What you will discover:
How to Determine Whether Your Driver’s License Has Been Suspended
What is the duration of a suspended license?
Is a suspended license still acceptable identification?
Unpaid tickets: How can I regain my driver’s license?
How much does it cost to have a suspended license reinstated?
But what should I do if I do not have enough money to pay my license suspension or violation fees?
Obtain legal counsel from a traffic ticket attorney?
Do you have any outstanding traffic or parking tickets? Unfortunately, ignoring this issue is unlikely to make it go away.
Unpaid parking and traffic fines may have significant implications, including the suspension of your driver’s license, a drop in your credit score, the impounding of your vehicle, and an increase in your auto insurance premiums. While failing to pay a single traffic ticket may not cause immediate difficulties, failing to pay several traffic citations (more than three in California) or ignoring DMV warnings may result in the loss of your license.
This also applies to non-moving infractions such as parking citations. According to a review of state statutes, at least six states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, California, New Jersey, and New York) allow the DMV to revoke driver’s licenses for non-driving offenses such as parking citations. Check with your state DMV to see whether your state allows for license suspension for failing to pay parking fines and how many citations are required to result in significant repercussions.
Table of Contents
How to Determine Whether Your Driver’s License Has Been Suspended
The DMV may provide you with a copy of your driving record. Your driving record includes all of the necessary information:
The license’s current status. So you will know whether your license is still valid or if it has been suspended.
Details about any tickets you have purchased. Depending on your state, it might go back three to ten years.
How many points have you accumulated as a result of tickets, accidents, and other driving violations?
What is the duration of a suspended license?
The duration of a suspension is determined by your state’s rules and the severity of the driving crime.
Is a suspended license still acceptable identification?
As long as the license is not expired, it is still deemed valid. If your license has been stolen, you should visit your local DMV and seek an identity (ID) card. An ID card may be obtained by any US citizen. An ID card in California is valid for six years.
Unpaid tickets: How can I regain my driver’s license?
Even if your license has been suspended due to unpaid citations, you have choices. If you want to reconcile outstanding parking tickets and a suspended license, you should (1) fight a recent ticket in court, (2) pay the rest of the tickets in full, and (3) request an alternative payment program, such as community service or a payment plan, from the Court.
To begin, you may appeal recent tickets in court by either challenging them yourself or engaging an attorney. When parking and traffic citations are disputed in court, up to 50% of them are rejected; nevertheless, defending tickets may cost money and time. Each ticket may have a different time window in which you may appeal or fight the ticket, therefore it is critical to consult a local attorney who is knowledgeable with your state’s traffic laws.
In California, for example, you may appeal a ticket by a Written Declaration, which does not need an in-person Court presence. Local lawyers will be able to provide you with further information about what is conventional in your city or state.
Second, you may settle your outstanding parking penalties by calling the parking authority and requesting an audit of all unpaid tickets. If you have misplaced the ticket, you may call your state DMV and get a copy of your driving records, which will contain all of your traffic tickets and convictions, the status of your driver’s license, and if you owe any costs.
After you pay your penalties, be sure to follow up with the agency to ensure that the citations are no longer shown as past due. While paying these citations might be unpleasant and inconvenient, the expense and complexity of resolving the matter skyrockets if your license is suspended.
How much does it cost to have a suspended license reinstated?
You may seek license reinstatement if your license has previously been suspended owing to unpaid fines. You may restore your license in California by (1) paying all outstanding parking citations in full, (2) paying a license reinstatement fee, and (3) appearing in court. The expenses for restoring your license may range up to $275 only for the papers allowing the DMV the power to unsuspend your license. Contact your state’s DMV to discover how to restore a suspended license.
But what should I do if I do not have enough money to pay my license suspension or violation fees?
Unpaid parking fines may cost thousands of dollars, and many people do not have the cash to pay them in full. However, this does not necessarily imply that you are out of luck.
Individuals may appear in Court in various states to request that penalties be lowered or that the Court establish an alternate payment schedule. If you cannot afford to pay the whole amount up front, some courts allow for hardship payment plans in which you may pay a part of your fines each month. These payment plans often involve interest or a separate cost, but if your license is restored and you can drive to work, that may be a modest amount to pay.
Alternative payment options, such as community service, may also be available. In San Francisco, for example, you may seek the Judge for permission to undertake community service in place of paying outstanding parking citations. Individuals may earn around $6 per hour of community work through this program.
Obtain legal counsel from a traffic ticket attorney?
All of these possibilities have one thing in common: you should not overlook past due tickets, and there are answers. If you need assistance with past-due traffic citations, consult with a lawyer to learn more about your choices.
