License and Registration Suspensions in Pennsylvania
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To drive legally in Pennsylvania, you'll need to maintain financial responsibility, typically with auto insurance, for as long as a vehicle is registered in your name. Driving a car without appropriate coverage or allowing your policy to lapse can result in serious penalties, including license and registration suspension and fines.
License or registration suspension for driving without insurance
Driving a vehicle without insurance is a serious offense in Pennsylvania. If you're caught driving without proof of financial responsibility, you'll face the following penalties:
- A minimum $300 fine
- A three-month suspension of your vehicle registration
- A three-month suspension of your driver's license
As part of a suspension, you must surrender your license plate and driver's license to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). To get your license and registration reinstated, you'll need to pay a restoration fee for each. Also, as long as your vehicle's registration is suspended, nobody can drive it.
Instead of the three-month suspension, you can pay a civil penalty of $500. To do so, complete form MV-222, "Application for Payment of Civil Penalty in Lieu of Registration Suspension," and submit it with your payment and proof of insurance to PennDOT. You'll still need to pay a restoration fee also, and you may only take advantage of this civil penalty once every 12 months.
What if my policy temporarily lapsed?
If you allowed your insurance policy to lapse temporarily, your license and registration may be suspended for three months. However, if the lapse was less than 31 days and you prove to PennDOT that you did not drive the vehicle during that time, you may avoid the suspension. For example, if you were out of the country during the lapse, you may be able to reasonably prove that you did not drive the car while uninsured.
If you canceled or allowed your insurance policy to lapse, you must send your license plate and registration card to the following address within 30 days of the cancellation date to avoid further penalties.
- Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- Return Tag Unit
- P.O. Box 68597
- Harrisburg, PA 17106-8597
If you canceled your policy because you sold the vehicle, send PennDOT a copy of the front and back of the Certificate of Title or Bill of Sale indicating the new owner.
How to have your license or registration reinstated in Pennsylvania
You may get your license and registration reinstated after your three-month suspension. You'll pay $94 for your license and up to $112 for your registration, in addition to any fines or civil payments for your violation.
To pay your restoration fees, you'll need to supply the following information.
- The first eight digits of your vehicle's title number
- The vehicle identification number (VIN)
- The first two characters of the owner's last name (or company name, if titled by a company)
You may send a money order to:
- PennDOT Financial Responsibility Unit
- P.O. Box 68674
- Harrisburg, PA 17106-8674
Once your registration is restored, the state will issue a new license plate.
License suspension and points
In Pennsylvania, you'll accumulate points on your driving record for committing traffic violations, such as excessive speeding or driving without the minimum required auto insurance coverage. The penalties for points are outlined below.
Violation | Penalty | |
|---|---|---|
| Accumulate six points on your driving record | ||
| First offense | Take and pass a written examination within 30 days of receiving your notice. If you fail to pass the exam within 30 days, your license will be suspended. If you pass, two points will be removed from your record. | |
| Second offense | Attend a department hearing, where you may be ordered to take a special on-road driver's examination or face a 15-day license suspension. | |
| Third or subsequent offense | Attend a department hearing and face a potential 30-day license suspension. If you fail to attend your hearing, your license will be suspended indefinitely, until you do attend. | |
| Accumulate 11 points on your record | Automatic license suspension, based on the number of prior suspensions. | |
| First suspension | Five days per point | |
| Second suspension | 10 days per point | |
| Third suspension | 15 days per point | |
| Any subsequent suspension | One year | |
| Excessive speeding (at least 31 miles per hour over the speed limit) | Attend a department hearing, where you'll receive a 15-day suspension or be ordered to take an on-road driver's examination. Failure to attend the hearing will result in a license suspension until all requirements are met. |
Drivers under age 18 face stricter penalties. If you accumulate six or more points or exceed the speed limit by 26 miles per hour or more, your license will be suspended for 90 days. For each additional violation, your license will be suspended for 120 days.
How do I remove points from my record?
Three points will be removed from your driving record every 12 consecutive months without having your license suspended or revoked. If your record remains at zero points for 12 consecutive months, any new points will be regarded as a first accumulation.
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