Sean P. Quinlan, Esq. monogramSean P. Quinlan, Esq.

Practice Area

Traffic citations are more than a fine.

Points, surcharges, license suspensions, and CDL disqualifications can follow a 'simple' ticket. We appear in magisterial district courts across Central PA to fight them.

Call (717) 724-7503 Schedule a consultation

Free & confidential · Usually a same-day callback

  • 25+ years experience
  • National College for DUI Defense
  • Five-star reviewed
  • BBB A+ Rated

Citations we fight.

Pleading guilty by mail is rarely the right move — especially with a CDL or a prior history of points. Most tickets have real defenses and negotiation room.

Already convicted by a magisterial district judge? You have 30 days to file a summary appeal for a fresh trial at the Court of Common Pleas — see our Harrisburg-area summary appeals page for the process and local courts.

Trying to figure out where you stand on points? Read our PA license points & suspension guide — point values, the 6-point and 11-point thresholds, and how points come off.

Left the scene of an accident? See our PA hit and run lawyer page — § 3742 felony vs. § 3743/§ 3745 summary charges, license suspension, and defense strategy.

  • Speeding & Radar

    Challenging radar/lidar calibration, officer certification, and timing.

  • Reckless & Careless Driving

    §3736 and §3714 — defending serious moving violations. See our dedicated reckless driving page.

  • Driving on a Suspended License

    §1543(a) and §1543(b) — avoiding mandatory penalties.

  • CDL Violations

    Protecting your commercial license from disqualifying convictions.

  • Accident-Related Citations

    Defending citations issued after a crash.

  • Habitual Offender Hearings

    PennDOT appeals and license restoration.

Free citation review

Send us your citation before you pay it.

Upload the details from your ticket — violation, points, court, and hearing date. We'll tell you whether it can be reduced to a non-point violation, fought at summary trial, or appealed.

  • Confidential — no obligation
  • Usually a callback the same day
Send us your citation (717) 724-7503

Local Traffic Defense

Traffic ticket lawyer by location.

We fight speeding tickets and traffic citations in the MDJ courts across Cumberland, Dauphin, York, and Adams counties. Choose the city or county where you were cited for local court info and enforcement context.

By citation type

Defense pages by charge.

Deep-dive pages for the three highest-volume Central PA traffic charges — with statute detail, defense strategy, and city-specific versions for Harrisburg, York, and Carlisle.

Traffic defense · services

Every traffic service we handle.

From a radar ticket to a § 1543 suspension charge — each page covers the fine, the points, and the appeal path.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Common questions about Pennsylvania traffic citations, points, and CDL impacts.

  • Usually no. Paying a citation is the same as pleading guilty — points hit your record, your insurance rates can rise for years, and certain violations trigger PennDOT license suspensions or CDL disqualifications. Many tickets can be reduced to non-point violations through negotiation or beaten on the merits at a summary trial.

  • Pennsylvania uses a point system where 6 or more points triggers a written exam, suspension hearing, or other PennDOT action depending on your record. Repeated 6-point accumulations bring escalating suspensions. Two points are removed for each 12 months without a violation. Some serious offenses also carry automatic suspensions regardless of point total.

  • Yes. Federal regulations treat CDL holders more strictly than regular drivers — even off-duty in a personal vehicle. Two 'serious traffic violations' (15+ mph over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane change, following too closely) within three years triggers a 60-day disqualification; three triggers 120 days. A DUI or refusal is one year for a first offense.

  • Section 1543(a) carries a $200 fine and a one-year credit-card extension of the suspension. Section 1543(b) — driving on a DUI-related suspension — carries mandatory jail (60–90 days minimum, more for repeats), large fines, and additional suspension. These are not citations to ignore; they almost always benefit from an attorney.

  • For most summary traffic citations you can plead not guilty and request a summary trial in front of a magisterial district judge. An attorney can often appear on your behalf or negotiate with the citing officer before the hearing — many cases resolve without you needing to take time off work.

Related pages

Free consultation · Calls answered now

The sooner we talk, the more we can do.

Every hour matters in a DUI or criminal case. Call directly and speak with Attorney Quinlan — not an intake desk.

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