Your license may be suspended for a driving-related or non-driving-related infraction. Keep your address up-to-date so that you don’t miss a suspension notice.

Written by Olivia Rose

Reviewed by Kathleen Flear

Updated on Mar 23, 2023

Table of Contents

How to check
Reasons
Suspended license without knowing
What to do
Adequate insurance

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You can check if your license is suspended by contacting the DMV, calling your insurance provider, or checking for your notice of suspension in the mail.

Your driver’s license might be suspended if you broke a driving-related law, such as driving under the influence, or if you are in violation of a non-driving related law, such as letting your car insurance lapse.

There are various reasons why your license could be suspended—and some reasons may be easy to miss. You might be driving with a suspended license and not even know it, so it's a good idea to check if your license is suspended if you have any doubts.

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How can I find out if my license is suspended?

If you’re worried that your license is suspended, there are a few ways to check:

Check your mailbox. This is the #1 spot where a license suspension notice may be. Of course, your notice might not be in your current mailbox if the address you have filed with the DMV is out-of-date.

Check with the DMV. You can request a copy of your driving record from the DMV, which will indicate any license suspension(s).

Call your insurance provider. Your provider will likely have access to your driving record (after all, it impacts your insurance rates), so they’ll probably be able to tell you if your license is suspended and why. They will also know if your insurance has lapsed — which can itself be cause for a suspended license.

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Reasons why your license could be suspended

The reasons for license suspensions generally fall into two categories: driving-related and non-driving-related.

This means that you might be looking at a license suspension for something like not having insurance or not paying a ticket on time. Non-driving-related reasons are the ones you’ll need to look out for to make sure you aren’t accidentally driving with a suspended license.

MORE:

Tips to get a clean driving record

Most common reasons for your license being suspended:

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (

DUI/DWI

)

Careless or reckless driving

Drug offense conviction (other than a DUI)

Other reasons for your license being suspended:

Failure to maintain proper car insurance

Failure to pay a motor vehicle fee, surcharge, or fine

Failure to appear in court for a parking ticket or moving violation

Accumulation of violations or points

Truancy (for minors)

A lapse in car insurance

Missing a points accumulation notice

Missing a court date or fine

Failure to comply with a child support order

MORE:

How long do points stay on your record after a speeding ticket?

Could my license be suspended without me knowing it?

The unnerving reality is yes, you could find yourself with a suspended license and not even know about it.

For example, if you send in an insurance check that doesn’t get processed (for whatever reason), you might unintentionally become an uninsured driver, which could mean a license suspension.

If you move and fail to notify the DMV of your address change, you could get a driving ticket sent to an old address. If that ticket goes unpaid, your license could be suspended.

Although a state will usually send you a mailed notice of a license suspension, if you don’t keep your address information up-to-date, you could miss a notice and find yourself driving with a suspended license.

Key Takeaway You might not know that your license is suspended if your mailing address is not up-to-date. Make sure to always update your address information with the DMV and other state entities.

What to do if your license is suspended

There are a few things you may have to do in order to get your license reinstated:

Go to traffic school

Pay all your fines/fees

File an

SR-22

with your insurance policy

Get car insurance

Follow any additional state-mandated processes for reinstating your license

Key Takeaway If your license has been suspended, make sure that you pay all your fines/fees and have adequate car insurance coverage. Double-check to see if there are any additional steps you need to take to have your license reinstated.

Make sure you have adequate car insurance coverage

If your car insurance coverage doesn’t meet the

minimum car insurance requirements in your state

, you need to fix that problem immediately. In fact, your car insurance coverage might even be the cause of your license suspension, or it might cause a future suspension.

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car insurance

expert and

trusted insurance comparison app

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"I’ve tried lowering my insurance through variant means and other apps and comparing insurance. With Jerry, there’s no extra calls from other companies after putting in your info, and it really saved me money (and I don’t have the best driving record). Jerry is better than any other insurance app!" - Satisfied Jerry customer

How do you find out if your license is suspended in Texas?

The

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)

will mail you an enforcement notification if your license is suspended. If the address you have on file with the DPS is out of date, you will likely miss your mailed enforcement notification, but your license will still be suspended.

For this reason, it’s important to always keep your mailing address updated.

How can I tell if my license is suspended in Pennsylvania?

If your license is suspended in Pennsylvania, the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT)

will mail you a suspension notice. If your address is out-of-date, your license will still be suspended—even if you never personally received the suspension notice.

Always keep your mailing address up-to-date, and stay informed about all the things you can do to avoid a license suspension.

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