How do I get my license back after a Florida DUI revocation ends?

A DUI conviction in Florida revokes the license, and a revocation is not a pause. Florida law defines it as "the termination of a licensee's privilege to drive" (s. 322.01(38)), so when the revocation period runs out nothing switches back on by itself. The driver has to reinstate at a driver license office and meet each requirement the law attaches to a DUI. This page covers the full reinstatement at the end of the revocation; driving for work before then is a different route, covered on our page about a hardship license after a DUI. How the criminal case leads to the revocation is on our main DUI defense page. The fees and requirements below were checked against the Florida Statutes and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) on October 25, 2026.

How do I reinstate after the revocation ends, step by step?

1. Confirm the dates. The court revokes the license on the date of conviction and sets the length (s. 322.28(2)(a)). If the court did not set a period at sentencing or within 30 days, FLHSMV applies the maximum for a first conviction and the minimum for a later one, and the driver has 30 days to ask the court for a further hearing on the length (s. 322.28(2)(b)). A driver history record from FLHSMV costs $8 for 3 years or $10 for 7 years, according to its fee schedule.
2. Clear anything else on the record. The administrative suspension from the arrest, under s. 322.2615, is a separate action from the court's revocation. Any other suspension on the record, such as one for unpaid tickets or insurance, has its own reinstatement requirements, according to FLHSMV's suspensions and revocations page. Our page on Florida license points and suspensions covers the points side.
3. Enroll in or finish DUI school. Before the privilege can be reinstated, the driver must show proof of enrollment in a substance abuse education course from a licensed DUI program, including a psychosocial evaluation and treatment if referred (s. 322.291). FLHSMV's DUI questions page says a driver who waits until the revocation ends must show proof of enrollment or completion. Where to take the course is listed in DUI school in Palm Beach and Broward County.
4. Buy FR-44 insurance. For a DUI conviction after October 1, 2007, the driver must carry liability limits of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per crash and $50,000 for property damage, for at least 3 years (s. 324.023). The insurer files the FR-44 with FLHSMV. The details are on our page about FR-44 insurance after a Florida DUI.
5. Install the interlock, if one applies. Before issuing a permanent or restricted license, FLHSMV must require a department-approved ignition interlock for the drivers listed in s. 322.2715(3), on every vehicle the driver owns or leases and routinely drives (s. 322.2715(1)). The license then carries a "P" restriction, and FLHSMV says the interlock period begins on the day the restriction is issued.
6. Take the exams and pay the fees. FLHSMV says that at reinstatement after a DUI conviction the driver must take all required exams and pay an administrative fee, a revocation reinstatement fee and all license fees. The amounts are in the table below.
7. Visit a driver license office. FLHSMV lists "reinstatements" among the services at its driver license service centers. In Palm Beach County every office is run by the county tax collector and works by reservation; FLHSMV lists Belle Glade, Delray Beach, Greenacres, Palm Beach Gardens, Westlake and West Palm Beach, with one phone number, 561-355-2264. In Broward, FLHSMV lists driver license offices in Lauderdale Lakes, Margate, Sunrise, Pembroke Pines and Pompano Beach.
8. Finish what is still open. If DUI school or treatment is not completed within 90 days after reinstatement, the DUI program notifies FLHSMV and the license is cancelled until it is done (s. 322.291).

What does reinstatement cost?

The $75 and $45 service fees are "in addition to the fee for a license," and only one $130 fee may be collected from one person for violations arising from the same incident. The $130 fee is not collected if the suspension or revocation is overturned (s. 322.21(8)). DUI school tuition, the interlock lease and the insurance premium are paid to private providers and are not on FLHSMV's schedule; the wider bill is on our page about how much a DUI costs in Florida.

What is required after each kind of DUI revocation?

A second conviction more than 5 years after the prior one, or a third more than 10 years after, carries the first-conviction revocation range, as FLHSMV's summary of the law states. A permanent revocation follows a different process altogether, explained in whether you can drive again after a permanent DUI revocation.

What changes the answer?

