How to get three points removed from your Idaho driving record
Idaho removes three points from your record when you complete an approved defensive driving course, once every three years. The citation has to be paid first, and you send ITD the certificate yourself. Here is the whole process.
Short answer: Complete an Idaho-approved defensive driving course, pay any outstanding citation, and send your certificate to the Idaho Transportation Department. ITD removes three points from your record. You can do this once every three years. The conviction itself stays on the record, and no Idaho course voids a ticket.
The rule
IDAPA 39.02.71 is Idaho's rule for point reduction through defensive driving. Section 400 provides that three points may be removed from a driver's record on completion of an approved course, and that points may be removed this way only once every three years. Section 550 sets the course at a minimum of six hours.
Step by step
1. Check that you are eligible
You need points on your Idaho record and no reduction in the past three years. If you used one in 2024, you wait until 2027.
2. Pay the citation
ITD applies the reduction only after any outstanding citation is paid. If the ticket is still open, close it first.
3. Take an approved six-hour course
ITD keeps the list of approved providers. Our course is six hours, $24.99, self-paced, with no quizzes and a 25-question final exam you can retake as often as you need. There is no state deadline.
4. Send ITD your certificate
Email it to ddc@itd.idaho.gov or mail it to ITD DMV, PO Box 7129, Boise, ID 83707-1129. Idaho has no provider reporting system; this step is yours. Allow a couple of weeks and then check your record.
What the reduction does and does not do
It removes three points. It does not remove the conviction, it does not refund the fine, and it does not stop your insurer from seeing the violation. If you are close to a suspension threshold, three points is real headroom. If you were hoping to make the ticket disappear, Idaho does not offer that.
Drivers 55 and older
Some Idaho insurers reduce premiums for drivers 55 and older who complete a defensive driving course. Whether this course qualifies, and by how much, is your insurer's decision. Call them before you enroll if that is your reason.
Sources
More Idaho guides
- How Idaho's point system works: the suspension thresholds and the three-point reduction
Idaho suspends a license at 12 points in 12 months. The suspension gets longer at 18 and 24. An approved course removes three points once every three years. The whole system in one place.