Suspensions, Revocations and Cancellations

What Happens?

A suspension, revocation, or cancellation of driving privileges invalidates a current driver license or permit and may impact your right to apply for driving privileges.

Once any of the withdrawal actions listed above becomes effective, do not drive until you have reinstated your right to apply for driving privileges and have obtained a valid license or permit.

Driving during a period of suspension or revocation can result in law enforcement issuing you a citation for driving while suspended or revoked. Law enforcement also has the authority to impound the vehicle that you are operating at the time of the offense of driving while suspended or revoked.

To determine your reinstatement requirements, login to your DMV driving record account at DMV2U.

Fine Remittance

On December 21, 2022, Governor Brown remitted the unpaid fines and fees in some cases associated with traffic violations that have resulted in subsequent driver license suspensions due to a Failure to Comply (FTC) or Failure to Appear (FTA) in a court in Oregon.

Governor Brown’s Order Remitting Traffic Fines - Did it apply to your case?

What is a remission of fines?

A remission of fines is the forgiveness of fines and fees that were imposed on a person as a consequence for violating the law. In Oregon, the Governor has the constitutional power to remit these fines and fees. Who is eligible?

The only sanction preventing DMV from reinstating the person’s right to apply for driving privileges and/or Oregon driver license is a suspension for FTA or FTC associated with a traffic violation;
The FTA or FTC suspension started before October 1, 2020;
The FTA or FTC suspension ends after 2022; The person has a driver license that is currently suspended or, because of the suspension, downgraded to an Oregon ID card, or has a valid Oregon hardship permit; and
The person has an Oregon address on file with DMV.

What does this mean?

If your case is listed in the remission order, without action on your part, Oregon Courts will send to DMV a court clearance of the FTA or FTC.
Once DMV records the notice(s) of court clearance, eligible people can begin the process to reinstate their right to apply for driving privileges and take steps to obtain a valid driver license.
If you believe that you are eligible, see below for additional information.

Once the notice of court clearance is recorded by DMV, will DMV automatically reinstate my driving privileges?

No.
You must complete steps to reinstate and obtain a valid driver license.
Do not drive until you have obtained a valid Driver License.

How can I determine whether DMV recorded a notice of court clearance for my case(s)? How can I tell if I am eligible to apply for a driver license?

In most cases, the first step is to reinstate your right to apply for driving privileges by paying DMV the required $75.00 reinstatement fee.
The fee can be paid online from your DMV2U account.
Within the payment transaction, your DMV2U account will include Your Account Status and Driver’s License Standing. See example below.

If the driver’s license standing is Suspended, this means that DMV has not yet recorded all notice(s) of court clearance, or, you were not eligible.

You may wish to wait a few days and then return to your account to check on your standing.
It may take the court and DMV several business days, or longer, to exchange notice of court clearance information.
If after several business days, your driver’s license standing remains suspended, you might not be eligible under the criteria of the Governor’s remission order.
DMV has no authority to lift a suspension for FTA or FTC without a notice of clearance from the court.
You may wish to request your reinstatement requirements from DMV. See DMV contact information below.

A standing of Eligible to Reinstate, means that DMV has recorded all required notice(s) of court clearance.

Once the reinstatement fee payment transaction is complete, the driver’s license standing should change to Eligible, Expired, or Valid.

See DMV2U Driver License Standings for additional standings-related information and links to online licensing transactions.

Once my driver’s license standing is Eligible or Expired, is it okay to begin driving?

No.
“Eligible” means that you are eligible to apply for a driver’s license.
“Expired” means that you must renew your driver’s license.
Do not drive until you have obtained a valid Driver License.
Driving without a valid license may result in a citation and fine.

How do I obtain a valid driver license?

If your last license was issued in Oregon, and the license is expired less than two years, you may be eligible to renew online.
If your last license was issued in Oregon, and the license is not expired, you are eligible to apply for a replacement license online.
You can apply to renew or replace your license from your DMV2U account.
If your last card was an Oregon identification card, you will need to visit the DMV office to exchange it for a license.

If my driver’s license standing is “Valid”, am I legal to drive?

Yes. Your driver license is reinstated. If you need a new card, order a replacement online through DMV2U.

For additional information related to reinstating your driving privileges, see Suspensions, Revocations, and Cancellations.

DMV Contact Information:

DMV2U: Ask DMV a Question under the Notify the DMV tab
Call DMV Customer Assistance: 503-945-5000
Call Driver Sanctions Unit: 503-945-5034

Types of Suspensions or Revocations

Failure to Appear

When ordered by a court, DMV may suspend your license if you fail to appear in an Oregon or Washington court.

Your license will be suspended:

For 10 years; or
Until DMV receives proof that the case has been cleared with the court.

Proof of clearance from a court includes:

An official clearance document from the court; or
A clearance sent electronically to DMV from a court.

Failure to Comply

Oregon House Bill 4210 repealed failure to comply suspensions. With the passage of this bill, no failure to comply suspension that has an effective date on or after October 1, 2020 shall be imposed. Failure to comply suspensions that went into effect prior to October 1, 2020 are still in effect and subject to the requirements below.

