FAQs for New York Drivers Ticketed in Pennsylvania for Moving Violations

Pennsylvania and New York are both members of the Interstate Driver’s License Compact. The compact is an agreement to provide information about out of state moving violations to the driver’s home state. So, in essence, if you are pulled over in PA, it will be reported to New York and will almost certainly appear on your driving record. However, there are a few tickets in Pennsylvania that will not be reported to Pennsylvania’s DMV which means that it would not transfer to New York.

If you receive a ticket in Pennsylvania and are from New York, you should immediately mail to the court a plea of not guilty, along with a check for the ticket which acts as collateral for the hearing. You only have 10 days to enter your plea (it can be late) but DO NOT pay online as you can only plead guilty online. You will get a hearing notice and you will need to appear at the court hearing with or without an attorney. However, most District Judges will permit us to appear in your place, so that you would not be required to return to Pennsylvania and we can appear for you in your absence. We can then hopefully get the ticket amended to an offense that does not transfer to New York.

Some Pennsylvania zero-point citations will transfer to New York and appear on your driving record. For instance, an officer may think he is cutting you a break by writing a speeding ticket for 5 mph over the speed limit, or cite you for Obedience to Traffic Control Devices, which are both zero point violations in Pennsylvania. However, even though these are no points in PA, New York views these violations as moving violations and will place the violation on your driving record, which means your insurance company may discover it. Your best bet is to plead Not Guilty and go to court to try to get a reduced ticket that does not transfer.

The answer is “maybe.” There is no way to tell if a citation will raise your insurance rates until it happens, and I do not recommend calling the insurance company to alert them that you were cited. The best way to ensure that your rates do not increase if to be sure the Pennsylvania ticket does not transfer to New York.

Again, this is hard to say. Some insurance companies will do nothing if you have a good driving record. Other insurance companies look for any reason to raise your rates. A 2021 study found that for a speeding ticket conviction, New York men paid 17% more and women paid 12% more in insurance premiums, on average. Again, it is best to go to court so your insurance company never finds out about the Pennsylvania moving violation.

Most District Justices will permit us to appear in court in your place so you may not even have to attend court to get you traffic ticket reduced to a non-moving violation which would not appear on your record. If you do not retain an attorney then you would be required to appear for your court hearing.