• The conviction date. FR-44 applies to DUI findings or pleas after October 1, 2007 (s. 324.023). For earlier convictions, FLHSMV asks instead for proof of $10,000/$20,000/$10,000 coverage on the arrest date and a $15 reinstatement fee.
• An interlock the court did not order. If the court fails to order a mandatory interlock, or orders it for too short a period, FLHSMV must require it at reinstatement anyway (s. 322.2715(4)).
• A medical waiver. FLHSMV may consider a documented medical condition that keeps the device from working; a driver who gets that waiver for full reinstatement is limited to an employment-purposes license under DUI program supervision until the interlock period would have ended (s. 322.2715(1)).
• Out-of-state convictions. They count as prior DUI convictions for the revocation periods and the interlock periods (ss. 322.28(2)(a), 322.2715(2)).
• A forfeited bond. A bail bond forfeiture in a DUI case that is not vacated within 20 days counts as a conviction, and FLHSMV revokes for the maximum first-conviction period unless a motion contesting the forfeiture is filed in time (s. 322.28(2)(c)).
• Habitual traffic offender status. Three DUI convictions within 5 years can bring a separate 5-year revocation, explained in what makes someone a habitual traffic offender.
• A commercial license. Getting a CDL back after a disqualification has its own $75 fee and rules, covered in how a DUI affects a commercial driver license.

A worked example

For example, take a hypothetical Delray Beach driver convicted of a first DUI with a breath result of 0.16, whose license the judge revokes for 9 months. She does not apply for a hardship license, so on the day the 9 months end she still cannot drive. To reinstate, she enrolls in a licensed DUI program in Palm Beach County, has her insurer file an FR-44 with $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 limits, and has an interlock installed on the car she owns, because a reading of 0.15 or more makes at least 6 continuous months mandatory. She books a reservation at a Palm Beach County office, takes any exams FLHSMV requires, and pays $75 for the revocation, $130 for the DUI and $48 for the license, plus any tax collector service fee. Her interlock period starts the day the "P" restriction is issued, and her 3 years of FR-44 start on the date of reinstatement. If she then fails to finish DUI school within 90 days, the license is cancelled until she does. The driver and the numbers are invented to show the order of the steps, not to predict any case.

Common mistakes people make

• Driving on the day the revocation ends, before reinstating. Until the license is reinstated, the privilege is still revoked, and driving can bring a new charge, as explained on our page about driving on a suspended license in Florida.
• Enrolling in DUI school to reinstate and then not finishing it within 90 days.
• Letting the FR-44 policy lapse during the 3 years.
• Installing the interlock on one car and not on every vehicle owned or leased and routinely driven.
• Forgetting that the arrest suspension and the court revocation may each carry a reinstatement fee.
• Showing up at a Palm Beach County office without a reservation.

What to do this week

1. Find the conviction date and the revocation length in the court's judgment.
2. Order your driver history record and check for any other suspension.
3. Enroll in a licensed DUI program and keep the enrollment proof.
4. Ask an insurer for an FR-44 policy and confirm when it will be filed.
5. If an interlock applies, schedule installation with an FLHSMV-contracted provider.
6. Book a reservation or appointment at a driver license office and bring payment for the fees above.

Frequently asked questions

Does the license come back automatically when the revocation ends?

No. A revocation terminates the privilege (s. 322.01(38)), and FLHSMV requires the DUI program proof, the exams, the insurance and the fees before a new license is issued.

Will I be charged the $130 fee twice?

Not for the same incident. Section 322.21(8) allows only one $130 fee from one person convicted of violations arising out of the same incident. The $75 or $45 service fees are separate.

Do I need to retake the driving test?

FLHSMV says the driver must take "all required exams" at reinstatement after a DUI conviction. Which exams apply is decided by FLHSMV for each record; its fee schedule lists $10 for a knowledge retest and $20 for a skill retest.

How long do I have to keep the FR-44?

At least 3 years. A driver with no DUI or felony traffic conviction for 3 years from the date of reinstatement is then exempt from s. 324.023.

Can I reinstate before the revocation ends?

Only on a restricted basis. A first-conviction driver may apply for a hardship license after DUI school, and longer revocations allow a petition after 12 or 24 months (s. 322.271(2)(c)). A full license waits for the end of the revocation.

What if the judge never said how long the revocation was?

FLHSMV then revokes for the maximum first-conviction period, 1 year, or the minimum for a later conviction, and the driver may petition the court within 30 days for a hearing on the length (s. 322.28(2)(b)).

How can Mr. Mead help?

Reinstatement is mostly paperwork, but the period, the interlock order and the conviction count are set in the criminal case, and an error there can follow a driver for years. Mr. Mead has more than three decades of criminal defense in South Florida, and he can review a judgment and driving record with you and explain what the law requires before you go to the license office. Every case is different, and no result can be promised. Local courts are described on our Palm Beach County page. The consultation is free, and you can call 24 hours at (561) 362-6677.

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