State service guide

Michigan driver points: 12-point reexamination, probation traps, and BDIC point avoidance

Michigan uses a real point system, but the main benchmark correction is that 12 points in two years does not create a fixed automatic suspension ladder by itself. Instead, the Secretary of State can require a Driver Assessment reexamination, and the outcome can range from a warning to restrictions, suspension, or revocation. The practical Michigan rules are that points post only after a moving-violation conviction, they usually stay active for two years from the conviction date, out-of-state convictions can be assigned Michigan points, new probationary drivers can be called in after only one or two violations, and an eligible Basic Driver Improvement Course can sometimes keep points and ticket disclosure away from insurance.

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Main point trigger 12 or more points in 2 years can trigger a Driver Assessment reexamination
Extra reexam trigger 6 or more one-point violations in 2 years can also trigger reexamination
Point lifespan Points stay on the driving record for 2 years from the conviction date
BDIC timing Eligible drivers must complete BDIC within 60 days of the Secretary of State notice

Overview

What this page helps you verify

A useful Michigan point-system page should not read like a generic suspension chart. Michigan assigns statutory point values to moving-violation convictions, but the state emphasizes record review and reexamination rather than an automatic point-trigger suspension schedule. The important user-facing rules are the 12-points-in-two-years reexamination threshold, the separate trigger for six or more one-point violations in two years, the fact that insurance companies use their own rating system, the probationary-driver rules for newly licensed drivers, and the narrow BDIC lane that can prevent points from being added for some eligible tickets.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-17. This page was manually upgraded against service-specific official sources, but requirements can still change quickly.

Usually needed

Documents and information to prepare

  • Your Michigan driving record if you need to confirm current points, prior convictions, probation status, or out-of-state convictions posted to the record
  • Any Secretary of State Driver Assessment notice or Notice to Appear if Michigan has already ordered a reexamination
  • Your BDIC eligibility notice if the Secretary of State mailed one after an eligible ticket
  • Your Michigan license number and identity details for online record access or a branch-office driving-record purchase
  • Any court paperwork if you are verifying whether a conviction was corrected, because the Secretary of State cannot set aside a court conviction on its own

Typical flow

What the process often looks like

  1. Start by checking your current Michigan driving record instead of estimating your points from memory.
  2. Add only convictions for moving violations, because Michigan says points are placed on the record only after conviction.
  3. Watch both Michigan thresholds: 12 or more points in 2 years and 6 or more one-point violations in 2 years.
  4. If you are a new Michigan driver, treat even 1 or 2 violations as serious because probationary drivers can be referred for reexamination earlier than ordinary drivers.
  5. If you receive a BDIC eligibility notice, decide quickly whether to use it because the completion deadline is 60 days from the Secretary of State notice.

How Michigan counts points

Points are tied to convictions and they stay active for 2 years from the conviction date

Michigan's handbook is direct about when points do and do not post.

  • The Secretary of State says points are placed on your driving record only after you have been convicted of a moving violation.
  • Points remain on the driving record for 2 years from the date of conviction.
  • Convictions from other states also appear on the Michigan driving record along with any points assessed under Michigan's point system.
  • Michigan separately warns that its point system is different from the points an insurance company uses to set rates.

What 12 points actually means

Michigan's 12-point rule is a reexamination trigger, not a simple automatic suspension chart

This is the biggest correction to the generic national point-system template.

  • What Every Driver Must Know says that if you have 6 or more one-point violations, or 12 or more points on your driving record within a 2-year period, you will be required to undergo a driver assessment reexamination.
  • The Driver Assessment page says the Department may reexamine drivers and, upon good cause, restrict, suspend, or revoke driving privileges.
  • At a reexamination, a Driver Assessment analyst reviews the driving record and can issue licensing controls such as restrictions, suspension, revocation, or other requirements.

Violation examples

Michigan's official point values are uneven and worth checking before you assume a ticket is minor

The handbook gives common examples that matter in practice.

