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There are a myriad of ways to get your New Jersey license suspended. But if you’re reading this article, you probably already know that. Whether you were convicted of a DUI, forgot to pay child support, or anything in between, you’re going to find yourself asking, “How do I get my license back?”
This article will explain each of the various kinds of license suspensions in New Jersey starting with a brief overview of what a suspension is and what you can do about it.
Types of License Suspensions in NJ
There are four kinds of license suspensions in New Jersey: surcharge suspensions, close out suspensions, court ordered suspensions, and child support suspensions. Although each of these have their own causes and requirements, they all share similar consequences.
When your license is suspended in New Jersey or elsewhere, it is no longer considered a valid driver license. That means it is illegal to use it to drive any kind of motor vehicle. In some places, you won’t even be legally allowed to ride a bicycle.
In order to legally drive a vehicle, you have to have a valid driver license. Your license has to be up to date, up to code, and properly registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC). That’s why the process for getting a new license, updating an old one, or exchanging an out-of-state license is so time-consuming.
Surcharge Suspensions
There are few things that bring in more money for cities and local governments than traffic tickets. And almost no revenue stream goes unnoticed by said governments. Insurance surcharges are no different.
A surcharge is a financial penalty that comes in the form of increased financial responsibility. That’s the verbose way of saying, “You have to give the state more money.” This can happen for a variety of reasons, but the most common is when you get four or more points on your license.
Other reasons the government might attempt to collect surcharge payments from you are if you allowed your insurance coverage to expire, drove on an invalid license, or committed some other kind of administrative violation.
Failure to pay any of these surcharges can—and often does—result in the suspension of your driver license. This kind of suspension is known as a surcharge suspension and can last until you pay the balance in full. This can be quite a persistent problem, especially if you’ve been charged for multiple lapsed payments.
Hiring a lawyer through the WinIt app can help resolve this problem.
Close out Suspensions
The second kind of suspension is the close out suspension. Just like shopping closeouts, a government close out can cost an arm and a leg, but they’re much less fun. When department stores close out, they offer great deals. When governments close out your license, they offer significant penalties.
A legal close out in this case refers to the government suspending your license as a result of you not paying a fine, appearing in court for a mandatory appearance, or otherwise violating a court order. If you’ve committed any of these violations, the government will quite likely issue a close out suspension, invalidating your license until certain conditions are met.
This suspension is often indefinite, meaning that it will last forever unless you take the court-ordered list of actions necessary to lift it.
Child Support Suspension
Ever wonder why you have to register your driver license with the probation office when you open a child support account? This is why. One of the possible penalties for failing to pay child support is the suspension of your driver license.
Child support suspensions are indefinite suspensions. You will only be able to get back your license once you have completed the court-ordered course of action. In this case, that means paying child support.
These suspensions can sometimes be lifted without paying child support, but such cases are rare. To find out if you qualify for a suspension lift, contact a lawyer through the WinIt app today.
Court Order
All suspensions come from or go through the court system at one point or another. Surcharge suspensions, close out suspensions, and child support suspensions all come in the form of some kind of court order. But what sets them apart from a standard court-ordered suspension is the kind of court order. Not all court ordered suspensions are because of one of these three circumstances.
New Jersey courts can order the suspension of your license for a long, long list of violations covering just about everything from vehicular homicide to forgetting to pay a traffic ticket. If you’ve gotten a traffic ticket of any kind, there’s a risk that your license may be suspended. To mitigate that risk, be sure to contact an attorney through the WinIt app to beat your ticket.
How Long Will My License Stay Suspended in NJ?
How long your license will stay suspended depends on the reason why it was suspended. For example, if you were convicted of driving while in the possession of narcotics, your license can be suspended for up to two full years. But for first-time offenders convicted of a minor DUI, it might only be suspended for up to three months.
But that’s only true for definite suspensions. Indefinite suspensions, like we talked about earlier, can last forever. The only way to qualify for a lifted indefinite suspension is to satisfy the requirements set out by the court. Take a child support suspension for example. Those last until you pay the overdue balance. If you never pay the overdue balance, you may never drive again.
How Do I Restore My Suspended License in NJ?
The first step to restoring your suspended license in NJ is to determine whether it is definite or indefinite. If the suspension is a definite suspension, you can move on to the next section of this article. If the suspension is an indefinite suspension, there’s a little more work you’ll have to do.
Each indefinite suspension comes with a prescribed or court-ordered list of actions. You might have to pay overdue fines, child support, or surcharges. You might have to repair some equipment on your vehicle. You might have to do other things. In order to qualify for the reinstatement of your driver license, you will have to first knock those actions out of the way.
What Are the Reinstatement Requirements?
The reinstatement requirements vary depending on the reason for which your license was suspended. If your license was suspended as a result of unpaid fines or tickets, you will have to submit to the MVC proof that those fines or tickets have been paid.
Once all of the requirements have been met, you will be able to pay a $100 restoration fee and get your license reinstated.
The Process for Restoring a License That Was Suspended Due to DUI
DUI charges are some of the worst traffic violations on the books. These violations carry serious penalties like jail time and hundreds or thousands of dollars in fines in addition to the suspension of your license. If your license is suspended as a result of a DUI, the court will also require additional actions before allowing you to reinstate your license.
The first requirement is that you complete an alcohol treatment program and pay the full cost thereof out of your own pocket. Then you pay hundreds of dollars in reinstatement fees, alcohol treatment fund fees, and drunk driving fund fees. There’s also a neighborhood services fund that you’ll need to pay into. And let’s not forget about the $3,000 that you’ll owe over the next three years.
You might also have to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle and pay monthly suspension service fees for up to a year.
What Are the Penalties for Driving with a Suspended License in NJ?
Driving on a suspended license is also known as aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. This is a misdemeanor punishable to varying degrees depending on the circumstances of your conviction.
For a first offense, you can have your license suspended by another six months and be fined up to $500. For a second offense, you will be spending up to five days in jail, your suspension period will be extended by another six months, and you will be facing another $750 in fines. A third offense will result in 10 days in jail, six more months of license suspension, and a $1,000 fine.
If you’ve gotten a traffic ticket that could result in the suspension of your driver license, be sure to contact a lawyer through the WinIt app today. These legal experts can help you fight your ticket, beat it, and live free of the consequences.