When ordered by a court, DMV may suspend your license if you fail to pay a fine in Oregon or Washington. Your license will be suspended:

For 20 years; or
Until DMV receives proof that the case has been cleared with the court.

Proof of clearance from a court includes:

An official clearance document from the court; or
A clearance sent electronically to DMV from a court.

Governor Brown’s – Remission of Fines for Traffic Offense Failure to Appear and Failure to Comply Court

Your license may be suspended if you are behind on your child support payments.

If your license is suspended for failure to pay child support, the suspension remains in place until the Oregon Child Support Program notifies DMV to reinstate your license.

Contact the Oregon Child Support Program to discuss options to get your license reinstated.

Driver Improvement

The goal of the Driver Improvement Program is to maintain the safety of Oregon roads by motivating people to drive safely and by keeping unsafe drivers off the roads.

The Driver Improvement Program includes the Provisional Driver Improvement Program and the Adult Driver Improvement Program.

Provisional Driver means a driver who has reached 14 years of age but has not yet reached 18 years of age.
Adult Driver means a driver 18 years of age or older.

If you have been convicted of multiple traffic offenses and/or preventable traffic accidents over a certain period of time, you may be subject to the Driver Improvement Program.

A “Driver Improvement Offense” is described in OAR 735-072-0020(5).

If You Are Under 18

DMV will restrict your license for 90 days (drive only for work reasons) if you have either:

Two convictions,
Two preventable accidents, or
A combination of one conviction and one preventable accident.

These restrictions are in addition to the restrictions for a provisional license.

If you get a conviction for violating these restrictions, your license could be suspended or revoked.

If you receive a third conviction or preventable accident, DMV will suspend your license for six months even if you turn 18 during the suspension period.

For each violation or preventable accident after three, DMV will suspend your license or your right to apply for a license for six months, even if you have a previous or current Driver Improvement Program suspension.

DMV will suspend for one year the driving privileges or the right to apply for driving privileges of a provisional driver convicted of any offense listed in ORS 809.600(1).

This suspension is for Provisional Driver Improvement Program purposes and is in addition to any suspension or revocation imposed because of the specific conviction.

If You Are 18 or Older

DMV will restrict your driving license (no driving between 12 midnight and 5 am) for 30 days if you have:

Three convictions, or
Three preventable accidents, or
A combination that totals three in an 24-month period.

DMV will suspend your license for 30 days if you have:

Five convictions, or
Five preventable accidents, or
A combination that totals five in a 24-month period.

For each violation or preventable accident after five (within 2 years), DMV will suspend your license or your right to apply for a license for 30 days, even if you have a previous or current Driver Improvement Program suspension.

List of Driver Improvement Offenses

Habitual Offender

DMV will revoke your license for five years if you are convicted of three or more of the following offenses within a five year period:

Any degree of murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault, recklessly endangering another person, menacing or criminal mischief resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle;
Driving while under the influence of intoxicants;
Driving while your license is suspended or revoked;
Reckless driving;
Failure to perform the duties of a driver after a collision; or
Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

DMV will also revoke your license as a habitual offender if you are convicted of 20 or more traffic violations within five years. To view a list of violations, see OAR 735-064-0220(2)(3).

If convicted of DUII, your license will be suspended. Suspension lengths vary.

A suspension or revocation for a DUII conviction is separate from a suspension under the Implied Consent law.

Implied Consent

Oregon's implied consent law means that by driving a vehicle you have implied that you will consent to a breath, blood or urine test if a police officer asks you to.

Refusal to take a test is admissible as evidence in court.
Drivers over 21 years old will fail the test if their blood alcohol reading is 0.08 percent or more.
Drivers under 21 will fail the test if they have any amount of alcohol in their blood.
An implied consent suspension is separate from a suspension from a DUII conviction.
If you have a valid Oregon Driver License the officer will take it and issue a 30-day temporary driving permit.
After 30 days, the suspension is in effect and the temporary driving permit is no longer valid.

If you receive a notice of intent to suspend from a police officer under Oregon's Implied Consent Law, you are entitled to a hearing.

Suspension lengths are:

Failing a breath test - 90 days or one year.
Refusing to take a breath test – One year or three years.
Refusing to take a urine test - One year or three years.

Ignition Interlock Device

An ignition interlock device, or IID, is used to make sure a vehicle won’t start if the driver has alcohol on their breath.

If you have been required to have an IID installed in your vehicle:

You must submit proof at the end of the requirement that you haven’t tried to start your vehicle with alcohol on your breath in the last 90 days, or your requirement will not be removed; and
You are responsible for paying all costs related to the device.

Find an installation location

DMV sends notice to the address on file. Notice will contain the following information:

Effective date and time of the withdrawal.
Information about your right to request a hearing or administrative review.
Information about whether you are eligible to apply for a hardship permit.
That once the withdrawal becomes effective, you must surrender your driver license or permit to DMV.

Send to:

Driver Transactions Unit, DMV HQ

1905 Lana Ave NE

Salem, OR 97314

For more information about reinstating your driver license or a certain requirement, click on the links below: