sr22

Receiving a DUI (driving under the influence), an underage DUI, or evading the police in California will result in a driver’s license suspension.  Before the California DMV will reinstate your license you will be required to provide them with what is known as proof of financial responsibility in the form of an SR22 filing.

In addition, if someone is in an accident and does not report the accident within 10 days, their license will be suspended for up to four years.  A person can get their license back during the last three of these years if they carry SR22 coverage.  A person is required by California law to have auto insurance and this includes if the person is driving on a restricted license. 

When a license is confiscated by a California police officer the driver will receive a “Notice of Suspension” which acts as their temporary driver’s license for the next 30 days.  The person with the suspended license then has 10 days from the time that the officer issued them the “Notice of Suspension” to request an administrative hearing with the DMV so they can try to prove the charges against them are unjust and hopefully avoid a license suspension. 

It is always recommended that a person speak with an attorney about the specifics of their case and in most cases it’s best to have the attorney present during the hearing.  Furthermore, when a court date is set due to a DUI charge, it’s important to have an experienced California attorney that specializes in California DUI law present in court.  If a restricted license is granted by the DMV, a California SR22 insurance policy will be required before the license will be issued. 
 
If a driver’s license is suspended for any reason, the driver will have to wait for the suspension period to end before the DMV will fully reinstate that person’s driver’s license.  To reinstate the license, a fee of $125 will need to be paid to the California DMV and the person’s insurance provider will need to file an SR22 form with the DMV.

The filing of an SR22 form is used as proof of financial responsibility on the driver’s behalf.  In California the minimum insurance requirements are $15,000 for injury/death to one person, $30,000 for injury/death for more than one person, and $5,000 for property damage.  California SR22 insurance must be kept for three years after a suspended license incident. 

If a person lets their California SR22 insurance policy default, the insurance provider will inform the DMV of the lapse.  There are many other consequences that may occur after the DMV is informed of the lapse including the suspension of a person’s vehicle registration, along with having to start the 3-year require SR22 filing period all over again.