5 School Bus Rules That Cost Georgians More Than They Expect

You drive past a stopped school bus in Georgia, and a notice shows up in your mailbox later.

The fine isn’t the only thing that can come attached to it.

Here are the school bus rules that cost Georgians more than they expect.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Traffic penalties and licensing rules are subject to change, so confirm the current requirements with the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

1. Camera Tickets

Under Georgia’s school bus camera statute, Code Section 40-6-163, the registered owner of a vehicle caught passing a stopped bus owes a $1,000 civil penalty.

Cameras mounted on the bus record vehicles passing on either side, and the law enforcement agency mails the citation within ten days of getting the owner’s name and address.

The penalty is civil.

That means it isn’t a moving violation for points, isn’t a conviction and doesn’t go on your operating record.

If you contest the notice, you can take the case to magistrate court or another court that handles traffic violations.

2. Registration Holds

Think your school bus camera notice can wait until later?

The law also bars renewal of your vehicle registration until the penalty and any late fee are paid.

The local governing body or its agent sends the Department of Revenue a referral if the penalty is still unpaid 30 days after the final notice was mailed.

According to the department, as reported by Atlanta News First in March 2025, at least 354 drivers couldn’t renew their registrations because of unpaid school bus camera violations since 2023.

3. Stop-Arm Rule

The school bus stop-arm rule comes down to this: When a bus stops with its signals running, you stop too, whether you’re meeting it or overtaking it.

You stay stopped until the bus resumes motion or its signals shut off.

Skipping that stop can also be charged as a high and aggravated misdemeanor, separate from the camera’s civil penalty.

The punishment is a fine of at least $1,000, up to 12 months of confinement, or both.

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) says those penalties fall under Addy’s Law, which took effect on July 1, 2024.

Under the same statute, a bus driver who sees you pass can record your vehicle description and license number.

The driver also notes the time and place, then sends the report to local law enforcement on a DPS form.

4. Six-Point Penalty

A conviction for passing a stopped school bus puts six points on your license, according to the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS).

That matches the points for speeding 34 mph or more over the limit, while speeding by 15 to 18 mph earns two.

DDS suspends a license at 15 points within 24 months, so two convictions inside that window put you at 12.

DPS also lists potentially higher insurance premiums among the penalties for passing a stopped bus.

A third conviction inside the same 24 months would take you to 18.

5. Under-21 Suspension

If you’re under 21 and convicted of passing a stopped school bus, your license or permit is suspended for six months.

A second or later conviction brings twelve months.

DPS’s school bus safety release lists the same automatic suspension for drivers under 21.

Getting your license back costs money, too. For a points-violation suspension, a first offense runs $200 by mail or $210 in person.

The Divided-Road Exception

The school bus stop rule has an exception for divided roads.

You don’t have to stop for a bus on a separate roadway divided from yours by a grass median, an unpaved area or a physical barrier.

A painted center turn lane isn’t on that list.

The statute adds a second exception for a controlled access highway when the bus is stopped in a loading zone where pedestrians aren’t permitted to cross the roadway.

On any road that doesn’t fit one of those descriptions, the stop-arm rule applies in full.

What Your Insurer Hears

Gwinnett County’s school district says that for repeated violations the driver’s insurance carrier will be notified.

In Cherokee County, repeat violators, in addition to repeat fines, also can face insurance repercussions.

The wording in both districts is about repeat violations.

The statute separately says a camera civil penalty can’t be used for any insurance purposes in the provision of motor vehicle insurance coverage.

Where Camera Money Goes

BusPatrol installed Cherokee County’s stop-arm cameras at no cost to the district, which says the company keeps a portion of the fines collected.

The district receives a portion too, and those funds will go to safety and security investments, as required by law.

A 30-day warning period would begin March 30, 2026, with warning notices by mail and no financial penalty, and $1,000 citations by mail would begin May 4, 2026.

If a notice reaches you in Cherokee County, the citation includes a link to the AlertBus Driver Education Portal.

There, you can review the evidence and learn more about the law.

The Push to Lower the Fine

A state lawmaker tried to lower Georgia's school bus camera fine in 2025.

Rep. Don Parsons of Marietta proposed a plan under which you'd pay $300 for a first violation, $500 for a second and $1,000 for a third.

That's $700 less on a first violation.

If $1,000 sounds steep to you, Atlanta News First called it among the nation's highest.