How do I restore my driver’s license?
A federal court ruling this week left thousands of Tennesseans with questions about their driver’s license. While many people — potentially more than 150,000 — are newly eligible to have their license reinstated, even more are not eligible.
Here’s a guide with some of the most frequent questions we’ve received this week after U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger ruled the state could not take away a driver’s license if someone had not paid court costs and fees.
Am I eligible for reinstatement?
While we can’t say for sure, here are two simple questions you can ask yourself to see if you may be eligible for reinstatement.
❚
Was my license revoked before 2012? there’s a good chance you are not eligible
If so,
for reinstatement under this specific judicial ruling. Trauger ruled a state law passed in 2012 was unconstitutional, so only licenses revoked under that law are eligible for reinstatement.
❚
Was my license revoked for unpaid court costs?
If the answer is yes, then you may be eligible. If you had your license revoked for
you may not be eligible. That includes: ❚ Unpaid traffic tickets ❚ Unpaid child support ❚ A DUI conviction
any other reason Does this mean my court costs and fees are forgiven?
Nope. Many have told us about their costs, ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000. You’ll still likely need to pay your court costs, but the state can’t stop you from getting your driver’s license back if you haven’t paid court costs.
Attorneys who brought this case also say the judge’s ruling says the state can no longer charge you a reinstatement fee before returning your license.
The standard revocation fee was $65, but there are many caveats in the law that allowed the state to charge much more.
The state could charge you $65 for each revocation that did not occur on the same day. So, if you did not pay court costs in two different counties related to two different offenses, the state may have charged you $65 for each offense. The state also could charge more money if you failed to surrender your driver’s license within 20 days of it being revoked.
Again, the state is not supposed to charge you these reinstatement fees before giving back your license,
for reinstatement under the judge’s ruling.
eligible if you’re
If the state tries to charge you a reinstatement fee before giving you your license, call me: 615-259-8892. OK, I think I’m eligible. How do I make sure and get my license back?
There are several easy options: ❚ Call This number is for a state reinstatement center. It’s their job to help you determine if you’re eligible to have your driver’s license reinstated, and if you are, help you get it back.
Someone should answer calls to that number Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CST.
The number will be busy, so keep calling if you can’t get through to someone immediately.
❚ Visit You’ll need to fill out a short form, so have your Social Security number and driver’s license number (if you know it)
866-903-7357. https://dl.safety.tn.gov/_/.
handy. The website will help you determine if you’re eligible for reinstatement. ❚ Go to any of these
according to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security:
❚ Davidson County 5216 Hickory Hollow Parkway Antioch, TN 37013 615770-5701. Reinstatements: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST
❚ Greene County 1210 Hal Henard Road Greeneville, TN 37743 423-6383285. Reinstatements: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST
❚ Hamilton County 6502 Bonny Oaks Drive Chattanooga, TN 37416 423-6343127. Reinstatements: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST
❚ Knox County 430 Montbrook Lane Knoxville, TN 37919 865-690-6393. Reinstatements: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST
❚ Obion County 1604B West Reelfoot Ave. Union City, TN 38261 731-884-2133. Reinstatements: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST
❚ Shelby County 3200 East Shelby Drive Memphis, TN 38118 901-367-3639. Reinstatements: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST
Reach Dave Boucher at dboucher@tennessean.com or 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.
centers, in-person reinstatement