How Can I Get My License Back After It Is Suspended?

If a court has suspended your license, with the right legal help, you have a chance to reinstate it.

Your best strategy to getting your license back is employing a seasoned attorney with experience helping clients regain their legal right to drive.

How Can I Get My License Reinstate After It Was Suspended?

Suppose you’re convicted of Driving While Impaired (DWI) in the Tar Heel State. In that case, the court will report your DWI conviction to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which will formally suspend your driver's license.

Depending on your conviction, how long the DMV revokes your license will range from one year if it’s your first offense, four years for a second offense in three years, to permanently for the third offense in seven years.

Before the DMV reinstate your license, you must show proof of completing any court-required substance abuse treatment and install an ignition interlock device (IID) on your vehicle. You’ll have the IID on your car for one year or until you reach 21 years old if it's your first offense. IIDs stay on three years for second offenses and seven years for third offenses.

If you need your license back before the stated periods, you’ll need to apply for early reinstatement. If you agree to alcohol monitoring, you may be eligible for early license reinstatement.

However, it’s not an easy nor quick process. If you comply with the alcohol monitoring program, a four-year suspension can be reduced to two years, and a permanent revocation can be restored after three years. If the DMV initially deemed your license would be permanently revoked, it can only be restored after 24 months if the driver has completed 12 months of monitored sobriety.

If this was your first offense, the DMV and court may grant you limited driving privileges during the suspension period for things such as driving to work. However, you’ll usually need to agree to alcohol treatment and use an IID on your car.

What Should I Do If My License Has Been Suspended?

If the DMV suspended your license for any reason, contact the Knox Law Center right away.

Our traffic violation and criminal defense lawyers will represent you in DMV hearings to show you’re not a danger behind the wheel and demonstrate the disruption to your life if you can no longer drive. We have vast experience helping clients minimize the suspension period and reinstating their licenses quickly.