🚗 Can I drive 10 km/h over the limit in town because "it is tolerated anyway"?

Quick answer

No. In a built-up area every excess is an offence — 1 to 10 km/h over the limit already costs 30 euros (ZSPC čl. 53. st. 7.). The default urban limit is 50 km/h and the fines climb steeply: 10–20 over = 60 euros, 20–30 = 130 euros + 2 points, 30–50 = 390–920 euros + 3 points, over 50 = 1,320–2,650 euros or up to 60 days in jail + 6 points. The myth everyone repeats — "police tolerate 10 km/h, in town you can do 60" — is simply untrue. Those 10 km/h (10% above 100 km/h) are a mandatory metrological correction for radar error (Pravilnik, NN 60/20 — NN is Narodne novine, the official gazette), subtracted from the reading before the offence is even calculated. It fixes device error, not your right to speed. Only outside built-up areas does the law set no fine for up to 10 km/h over.

📋 The rules

The default limit in a built-up area is 50 km/h unless a sign says otherwise (ZSPC čl. 53. st. 1.); fines: up to 10 km/h over = 30 euros, 10–20 = 60 euros, 20–30 = 130 euros + 2 points, 30–50 = 390–920 euros + 3 points, over 50 = 1,320–2,650 euros or up to 60 days in jail + 6 points.
Outside built-up areas (čl. 54.): 10–30 km/h over = 60 euros; 30–50 = 260 euros; over 50 = 660–1,990 euros + 3 points. For up to 10 km/h over, the law outside built-up areas sets no fine at all — that gap exists only there.
The "safety margin" (Pravilnik on metrological and technical requirements for speed measuring devices, NN 60/20): 10 km/h is deducted from the reading for speeds up to 100 km/h, or 10% above 100 km/h — it corrects the device, it does not raise the limit.
Repeat offenders: for over 50 km/h in town a driving ban is mandatory — at least 6 months (second offence) or 12 months (third and each further one); for 30–50 km/h over, at least 3 and 6 months respectively (čl. 53. st. 8.–9., introduced by NN 70/19).
Penalty points (čl. 286., NN 85/22) are wiped after 2 years; 12 points in two years — or 9 points for a young driver (under 24) — means the licence is withdrawn by decision, with a new driving test possible only after two years.

🔓 Exceptions

Up to 10 km/h over the limit outside a built-up area: čl. 54. prescribes no fine for it — the "small excess" really does pass, but only outside town, never in it.
Emergency vehicles and escorted vehicles, while using their lights and sirens, are exempt from the speed limit provisions during an intervention (ZSPC čl. 149.–151.).
The measured speed is always reduced by the safety margin first: a reading of 60 km/h in a 50 zone is legally treated as 50 km/h, so in practice prosecution starts at a reading of about 61 km/h — that is the device-error rule, not a driver bonus.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

In town the range runs from 30 euros to 2,650 euros or up to 60 days in jail. It gets expensive at the points: 2, 3 or 6 penalty points for the three worst bands — a single 6-point offence takes a young driver two thirds of the way to the 9-point licence threshold. Repeat offences in the two worst bands carry a mandatory driving ban, and a driver caught doing over 50 km/h in town who already has two final convictions from the worst group has the vehicle itself temporarily seized (čl. 229. st. 8.). Driving after the licence is taken costs 1,320–2,650 euros or up to 60 days in jail.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Is there an official 10 km/h tolerance?

Not as a permission. Those 10 km/h (10% above 100 km/h) are a metrological correction for radar error prescribed by Pravilnik NN 60/20 and deducted from the reading. After that correction, any excess in town is an offence.

What is the fine for 5 km/h over the limit in town?

If the excess established after the safety margin is up to 10 km/h, the fine is 30 euros under ZSPC čl. 53. st. 7. There are no penalty points in that band, but the offence is recorded like any other.

Why do old fine tables still show amounts in kuna?

Because they were published before NN 114/22, which restated the amounts in euros from 1 January 2023 (e.g. 10,000–20,000 kn became 1,320–2,650 euros). Some police and blog pages have still not updated those tables.

Were speeding fines tightened in 2025 or 2026?

They were not. The last amendment to the ZSPC is NN 145/24, in force since 21 December 2024, and it does not touch speeding fines. The reform the media wrote about during 2025 had not been passed as of July 2026.

How many penalty points does speeding carry?

In town: 2 points for 20–30 km/h over, 3 points for 30–50 and 6 points for over 50 km/h. Points are wiped after two years, and 12 points (9 for a young driver) means your driving licence is withdrawn.

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