Speeding tickets, moving violations, and CDL tickets in the courts of Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, and Marshall counties. Cline & Singh, PLLC represents drivers ticketed in Weirton, Wheeling, Moundsville, Wellsburg, and the towns between, including drivers from Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Many people pay traffic tickets without considering the long-term consequences. Points accumulate on your driving record, insurance rates climb, and enough violations can result in license suspension. Our traffic infraction lawyers help clients contest citations, negotiate reductions, and keep their records as clean as possible.
Whether you received a speeding ticket, a reckless driving citation, or a more serious moving violation, we will evaluate whether contesting the charge is worthwhile and represent you through the process.
We assist clients with speeding violations, reckless driving charges, following too closely, failure to yield, improper passing, running red lights or stop signs, driving on a suspended license, and other moving violations. We also help clients facing license suspension due to point accumulation understand their options and seek to protect their ability to drive.
Commercial driver's license holders face heightened consequences for traffic violations. A serious infraction can threaten your CDL and your livelihood. We take these matters seriously and fight to protect the licenses that our clients depend on.
West Virginia’s DMV assigns points for speeding based on how far over the limit the driver was clocked: no points for 10 mph or less over for an ordinary driver, 3 points for 11 to 14 over, 5 points for 15 to 19 over, and 6 points for 20 or more over. Speeding in a school zone carries 6 points regardless of the amount.
A driver who reaches 6 points receives a warning letter, and at 12 points the DMV begins suspending the license. Points come off two years after the conviction, although the conviction stays on the driving record longer, and an approved in-person defensive driving course can remove 3 points once every twelve months. Insurers look at the record on their own, so even a no-point ticket can show up at renewal.
Paying a ticket ordinarily resolves it as a conviction, reported to the DMV with any points. Contesting it means the town or the State has to prove the violation, and depending on the facts and the driver’s record, a case may end with a reduced charge, a lower speed, a non-moving violation, or a trial. Ignoring a ticket is the worst option: failing to pay or appear can lead to added charges and a license suspension.
For a plain-language walkthrough, see how West Virginia traffic tickets work.
Tickets written by a town’s own police for its ordinances go to that town’s municipal court. Tickets written by the State Police or a sheriff’s deputy go to the county’s magistrate court. The court is printed on the citation. Our pages for each local court explain where it is and what to expect:
Weirton · Wheeling · Moundsville · Wellsburg · Follansbee · New Cumberland · Chester · Benwood · McMechen · Glen Dale · Bethlehem · West Liberty
County court guides: Hancock · Brooke · Ohio · Marshall. Licensed in another state? See West Virginia tickets for out-of-state drivers.
Under the DMV’s point system, speeding 10 mph or less over the limit carries no points for an ordinary driver, 11 to 14 mph over carries 3 points, 15 to 19 mph over carries 5 points, and 20 mph or more over carries 6 points. Speeding in a school zone carries 6 points. CDL holders do not get the no-points rule.
Paying ordinarily counts as a conviction, which can be reported to the DMV with any points it carries. Whether to contest it depends on the speed, your record, your insurance, and whether you hold a CDL. It is worth deciding before the payment deadline, not after.
The DMV sends a warning letter at 6 points, and at 12 points it begins suspending the license, with longer suspensions at higher totals. Points come off two years after the conviction, and an approved in-person defensive driving course can remove 3 points once every twelve months.
Yes. Many of the drivers ticketed in the Northern Panhandle have Ohio or Pennsylvania licenses. A West Virginia conviction is generally reported to the home state under the Driver License Compact, and an ignored ticket can lead to a suspension at home.
We represent clients throughout the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and surrounding areas.
If you would like a plain-language overview before talking with anyone, these guides explain how this area of West Virginia law generally works.
Out-of-State Drivers With a West Virginia TicketHow a West Virginia ticket or DUI reaches an Ohio or Pennsylvania license, and what happens if a ticket is ignored.
Traffic Tickets ExplainedA plain-language look at what a traffic citation is in West Virginia, how the driver point system works, and why paying a ticket counts as a conviction.
Contact our attorneys before paying a traffic citation. In many cases there are options worth exploring that can protect your record and your insurance rates. Consultations are free.