Texas 4-Point Non-Renewal: The 12-Month Rolling Window

Texas carriers count convictions that occurred in the 12 months preceding your renewal date, not the total points on your DMV record. If you received two speeding tickets in March 2023, one in June 2023, and another in February 2024, your April 2024 renewal will show four convictions in the rolling window. Your carrier sees a pattern of ongoing violations, not isolated incidents. The DMV assigns points that stay on your record for three years from the conviction date. Insurance surcharges typically last three years as well. But non-renewal decisions compress that timeline into a 12-month assessment window. Carriers apply this window at every renewal, which means the count resets and recalculates each policy term. Four points in 12 months signals high risk to underwriters. Most preferred carriers in Texas decline to renew at that threshold. Standard carriers may offer renewal with a major rate increase or move you to a non-standard subsidiary. Non-standard carriers expect multi-point records and will renew, but monthly premiums can run $180–$280 for state minimum liability compared to $75–$110 for a clean-record driver with the same coverage.

Texas assigns 2 points for most moving violations and 3 points for violations resulting in an accident. A speeding ticket of 10% or more over the limit, failure to yield, running a red light, and following too closely each carry 2 points. An at-fault accident with a citation adds 3 points. If your renewal date is May 15, the carrier reviews all convictions with dates between May 16 of the prior year and May 15 of the current year. A conviction dated May 10 of the prior year falls outside the window. A conviction dated May 20 of the prior year appears in the count. This creates a cliff effect where violations separated by a few weeks can determine whether you stay with your current carrier or enter the non-standard market. Carriers do not look at your point balance with the Texas DMV. They review the raw conviction dates reported by your driving record. The rolling window resets at each renewal, which means a driver who crossed 4 points in one 12-month period may drop back under the threshold six months later if older convictions age out of the window.

Preferred carriers like State Farm, Allstate, and GEIC typically non-renew at 4 points in the rolling window. You receive a non-renewal notice 30 days before your policy expires, as required by Texas insurance code. The notice states that the carrier will not offer a new term. Your current coverage remains in force until the expiration date, but you must secure a new policy before that date to avoid a lapse. Standard carriers may renew with a surcharge that increases your premium by 40–70%. Non-standard carriers expect pointed records and will issue a new policy, but they price for higher risk. Monthly premiums for full coverage in the non-standard market range from $240 to $420 depending on vehicle value, ZIP code, and total violation count. State minimum liability runs $180–$280 per month. Non-renewal does not trigger an SR-22 filing requirement in Texas unless your license was suspended and the court or DPS ordered SR-22 as a reinstatement condition. Most 4-point scenarios involve surcharges and market tier changes, not filing mandates. If you did not receive a suspension notice or court order requiring SR-22, you do not need it after non-renewal.

Texas allows one defensive driving course dismissal every 12 months for eligible violations. Completing the course before your court date removes the conviction from your driving record entirely, which means it never appears in the carrier's rolling window count. The violation must be under 25 mph over the limit, you must hold a valid license, and you cannot have taken the course in the prior 12 months. If you already have 2 points on your record and receive a third ticket, taking defensive driving before the conviction date keeps you at 2 points. If you wait until after the conviction posts, the course does not retroactively remove it from your insurance record. Carriers review convictions at renewal, and once a conviction appears on your MVR, it counts in the rolling window for the full 12 months following the conviction date. Defensive driving does not remove at-fault accidents or violations that exceed the 25 mph threshold. It does not erase a conviction that has already posted. The course works as a prevention tool before the violation becomes part of your record, not as a remediation tool after the fact.

Non-standard carriers writing in Texas include Acceptance, Infinity, and Direct Auto. These carriers price for drivers with multiple violations and do not non-renew at the 4-point threshold. Monthly premiums reflect the higher risk tier, but coverage remains available without gaps. Some standard carriers offer high-risk subsidiaries that accept pointed records. Progressive underwrites through multiple entities and may route a 4-point driver to a standard-risk tier rather than declining entirely. Nationwide and Travelers maintain non-standard programs in Texas that renew multi-point drivers at higher premiums. Shopping after non-renewal requires accurate disclosure. Carriers pull your MVR during underwriting and will decline or rescind a quote if you omit violations. Provide conviction dates and violation types when requesting quotes. Non-standard carriers expect this information and price accordingly. Withholding it delays the quote process and can result in a policy cancellation during the first term if the carrier discovers undisclosed violations during a routine audit.

You remain in the non-standard market until older violations age out of the carrier's rolling window and your renewal review shows fewer than 4 points. If your fourth conviction occurred in June 2024 and your renewal date is March 2025, you will still show 4 points in the window at that renewal. By March 2026, if no new violations occurred, the oldest conviction falls outside the 12-month window and your point count drops. Preferred carriers require a clean 12-month window before offering a quote. Most will not quote a driver until the rolling window shows zero major violations and no more than one minor violation in the prior 12 months. This means you may spend 12–24 months in the non-standard market depending on the spacing of your violations. Rate recovery begins when you re-enter the standard or preferred market. A driver moving from non-standard to standard tier can see premiums drop by 30–50%. Moving from standard to preferred can reduce monthly costs by another 20–30%. Recovery timeline depends on violation spacing, not just the total points on your DMV record.

Request your Texas driving record from the DPS 60 days before your renewal date. Review all conviction dates and calculate which violations fall in the 12-month rolling window ending on your renewal date. If you are at or near 4 points, contact your agent or carrier to confirm whether renewal is likely or whether you should begin shopping for non-standard coverage. If non-renewal is certain, secure a new policy before your current policy expires. A lapse in coverage adds a separate surcharge on top of the violation surcharges. Texas carriers view a coverage gap as a high-risk signal and may increase your quoted premium by 20–40% or decline to quote entirely if the lapse exceeds 30 days. If you receive a new ticket before your renewal date and you are already at 2 points, take defensive driving immediately if the violation qualifies. Preventing the third conviction from posting keeps you under the non-renewal threshold. Waiting until after the court date forfeits that option and locks in the third conviction for the next 12 months of rolling window reviews.