The Government of Alberta is raising the price of speeding and other traffic violations. Earlier this month, Justice Minister Mickey Amery announced changes to the fines motorists will see if they are caught violating certain traffic laws. These include speeding, driving without a license or registration, and distracted driving. Some of these increases are larger than others and drivers should be aware of the financial cost of getting caught breaking Alberta’s traffic laws.
What traffic offences are affected?
The list of offences affected by this month’s change is long, but can be broken down into three basic categories:
- Administrative offences: driving without a license or driving an unregistered vehicle.
- Driving offences: speeding, speeding in a construction zone, racing, stunting, careless driving, disobeying traffic signs (such as right lane must turn signs), and distracted driving (using a cell phone or other screen device).
- Equipment offences: improperly displayed license plate or unreadable license plate, driving without a seat belt, and various window tint offences.
The majority of the increases focus on driving offences, with some changes to equipment and administrative offences. The changes to the fines for specific offences may indicate an increased focus on the enforcement of those offences, such as tinted windows or distracted driving offences.
How much are fines increasing?
The increase in the financial penalty for the affected traffic offences ranges from some fines increasing by 50%. A ticket for driving 10km/h over the posted speed limit used to cost $92, but will now incur a $120 fine. The fine for getting caught driving 50km/h over the posted limit is increasing from $495 to $620. Stunting, street racing, and other similar offences will see the imposed fine rise from $473 to $710.
Some equipment offences will see a minor increase, such as the fine for tinted windows, which is set to increase from $68 per offence to $88. However, the fine for having an unreadable licence plate or one not secured in the position or manner required by law will see an increase from $135 to $176.
Speeding fines for those caught within a construction zone are set to increase, with the maximum fine of $1000 now being imposed for any violation of 43km/h or more over the posted limit. This only applies to speeding violations up to 50km/h over the posted limit as anyone ticketed for speeding 51km/h over the limit, in a construction zone or not, will be facing an unspecified fine and a mandatory court appearance.
A full list of the fine increases can be found here.
What does this mean for drivers?
The changes the Government of Alberta is making only affect the financial penalty a driver will face if they receive a ticket for any of the listed offences. This change will not affect the demerits applied to a driver’s license or to any increases to the driver’s insurance premiums that those demerits may cause. This increase in financial penalties may mean some drivers will want to fight a traffic ticket that, prior to the changes, they may have simply paid.
At this point, there are some unknowns moving forward regarding speed limits. There was reporting in December 2025 that discussed the Government of Alberta’s plans to increase the posted limit on some highways from 110km/h to 120km/h in 2026. If instituted, drivers would need to be caught driving 170km/h on the affected highways to incur the new maximum speeding penalty.
The increase in traffic violation fines also comes just a little over a year after the Government of Alberta removed or restricted photo radar locations across the province. Photo radar is now restricted to red-light enforcement and to speed infractions within school zones.
Conclusion
The Government of Alberta is increasing the financial penalty that drivers will be required to pay if they are caught committing any of a number of traffic violations. The increased fines do not change the demerits a driver will see added to their license for these offences. It is also unknown if the increase in financial penalty for certain offences signals a desire of the Government for greater traffic enforcement. However, for some offences, the increase in the financial penalty is significant and may cause some drivers to decide to fight a traffic ticket rather than simply paying the fine.
If you receive a ticket and are looking for assistance, you can reach out to our office to discuss your options and how we can help.