# North Carolina — Reckless / excessive-speeding mph thresholds that trigger a criminal charge, by state

For North Carolina, threshold over the posted limit is more than 15 miles per hour more than the speed limit established by law for the highway where the offense occurred; absolute mph threshold is over 80 miles per hour; offense classification is Class 3 misdemeanor; statute is N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-141(j1) — Speed restrictions, verified against its source on 2026-08-20.

- **State:** North Carolina _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Threshold over the posted limit:** more than 15 miles per hour more than the speed limit established by law for the highway where the offense occurred _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Absolute mph threshold:** over 80 miles per hour _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Offense classification:** Class 3 misdemeanor _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statute:** N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-141(j1) — Speed restrictions _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> (j1) A person who drives a vehicle on a highway at a speed that is either more than 15 miles per hour more than the speed limit established by law for the highway where the offense occurred or over 80 miles per hour is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.

## Source

- https://codes.findlaw.com/nc/chapter-20-motor-vehicles/nc-gen-st-sect-20-141.html

Last verified: 2026-08-20. Review by: 2027-08-20.
Part of [Reckless / excessive-speeding mph thresholds that trigger a criminal charge, by state](https://referencesource.org/reckless-driving-speed-thresholds-by-state/).