How fast can you drive on Charlotte roads with no posted speed limit? What NC laws say.
Issues with speeding on Charlotte roads have been well documented and often lead to dangerous situations for drivers and pedestrians.
Even when driving on roads in Charlotte and the rest of the region that don’t have a posted speed limit, there’s still a default speed limit in place. And failing to drive within the speed limit can result in expensive fines and even criminal charges.
Here’s what to know about speed limits in and around Charlotte and the penalties for speeding in North Carolina:
What’s the default speed limit in Charlotte?
In North Carolina, state law dictates the speed limit if a specific one isn’t posted.
“By state statute, streets within Charlotte’s city limits, including neighborhood streets, have a speed limit of 35 miles per hour unless otherwise posted,” the city of Charlotte advises.
“Outside of a municipality’s borders” the speed limit if not otherwise specified is 55 mph, according to Charlotte’s Browning and Long law firm. On a highway, the firm adds, it’s 70 mph.
What’s the penalty for speeding in North Carolina?
The penalty for speeding in North Carolina depends on where you’re driving and how fast you were going, Browning and Long explains.
Generally, driving over the speed limit can get you a speeding ticket, which can mean a fine ranging from $10 to $250, points against your driver’s license and higher car insurance costs.
“A speeding ticket for driving over 15 mph over the posted speed limit or over 80 mph is a Class 3 misdemeanor,” the law firm adds.
You can also be fined $250, per the law firm, for speeding in a work zone or a school zone.
Reckless driving charges can be “issued in addition to a speeding ticket” “for driving carelessly and heedlessly in disregard of the safety of others or for driving without due caution and at a speed or in a manner that could endanger others.”
If charged with reckless driving, Browning and Long says, you face up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine and can also have your driver’s license suspended.
And you can also get in trouble for driving below the speed limit.
“It is a violation of North Carolina law to drive on interstate and highway roads at less than 40 mph on a road with a posted 55 mph speed limit or less than 45 mph on a road with a speed limit of 60 mph or greater,” Browning and Long says. “It is also a speeding violation to drive so slowly on a highway that it impedes the normal flow of traffic.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
