Unfortunately, the cost of reinstating a driver’s license is more than it should be. However, most CA residents that have had traffic tickets or suspensions know that it’s more about revenue than appropriately punishing careless drivers. If the state cared about their resident drivers, they would make it work so when the punishment for the traffic infraction is complete, or the driver has caught up on back child support payments, their license would automatically be reinstated. Instead, the state forces the driver to pay a fee for reinstating a driver’s license.

The Process of Reinstating a Driver’s License

The first part of the process is clear, pay your fine and suspension period, community service, traffic school, or whatever the court ordered for your violation of the CA Vehicle Code (CVC) or work out a repayment plan for the ticket or child support and get the court’s approval.

It may not always require a traffic ticket defense attorney, but you should consult with one, so you will know for sure. Traffic ticket attorneys spend most of their time representing clients in traffic court and hear all the arguments and proposal. A good traffic ticket defense team like Bigger & Harman will tell you upfront in layman terms the best approach and whether you need an attorney.

Never Drive While Under Suspension

This is by far the most important condition to reinstating a driver’s license. If you drive under suspension, your license could be revoked by the court or DMV. CVC 14601, Violation of License Provisions is very clear, “No person shall drive a motor vehicle at any time when that person’s driving privilege is suspended or revoked…” the statute goes on to explain the consequences of a conviction of driving with a suspended or revoked license. It states, “…imprisonment in a county jail for not less than five days or more than six months…” and further prescribes a fine of at least $300 but less than $1000, before adding the state and county surcharges, penalties, and fees, which will make the fine more than six or seven times as much as that ordered by the judge. Also, the judge could order both fine and imprisonment. It could cost thousands more before DMV even thinks about reinstating a driver’s license.

What’s Next?

OK, so now that you have done your suspension time and performed all the requirements ordered by the court, reinstating a driver’s license is a simple matter of taking your proof to the court clerk and paying the reinstatement fee, which is normally $55 but once again it depends on the circumstances, and it could be as much as $275. Consult the DMV website to clarify your situation and if it is still not clear ask a traffic ticket attorney.

Consult a Central Valley Traffic Ticket Defense Team

When notified of a driver’s license suspension, or you need legal advice about a traffic ticket consult with the best Traffic Ticket Defense Team in Central Valley. Whether you’re in Inyo County or Los Angeles, call Bigger & Harman, for a consultation, 661-349-9300, or send an email: attorney@markbigger.com.

Now, you can contact them straight from Facebook, so there’s no need to stop socializing, just send them your question and your best point of contact information for legal advice you can trust.

When you need more reassurance, that they are the best, read the comments from their clients on Yelp and Avvo. Avvo is one of the leading Legal Advocate websitess in the USA. 97% of US lawyers are rated by Avvo from 0-10,, and one of the founders of Bigger & Harman has a 9.8 rating.