Speed Limits & the Law
Virginia's statutory speed limits, the sections that make speeding an offense, and the point at which a ticket becomes a criminal charge.
3 guides
Virginia's speed law comes in two layers. Article 8 of Chapter 8 of Title 46.2 sets the maximum limits — 55 mph on most highways under § 46.2-870, 70 mph where signs have been posted after a traffic engineering study, 25 mph in a business or residence district under § 46.2-874 — and § 46.2-878 lets the Commissioner of Highways or the authority with jurisdiction over a road move those numbers where signs say so. Driving above the applicable limit is a traffic infraction.
The second layer is the one drivers underestimate. At 20 mph or more over the applicable limit, or at any speed above 85 mph, § 46.2-862 makes the same conduct reckless driving — a Class 1 misdemeanor rather than a ticket. The pages below set out where each line falls, and link every statement of law to the official text at law.lis.virginia.gov.
All guides
- Virginia Speeding Laws: From Infraction to Misdemeanor
Speeding in Virginia is an infraction until 20 over or 85 mph, when it becomes reckless driving, a Class 1 misdemeanor. Where the line sits, and why.
- Virginia Speed Limits by Road, Vehicle and Zone
The Virginia speed limit is 55 mph by default, 70 where posted and 25 in a residence district — with the reckless driving line 20 over or 85 mph.
- Felony Speeding in Virginia: When Speed Becomes a Crime
Speeding is not a felony in Virginia — it is an infraction, or reckless driving at 20 over or 85 mph. The two narrow provisions that do make it a felony.