Sri Lanka Traffic Spot Fines - All 33 Offences, Amounts and Speeding Bands

A spot fine lets a driver who admits an offence pay a set amount instead of being prosecuted. The offences and amounts are set by regulations under section 215A of the Motor Traffic Act. The current list is the Spot Fine Regulations No. 01 of 2018 (Gazette Extraordinary No. 2054/9 of 15 January 2018): 33 offences, with fines of Rs. 500, Rs. 1,000, Rs. 2,000 or Rs. 3,000.

Most offences are Rs. 1,000 (22 of the 33), including number plates, the revenue licence, not carrying a driving licence, seat belts, helmets, traffic signs and parking. Four are Rs. 2,000: instructing without an instructor's licence, breaking road rules, not obeying a police officer, and not taking precautions with a stopped vehicle. Speeding is Rs. 3,000. Six are Rs. 500: riding on a vehicle's footboard, four overloading offences, and not carrying the emission or fitness certificate.

The Motor Traffic (Amendment) Act, No. 10 of 2019 added section 141A, which sets the fine on conviction for speeding by how far over the limit you were: Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000 up to 20% over, Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 between 20% and 30%, Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000 between 30% and 50%, and Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 25,000 above 50%. These apply if the case goes to court. The same Act made using a mobile phone while driving a spot fine offence, but its amount is not in the 2018 gazette.

In June 2026 Traffic Police Headquarters told the fact-checking site Fact Crescendo that no recent amendment had changed the fines and that Gazette 2054/9 remained in effect, after posts claiming higher fines went viral. The offence wording on this page is the gazette's; the short descriptions are ours. This is general information, not legal advice.