5.3 License Suspension, Revocation & Reinstatement
Key Takeaways
A Habitual Traffic Offender, with three major or twelve major and minor moving violations in five years, loses the license for four years and pays a $500 reinstatement fee.
For any license suspension of two years or more, you must pass a learner's permit exam and a road test to be reinstated.
Most reinstatement fees are $100, and fees for serious offenses can reach $1,200.
The RMV can suspend driving privileges for six months for a fake-ID offense without a conviction, or for one year after a conviction.
The RMV will not renew a license with unpaid parking tickets, unpaid excise tax, outstanding warrants, or unpaid E-ZPass or Tobin Bridge violations.
A suspension takes away your driving privileges for a set or indefinite time. A revocation cancels them outright. Either way, the moment the RMV suspends or revokes your license you must stop driving: the license is not valid in Massachusetts or anywhere else, and driving on it is a criminal violation that can bring a large fine or jail.
Discretionary Suspensions
Beyond the mandatory charts, the RMV may suspend or revoke a license for:
- Immediate threat: if your driving threatens public safety, the RMV can suspend your permit or license immediately.
- Improper operation of a motor vehicle.
- Fake ID offenses: six months without a conviction (one year after a conviction) for transferring, altering or defacing a license or ID; making, using, carrying, selling or distributing a false one; using someone else's; or giving false information to get one.
Mandatory Suspensions (18 and Older)
| Situation | Explanation | Suspension | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three speeding violations | Three in any one-year period | 30 days | $100 |
| Three surchargeable events | Any combination in two years | Driver Retraining within 90 days or suspended until done | $100 |
| Seven surchargeable events | Any combination in three years | 60 days | $100 |
| Habitual Traffic Offender | Three major moving violations, or any twelve major or minor, within five years | Four years | $500 |
| Out-of-state suspension | Suspended or revoked in another state | Until resolved | $100 |
Many of these offenses can also bring jail time, and Junior Operators face additional periods when alcohol or drugs are involved (Section 2.3 and Chapter 6).
Suspensions Not Related to Driving
Because a license is a privilege, the RMV must also suspend it if you:
- Fail to pay required child support
- Fail to register as a sex offender
- Are convicted of certain drug trafficking offenses (a hardship license may be sought at any time during that suspension)
- Fail to pay Massachusetts income tax
- Make a bad payment to the RMV, such as a rejected check or a reversed card charge. You then owe the original fee, a reinstatement fee and a $15 bad-payment fee, paid in cash or by certified bank check.
Criminal Offenses and Suspensions
| Criminal conviction | Suspension | Reinstatement fee |
|---|---|---|
| Driving with a suspended or revoked license | 60 days to 1 year | $500 |
| Driving without the owner's authority / larceny of a vehicle | 1 to 3 years | $500 |
| Leaving the scene of a crash with personal injury | 1 to 2 years | $500 |
| Leaving the scene of a crash with property damage | 60 days to 1 year | $500 |
| Operating to endanger | 60 days to 1 year | $500 |
| Motor vehicle homicide / vehicular manslaughter | 15 years to lifetime | $500 |
| OUI | 1 year, 2 years, 8 years, 10 years, lifetime (first to fifth offense) | $500, $700, $1,200, $1,200, not applicable |
| Drug trafficking (except Class D substances), even without a vehicle | 1 to 5 years | $100 |
| Drag racing (drivers over 18) | 30 to 180 days | $500 to $1,000 |
| Negligent operation and injury from mobile phone use | 60 days to 1 year | $500 |
Out-of-State Suspensions
Your Massachusetts license stays suspended until any out-of-state suspension or revocation is cleared. Bring the other state's reinstatement letter or current driving record, no more than 30 days old, to an RMV Full Service Center. Each state reports your offenses to Massachusetts, and the RMV treats a "like" offense as if it happened here. It looks at what the other state's law prohibits, not at whether that state's penalty was higher, lower, civil or criminal.
Getting Your License Back
- You have the right to a hearing with a Hearings Officer, usually conducted by phone.
- Most suspensions are mandatory. The hearing only checks whether the law was applied correctly, and the officer cannot cancel a valid suspension. A decision can take up to ten business days.
- Fees: most are $100. Serious offenses can cost up to $1,200.
- Suspensions of two years or more: you must pass a learner's permit exam and a road test, with identification documents, before reinstatement.
Reasons the RMV Will Not Renew a License
The RMV refuses to renew your license if you have:
- Unpaid parking fines
- Citations for abandoned vehicles
- Unpaid local excise tax
- Outstanding court warrants
- Unpaid Massachusetts, Maine or New Hampshire E-ZPass/Fast Lane toll violations
- Unpaid Tobin Bridge violations
You must present official release forms showing the debts are paid or the warrant is recalled. A suspended or revoked license cannot be renewed at all.
Scenario
A 30-year-old's record shows OUI, driving after suspension and leaving the scene of a crash, all within four years. That is three major violations in five years, which makes them a Habitual Traffic Offender: a four-year revocation and a $500 fee. Because the suspension is two years or more, they must also pass the permit exam and a road test before driving again.
Which driving record makes a driver a Habitual Traffic Offender in Massachusetts?
Seven surchargeable events of any kind within a three-year period
Three major or twelve major and minor moving violations within five years
Three speeding violations within any one-year period, counted from payment
Two at-fault crashes and one speeding ticket within two years
A driver's license was suspended for three years. What must they do besides paying the fee to be reinstated?
Wait an extra 30 days after the suspension ends
Only complete an online refresher course
Pass a learner's permit exam and a road test
Nothing else, since the suspension has been served
Which item would prevent the RMV from renewing your license?
An unpaid local excise tax bill
A paid speeding ticket from last year
An expired voter registration card
A change of address within the same city
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.