Fla. Stat. § 316.065
civil infractionverifiedCrashes; reports; penalties
How Florida classifies this section
Noncriminal traffic infraction (civil)
“Except as provided in ss. 318.17 and 320.07(3)(c), any person cited for a violation of chapter 316, s. 320.0605, s. 320.07(3)(a) or (b), s. 322.065, s. 322.15(1), s. 322.16(2) or (3), s. 322.1615, s. 322.19, or s. 1006.66(3) is charged with a noncriminal infraction”
— § 318.14(1), Fla. Stat., verbatim
The statute, verbatim
316.065 Crashes; reports; penalties. — (1) The driver of a vehicle involved in a crash resulting in injury to or death of any persons or damage to any vehicle or other property in an apparent amount of at least $500 shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of the crash to the local police department, if such crash occurs within a municipality; otherwise, to the office of the county sheriff or the nearest office or station of the Florida Highway Patrol. A violation of this subsection is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318. (2) Every coroner or other official performing like functions, upon learning of the death of a person in his or her jurisdiction as the result of a traffic crash, shall immediately notify the nearest office or station of the department. (3) Any person in charge of any garage or repair shop to which is brought any motor vehicle which shows evidence of having been struck by a bullet, or any other person to whom is brought for the purpose of repair a motor vehicle showing such evidence, shall make a report, or cause a report to be made, to the nearest local police station or Florida Highway Patrol office within 24 hours after the motor vehicle is received and before any repairs are made to the vehicle. The report shall contain the year, license number, make, model, and color of the vehicle and the name and address of the owner or person in possession of the vehicle. (4) Any person who knowingly repairs a motor vehicle without having made a report as required by subsection (3) is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. The owner and driver of a vehicle involved in a crash who makes a report thereof in accordance with subsection (1) is not liable under this section. (5) Subsection (1) does not apply to a fully autonomous vehicle operating with the automated driving system engaged in the event of a crash involving the vehicle if the vehicle owner, or a person on behalf of the vehicle owner, promptly contacts a law enforcement agency to report the crash or if the fully autonomous vehicle has the capability of alerting a law enforcement agency to the crash. History. — s. 1, ch. 71-135; s. 1, ch. 72-164; s. 1, ch. 73-25; s. 11, ch. 76-31; s. 1, ch. 89-271; s. 299, ch. 95-148; s. 8, ch. 96-350; s. 87, ch. 99-248; s. 14, ch. 2012-197; s. 4, ch. 2019-101.
sha256 868d03279886b83cf9d72771c092a624… · 2025 Fla. Stat., dual fetch-path pipeline · permanent corpus page →
Which text, as of when
2025 Florida Statuteslast amended 2019Decoded against the 2025 Florida Statutes as ingested — dual fetch-path verified, hash-pinned. Session laws amend sections on their own effective dates; the 2026 Laws of Florida are indexed as the corpus's overlay.
History. — s. 1, ch. 71-135; s. 1, ch. 72-164; s. 1, ch. 73-25; s. 11, ch. 76-31; s. 1, ch. 89-271; s. 299, ch. 95-148; s. 8, ch. 96-350; s. 87, ch. 99-248; s. 14, ch. 2012-197; s. 4, ch. 2019-101.
License points — the scale, shown
Point values attach on conviction, under § 322.27(3)(d)'s graduated scale. Which row a case lands on can turn on facts the citation and the disposition determine — the rows that could reach this section are shown with their own words and conditions. The scale is shown, not applied.
“All other moving violations (including parking on a highway outside the limits of a municipality)—3 points.”
“Any moving violation covered in this paragraph, excluding unlawful speed and unlawful use of a wireless communications device, resulting in a crash—4 points.”
Decode your own citation — free
The War Room reads the statute box off your citation (typed, or photographed in your browser — the image never uploads), computes your 30-day window with the arithmetic shown, and lays out every option with its consequences quoted. Free with a verified account; no payment, no card.
Open the War Room — free accountQuestions drivers ask
Is a section 316.065 ticket criminal or a civil infraction in Florida?
Section 316.065 sits in the noncriminal traffic infraction framework: Except as provided in ss. 318.17 and 320.07(3)(c), any person cited for a violation of chapter 316, s. 320.0605, s. 320.07(3)(a) or (b), s. 322.065, s. 322.15(1), s. 322.16(2) or (3), s. 322.1615, s. 322.19, or s. 1006.6… (§ 318.14(1), Fla. Stat.). The § 318.17 criminal exceptions do not name this section.
What is the deadline after a section 316.065 citation?
Under § 318.14(4)(a), a person charged with a noncriminal infraction who does not elect to appear generally has 30 days after the date of issuance to pay or enter the clerk's payment plan. The War Room computes the exact window from your citation's issuance date, arithmetic shown, and § 318.15 states what follows a missed window. Verify any date with the clerk of the county on the citation.
What are the options after a section 316.065 ticket?
The § 318.14 menu, where it applies: pay the penalty (an admission by statute), enter a payment plan, elect the basic driver improvement course where eligible (adjudication withheld, no points, once per 12 months and eight times lifetime), or request the infraction hearing where the state must prove the infraction beyond a reasonable doubt (§ 318.14(6)). Any option can be walked with a licensed attorney — choosing is yours, or one to make with counsel.
How many license points can section 316.065 carry?
Points attach on conviction under § 322.27(3)(d)'s graduated scale. The rows that could reach this section carry 3, 4 points, with conditions the statute itself states (crash involvement, speed over the limit, school-zone factors). The scale is shown, not applied — which row fits a case depends on facts the citation and the disposition determine.
Can this page tell me what to do about my ticket?
No — and that line is the product. It shows the statute verbatim, the classification, the point rows, and the options with their stated consequences. What to do about a specific ticket is a decision for you, or for a licensed attorney; the free War Room decodes your citation, and the attorney connection is free to request with the firm billing directly.
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