If you've been stretching the speed limit on your commute, the province just made that habit a lot more expensive. Alberta is hiking fines for a wide range of driving offences starting March 13, and for the worst offenders, the increase is steep.
The change came through an order in council recommended by Justice Minister Mickey Amery. The stated goal is simple: bring Alberta in line with other provinces and make roads safer. Whether you agree with that logic or not, the new numbers kick in next month.
The everyday speeder
For most drivers, the increase falls in the eight to nine per cent range noticeable, but not shocking. Caught at 10 km/h over? That's $120 now, up from $110. Twenty over will cost you $190, up from $175. Push it to 39 km/h over and you're paying $390 instead of $360.
Where it gets serious
Going 40 km/h over the posted limit jumps from $373 to $467 more than a 25 per cent increase. Hit 50 over and you're at $620, up from $495. In construction zones or near emergency vehicles, going 30 km/h over the limit now costs $540, compared to the previous $499.
The most aggressive tier 40 to 42 km/h over now carries a fine up to $994. Push past that but stay below 51 km/h over the limit and you'll cap out at $1,000. Beyond 51 km/h over, it's a mandatory court appearance and the judge decides what you owe.
The biggest jump: stunt driving and distracted driving
The sharpest percentage increase isn't for speeders at all. Careless driving, street racing, stunting, or deliberately distracting other drivers now carries a $710 fine up from $473. That's more than a 50 per cent hike.
Distracted driving also gets more expensive. Phone use, personal grooming, reading, writing, or having an active video display in the driver's sightline will cost $325. Driving without a licence rises to $351, and operating a vehicle with a cancelled or suspended registration is now $527.
Some context
Alberta's traffic fines were last updated in April 2020. Before that, the previous increases came in 2015 and 2003. The new amounts are set through the Procedures Regulation under the Provincial Offences Procedure Act the same regulation that governs all specified penalties for provincial offences in Alberta.
So while the numbers look like a big jump on paper, they're also six years overdue.
Source: Government of Alberta order in council, February 2026. Current fine schedules are published under the Procedures Regulation (AR 63/2017) of the Provincial Offences Procedure Act, available through the Alberta King's Printer at alberta.ca.
https://kings-printer.alberta.ca/Documents/Orders/Orders_in_Council/2026/2026_035.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawP-M0dleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETIxZzZUbmhhbWp2dDlZaGJoc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHozFcSOmb3Jm9QOy4eojDaKip5z9ebDo4rhfqLbMWmKhPhCsP6ykGSe2iOhF_aem_Kn55ErlYeQM6K_7r8kz6rQ
