Speeding in Ontario

What counts as speeding

A speeding offence is simply driving faster than the limit posted for that stretch of road, or faster than the default limit where no sign is posted. Ontario also allows municipalities to designate community safety zones and construction zones, where the same rules of the road apply but penalties can be increased — so the posted limit isn’t always the whole story on a given stretch of highway. The officer’s reading, the posted limit, and the zone type are all things worth checking carefully against what’s written on your ticket.

How the penalty generally scales with speed

Ontario doesn’t treat all speeding the same way. Both the fine and the demerit points attached to a conviction generally increase in bands based on how many kilometres per hour over the limit you were clocked. The bands below reflect the demerit-point side of that scale — see the Ontario demerit-point chart for how these compare to other offences.

Fine amounts for speeding also step up with these same bands, and can rise further inside a posted community safety zone. Because exact fine figures are set by regulation and can change, treat any number you see quoted online as an estimate and confirm the actual amount against your ticket or an official Ontario source.

When speeding becomes stunt driving

Driving 50 km/h or more over the posted limit sits at the boundary of two different offences. It can be ticketed as ordinary speeding with 6 demerit points, but in many cases officers instead lay a stunt-driving charge, which carries much more severe consequences, including a possible roadside licence suspension and vehicle impoundment before you’ve even been to court. If your ticket mentions a stunt-driving or racing provision rather than a standard speeding section, treat it as the more serious matter it is.

What to do with a speeding ticket

Every Ontario ticket gives you the same basic choices: pay it (which is treated as a guilty plea), request an early resolution meeting, or plead not guilty and set a trial date, all within a general 15-day response window. See what you can do with a ticket for the full breakdown of that process and the trade-offs between each option.

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