Does a ticket for going 40mph in a 30mph zone go on my record?

In California, if you appear in court and request traffic school, pay the fees that go with traffic school, attend the school, and submit the necessary paperwork after that, then the violation will not go on your record, and your insurance won't be raised. You do need to request traffic school before contesting the ticket with the officer present, and then have the judge deny you the right to go to traffic school. In California, you can theoretically get a ticket for as little as 1 mph over the speed limit.

The Dimmler amendment was a Minnesota statute that was repealed in 1996. However, there is a provision in its place that if you are going up to 64 miles per hour in either a 55 or 60 mile per hour zone, the conviction will not go on your record. (Minnesota Statute 171.12). Since you were driving in a 30 mph zone, you are out of luck. You should see the hearing examiner. If you have a clean record for the past several years (usually 3) you will probably qualify for a continuance for dismissal. In that case, you would pay “prosecution costs” instead of a fine and the ticket will stay off of your record as long as you don’t get another in the next year. If you get another, you may get both on your record. (If that happens call a lawyer.) If you don’t like what the hearing officer has to say, you can set it for court and either call an attorney or talk to the prosecutor. I generally say the most important speeding ticket to fight is the first one, because you may be able to keep your record clean so the next one looks like a “first one.”