  • 6-point examples include reckless driving, refusal to take a chemical alcohol test, fleeing or eluding, and operating while intoxicated or with any presence of a Schedule 1 drug or cocaine.
  • 4-point examples include impaired driving, under-21 bodily alcohol content violations, 16 mph or more over the limit, drag racing, and failure to yield or show due caution for emergency vehicles.
  • 3-point examples include careless driving, stop-sign or traffic-signal violations, improper passing, 11 to 15 mph over the limit, and failure to stop for a school bus.
  • 2-point examples include 6 to 10 mph over the limit, open alcohol container, refusal of a preliminary breath test by a person under 21, and other moving violations not assigned a higher value.

Probationary drivers

New Michigan drivers can get pulled into review much earlier than the 12-point threshold

Probation rules are one of the most state-specific parts of Michigan's system.

  • Michigan says all new drivers who have not previously been licensed are probationary for at least 3 years.
  • The handbook says probationary or GDL drivers may be required to attend a driver reexamination after only 1 or 2 violations.
  • Michigan's new-driver guidance says probation lasts until the driver completes the last 10 months without a traffic conviction, at-fault or had-been-drinking crash, or suspension.
  • If an unsafe driving event happens in that last 10-month stretch, the probationary period is extended.

BDIC relief

Michigan's Basic Driver Improvement Course is a narrow point-avoidance tool, not a broad erase-your-record program

The BDIC rules help, but only in a limited set of cases.

  • The Secretary of State says BDIC lets eligible drivers avoid points on their records and avoid having the ticket information sent to insurance companies.
  • Eligibility is narrow: the driver must have a valid Michigan non-commercial license with 2 or fewer points, the violation must be eligible and generally worth 3 points or fewer, the offense cannot be criminal, and out-of-state tickets are not eligible.
  • If the driver passes within 60 days of the Secretary of State notice, Michigan says it will not add the points and will not show the ticket information to insurance companies.
  • The original ticket information still goes on the driving record, and Michigan warns that probationary drivers may still be subject to reexamination and sanctions even after successful BDIC completion.
  • BDIC is optional, but a driver can only take and pass it once to avoid insurance disclosure under this program.

Accuracy notes

Where people get tripped up

  • Michigan should not be described as a fixed automatic suspension-by-points state. The official sources center 12 points on a Driver Assessment reexamination process.
  • The six-or-more-one-point-violations rule is easy to miss and materially changes the advice for drivers who rack up repeated low-level tickets.
  • Michigan's point system and insurance-company rating system are separate. A page that treats them as the same system will be inaccurate.
  • Probationary drivers are a major exception to ordinary point expectations because official Michigan guidance says they may be reexamined after only 1 or 2 violations.
  • BDIC is narrower than generic traffic-school language suggests: it is Michigan-only, ticket-specific, notice-driven, and limited to one successful use for insurance-disclosure avoidance.

FAQ

Common questions

  • Does 12 points automatically suspend a Michigan license?

    Not by itself. Michigan's official rule is that 12 or more points in 2 years can trigger a Driver Assessment reexamination, and the reexamination can then lead to a warning, restriction, suspension, revocation, or another requirement.

  • How long do points stay on a Michigan driving record?

    Michigan says points remain on the driving record for 2 years from the conviction date, even though many convictions stay on the record longer than that.

  • Do out-of-state tickets count against Michigan points?

    Yes, in many cases. Michigan says convictions from other states appear on the Michigan driving record along with any points assessed according to Michigan's point system.

  • Can a Michigan traffic school remove points?

    Sometimes, but only through the state's limited BDIC program for eligible drivers and eligible tickets. It is not a general point-reduction option for every conviction.

  • Are probationary drivers treated the same as everyone else?

    No. Michigan says probationary and GDL drivers may be called to a reexamination after only 1 or 2 violations, and the last 10 months of probation must be completed without a conviction, certain crashes, or a suspension.

Sources

Official references used for this page

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