If your driver’s license is already suspended for unpaid traffic tickets, take the following steps to overcome the suspension.
Getting and Understanding Your Driving Record
The first step to reinstate your license is to understand why your driving privilege is suspended.
You can get a copy of your state driving record from the NC Division of Motor Vehicles (NC DMV). The driving record will show your driving history as it appears at the NC DMV. You can request a driving record online, by mail or in person at the NC DMV. You will have to pay a fee. It can take up approximately 10 business days to receive a driving record that has been requested by mail. If you request your driving record in person at a DMV, it will be issued immediately. For more information about ordering your driving record, visit the NC DMV website.
When you get your record and determine that your driver’s license is suspended, look in the “Nature of Record on Division Action” section of the record to find out what outstanding suspensions you have. You will need to take care of all outstanding suspensions before you can get your license back. The driving record will show you what kind of suspension you have, the county where you had the conviction, and the court case number.
Driving records can be challenging to understand. If you have time, we suggest you start by requesting a free advice letter on the NC Fair Chance website. The NC Pro Bono Resource Center will request a copy of your NC driving record and send you a letter explaining the reasons your license is currently suspended, including county and case number details.
Once you have information about the debt-based suspension(s) (i.e., failure to pay), you can deal with it by either paying the debt or successfully asking the court to eliminate, waive, or reduce the traffic debt that led to the suspension of your driver’s license.