My Driver License has been suspended or revoked. What does this mean?

If your driver license was suspended or revoked, this means you lost your right to drive as a penalty for a violation, a criminal conviction, and/or an unpaid debt. Here are specific examples of issues that can cause your license to be suspended or revoked:

    Driving violations: Driving under the influence, hit-and-run, fleeing a law enforcement officer, driving without proof of car insurance, too many accidents in a short time, too many “negative points” on your driving record, or reckless driving (road rage, speeding, racing, etc.).[151]
    Other violations: Truancy, vandalism (including graffiti), fleeing a police officer, failing to appear in court, or failing to report an accident.
    Unpaid debts: Failing to pay child support; or failing to pay other debts (such as loans, credit card payments, medical bills, car payments, payday loans, landlord dues, or utility bills) if the person to whom you owe money gets a judgment against you in court.[152]
    CHILD SUPPORT DEBT To learn more about a suspended driver license due to unpaid child support, see the text box on PG. 55. To learn general information about child support, go to the FAMILY & CHILDREN CHAPTER, beginning on PG. 714, with specific information on child support starting on PG. 778.[153]

IMPORTANT: BEGINNING JUNE 27, 2017, THE DMV CAN NO LONGER SUSPEND DRIVER LICENSES DUE TO UNPAID FINES:

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As of the passage of AB 103 on June 27, 2017, the DMV can no longer suspend your driver license due to unpaid fines.[154] This new law became effective on June 27, 2017, which means it will NOT apply to you if your license was suspended BEFORE that date. Additionally, under AB 103, a court can no longer report a failure to pay fines or failure to pay bail to the DMV, no matter the reasons![155]If your license was suspended BEFORE June 27, 2017 due to failure to pay, you may still be able to have your traffic debt forgiven and have your license reinstated if…1) You are serving a state prison sentence or a Realignment sentence in county jail, AND your ticket was “pending” when you were incarcerated: You will have to proactively request dismissal from the DMV under Vehicle Code 41500. If you are sending it while currently incarcerated, it will need to be on CDCR letterhead and be signed by an Authorized Representative. Your request should be sent to: Department of Motor Vehicles, Division of Drivers Safety and Licensing, P.O. Box 9412890, Sacramento, CA 94290.2) Your license was suspended for a Failure-to-Pay, Failure-to-Appear or other failure-to-comply that is more than 5 years old: You can call the DMV Mandatory Actions line at (916) 657-6525 to see if your license qualifies.3) Your local county court has a process for waiving fees: For information on local court practices, the legal nonprofit EBCLC has created the following website where you can search for more information by county: http://ebclc.org/reentry-legal-services/.

  1. 151

    Cal. Veh. Code §§ 13200-13201.5.

  2. 152

    Cal. Veh. Code § 16370.

  3. 153

    Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 11350.6.

  4. 154

    Assembly Bill 103 (Stats. 2017, Ch. 17, Secs. 51-54), codified at Cal. Veh. Code §§ 13365, 40509 and 40509.5.

  5. 155

    Learn more at DMV, “Failure to Pay Frequently Asked Questions,” https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/faq/ftpfaq.