A LaPlace speeding ticket is not a parking ticket. Pay it and you plead guilty, the conviction rides your record for three years, and your insurer raises your rate. We fight St. John Parish speeding tickets to keep them off your record, and you usually never have to appear in Edgard.
Few places in Louisiana write more speeding tickets than the stretch of interstate around LaPlace. Interstate 10 and Interstate 55 meet here, the speed limit changes as you move through the interchange and the Bonnet Carre Spillway, and Louisiana State Police Troop B works this corridor hard. Add Airline Highway (US 61), US 51, and Belle Terre Boulevard, and a lot of ordinary drivers get caught going a few miles over.
Because LaPlace is unincorporated, a speeding ticket here does not go to a city court. It goes to the 40th Judicial District Court in Edgard and is prosecuted by the St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney. The Law Office of Heather C. Ford works these dockets and can step in so you do not have to cross the river.
A speeding ticket is not one thing. What you were clocked at changes how it can be charged and how much damage it does. The table below is a general guide, not a promise about your case.
| How far over | How it is treated | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 14 mph over | Standard speeding under RS 32:64. | A conviction still hits your record for three years and raises your insurance. Usually reducible to a non-moving violation. |
| 15 mph or more over | Still speeding, but this is the threshold for a CDL “serious violation.” | A bigger insurance hit, and a real problem for anyone holding a CDL. |
| Around 25 mph or more over | Can be charged as careless or reckless operation, not just speeding. | Higher fines and possible criminal exposure, not just a traffic fine. |
| School or construction zone | Enhanced penalties, often with increased fines. | Treated more seriously by the court and worth fighting. |
If your ticket was in a school zone, see school-zone speeding penalties in Louisiana. If you hold a CDL, a speeding ticket carries extra risk, covered on our LaPlace CDL page.
Louisiana does not use a driver’s license point system, which is exactly why speeding tickets are underestimated. There are no points to watch, so drivers pay and move on. Meanwhile the conviction is reported for three years, and your insurance company treats a speeding conviction as a reason to raise your premium. On a clean record, one ticket can add hundreds of dollars a year, so the real cost of a $180 ticket is often four or five times that once the insurance surcharge is counted.
A speeding charge rests entirely on how your speed was measured. Each method has requirements, and each has weaknesses.
These units have to be certified and calibrated on a schedule, and the officer has to be trained on them. We request the calibration and certification records and look for gaps. Weather, traffic, and angle can all affect a reading.
When an officer follows and estimates your speed from the patrol car, the reliability depends on distance, timing, and the officer’s own speedometer calibration. Pacing is often the softest evidence in the file.
If the reason for the stop does not hold up, everything after it can be challenged.
The most common win is a negotiated reduction. Getting the charge knocked down to a non-moving violation means no conviction your insurer can surcharge, which is usually the whole goal.
Where the radar records are missing or the stop is questionable, that is leverage toward a dismissal or a better offer.
Where a reduction is not available, articles 894 and 892 can keep a plea from becoming a conviction on your record.
Speed limits and speeding offenses are set in Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 32, sections 61 through 64. The penalty climbs with how far over you were and whether a school or construction zone was involved, and excessive speed can be charged as reckless operation under RS 14:99. Because Louisiana has no points system, the practical penalty is the conviction on your record and the insurance cost that follows, which is why keeping the ticket off your record matters more than the ticket amount.
A large share of LaPlace speeding tickets go to drivers from out of state or another parish, caught on I-10 or I-55 on the way to somewhere else. You do not have to drive back to St. John Parish to deal with it. We can appear at the 40th JDC in Edgard on your behalf, work for a reduction or dismissal, and keep the conviction off the record your home-state insurer would otherwise see. Just send us the citation and we take it from there.
Send us your ticket for a free consultation. We will tell you whether we can get it reduced or dismissed, and what it will cost, before you decide anything. You can also read more about speeding ticket defense or the St. John Parish traffic court.
Between myself and my family, we keep Heather busy! She is very professional and knowledgeable. I have spent a lot of money and ruined my driving record paying off speeding tickets but when I found Heather, I found that she is the best
My experience with the Law Office of Heather C. Ford was outstanding. I would recommend this team to anyone that has received a traffic ticket in the metro New Orleans area....
I found Heather online after searching for a traffic lawyer. Since I am not from the area, I was not 100% sure but went with my gut after reading the positive comments. And I was right! I am really pleased with Heather Ford's...
I was thrilled when Heather was able to get my ticket reduced to a non-moving violation and the judge waived fees. I never thought that was possible. I was certain I'd have to pay something. She's great...
Ms. Ford is all that I could ask for in an advocate.
My experience has been as pleasurable as can be expected when you need a lawyer.
Usually yes. Because Louisiana has no points, drivers assume a small overage is harmless, but any speeding conviction can raise your insurance for three years. Getting it reduced to a non-moving violation often saves you far more than our fee.
No. LaPlace is unincorporated, so speeding tickets are heard at the 40th JDC in Edgard and prosecuted by the St. John Parish DA. We handle those appearances for you.
Yes. Many LaPlace speeding tickets are written by Louisiana State Police Troop B on the interstate. We handle State Police citations the same way, working the measurement evidence and the stop.
Those carry enhanced penalties and are worth taking seriously. Tell us where and when you were stopped and we will explain your options and what a reduction could look like.
Yes. Speeding 15 mph or more over is a serious violation under the federal rules, and CDL holders cannot use the same tools regular drivers use to hide a ticket. See our LaPlace CDL page.
For most speeding cases, no. We appear on your behalf so you do not have to cross the river for court.
