If the state of Texas revokes or suspends your driver’s license, it can cost you plenty to get your license reinstated by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The amount it will cost to reinstate your driver’s license in Texas depends on the facts of your situation. In some cases, you have to pay a reinstatement fee.
Sometimes people have to provide an SR-22, pay delinquent child support, or get an order from a court or the state Attorney General. If you work with a lawyer on your reinstatement or underlying issues that caused the suspension or revocation, you will also have attorney fees.
How to Find Out Your Compliance Requirements for Reinstatement
If you have a Texas driver’s license or ID card, you can use the Online Driver License Eligibility System. Commercial Driver License holders can use the online tool as well.
The License Eligibility System (LES) will inform you of the details of all enforcement actions against you, the dates of those actions, and instructions for compliance requirements. If you have to meet additional requirements with the state of Texas, the LES will list those items. The LES will tell you all the fees that you can pay online through the system.
License Reinstatement Fees
The fees that you have to pay to the state will depend on what the judge or administrative officer ordered in your case. Some of the common fees people have to pay to the state to reinstate a driver’s license include:
- Education program fee
- Driver Improvement fee
- Administrative License Revocation fee
- Safety Responsibility fee
There can be additional fees, depending on your circumstances. It is important to note that Texas repealed the Driver Responsibility Program on September 1st, 2019, as the Texas Tribune reports. For cases filed after this date, surcharges do not apply.
Increased Insurance Premiums
You should expect that your auto insurance premiums will go up from the circumstances that led to the suspension or revocation of your driver’s license. When you get your license reinstated, that event does not lower your insurance premiums. License revocation is a state of Texas issue. Your auto insurance company makes its own decisions about premiums. Expect your premiums to remain higher for at least a few years.
Receiving Too Many Tickets
Many people lose their licenses because they get too many traffic tickets within a one-year or two-year period. When this happens, you will have to pay the fines and court costs from all the tickets, as well as any late fee or penalties. After you clear this hurdle, you will have to pay the reinstatement fee to the state. You might have to provide an SR-22, depending on the terms of your suspension or revocation.
Working with an Attorney for Reinstatement
Texas law does not require you to work with a lawyer on your reinstatement, but it can be a smart decision to do so. You should consider working with an attorney to make sure that the process of reinstatement goes as smoothly as possible. If you hire a lawyer, you will have to pay legal fees, but avoiding problems down the road can be well worth the expense.
Contact the Law Offices of Randall B. Isenberg
The Law Offices of Randall B. Isenberg can help you with a driver’s license reinstatement and traffic matters that can lead to suspensions and revocations. Call us today at (214) 696-9253 for a consultation and guidance related to how much it might cost to reinstate your driver’s license in Texas.