Fla. Stat. § 316.646
civil infractionverifiedSecurity required; proof of security and display thereof
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
316.646 Security required; proof of security and display thereof. — (1) Any person required by s. 324.022 to maintain property damage liability security, required by s. 324.023 to maintain liability security for bodily injury or death, or required by s. 627.733 to maintain personal injury protection security on a motor vehicle shall have in his or her immediate possession at all times while operating such motor vehicle proper proof of maintenance of the required security. (a) Such proof shall be in a uniform paper or electronic format, as prescribed by the department, a valid insurance policy, an insurance policy binder, a certificate of insurance, or such other proof as may be prescribed by the department. (b)1. The act of presenting to a law enforcement officer an electronic device displaying proof of insurance in an electronic format does not constitute consent for the officer to access any information on the device other than the displayed proof of insurance. 2. The person who presents the device to the officer assumes the liability for any resulting damage to the device. (2) Upon the demand of a law enforcement officer or other person authorized to issue traffic citations, the operator shall display proper proof of maintenance of security as specified by subsection (1). (3)(a) Any operator who is the owner or registrant of the vehicle he or she is operating and who violates this section commits a nonmoving traffic infraction subject to the penalty provided in chapter 318 and shall be required to furnish proof of security as provided in this section. If any operator who is the owner or registrant of the vehicle he or she is operating and who is charged with a violation of this section fails to furnish proof at or before the scheduled court appearance date that security was in effect at the time of the violation, the court shall, upon conviction, notify the department to suspend the registration and driver license of such operator. If the court fails to order the suspension of such operator’s registration and driver license for a conviction of this section at the time of sentencing, the department shall, upon receiving notice of the conviction from the court, suspend such operator’s registration and driver license for the violation of this section. Such license and registration may be reinstated only as provided in s. 324.0221. (b) Any operator who is not the owner or registrant of the vehicle he or she is operating and who violates this section commits a nonmoving traffic infraction subject to the penalty provided in chapter 318. (4) Any operator presenting proof of insurance as required in subsection (1) who knows that the insurance as represented by such proof of insurance is not currently in force is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. (5) The department shall adopt rules to administer this section. History. — s. 1, ch. 86-182; s. 50, ch. 87-198; s. 3, ch. 88-370; s. 36, ch. 91-224; s. 332, ch. 95-148; s. 6, ch. 95-333; s. 38, ch. 96-350; s. 2, ch. 2007-150; s. 1, ch. 2007-324; s. 11, ch. 2010-223; s. 17, ch. 2013-160; s. 2, ch. 2022-175.
sha256 3ee4a290955737efbbb72bc8bc339a06… · 2025 Fla. Stat., dual fetch-path pipeline · permanent corpus page →
Which text, as of when
2025 Florida Statuteslast amended 2022Decoded 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. 86-182; s. 50, ch. 87-198; s. 3, ch. 88-370; s. 36, ch. 91-224; s. 332, ch. 95-148; s. 6, ch. 95-333; s. 38, ch. 96-350; s. 2, ch. 2007-150; s. 1, ch. 2007-324; s. 11, ch. 2010-223; s. 17, ch. 2013-160; s. 2, ch. 2022-175.
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 316.646 ticket criminal or a civil infraction in Florida?
Section 316.646 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 316.646 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 316.646 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 316.646 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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