal courts of Racine, Mt. Pleasant, Caledonia, Sturtevant, Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, Lake Geneva, Delavan, Burlington, Union Grove, and surrounding jurisdictions. In the overwhelming majority of speeding cases you do not have to appear. We enter a not-guilty plea on your behalf at the first appearance, set the matter for trial, and handle every subsequent court date.