Drivers in Montgomery County racked up more school-zone speeding citations than any other county in Pennsylvania over the past five years, state court data shows.
The finding lands two weeks before Colonial and Wissahickon students head back to class.
The county accounted for 5,326 of the state's 16,834 school-zone speeding citations between 2021 and 2025, nearly one in three tickets issued statewide, according to a data release from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts published Aug. 7. No other county came close: second-place Delaware County logged 1,558 citations over the same period.
Montgomery County also ranked second statewide for passing a stopped school bus, with 1,090 citations (13.13% of the state total). Only Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, had more.
The numbers have been climbing. Montgomery County's school-zone speeding citations rose from 933 in 2021 to 1,318 in 2025, a 41% increase, according to The Reporter.
What it means for local families
Both Colonial School District and Wissahickon School District open for the 2026–27 school year on Monday, Aug. 31. That puts Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, Colonial Elementary, Colonial Middle and Wissahickon's campuses in a county where school-zone speeding is more common than anywhere else in the state.
Under Pennsylvania law, the speed limit in a school zone is 15 mph. Drivers must stop at least 10 feet before reaching a school bus when its red signal lights are flashing and its stop arm is extended.
No local police departments or school district officials have commented publicly on the data or announced specific enforcement plans for the first week of school.
Penalties
The fines are steeper than many drivers realize. Speeding in a school zone carries a base fine of $35 plus $2 for every mile per hour over 20 mph; exceed 26 mph in a school zone and the fine jumps to $500. Passing a stopped school bus brings a $250 fine, a $35 surcharge directed to the state's School Bus Safety Grant Program, five points on a driver's record and a possible 60-day license suspension.
Peak months
The court data shows September and August are the months with the highest percentages of school-zone and bus-passing citations statewide, aligning with the start of the school year when drivers have not yet adjusted to lower speeds and more bus stops.
Statewide, school-zone speeding citations peaked at 3,923 in 2025, the highest single-year total in the five-year dataset. Among those cited for both types of violations, 53% were male, and drivers ages 20 to 39 made up the two largest demographic groups.
