New York State Changes Rules for Suspended Driver’s Licenses

Advocates in New York State have been pushing for years to reform certain parts of the Vehicle and Traffic Law to make it fairer for people who are low income to be able to keep their driving privileges when they run into legal trouble. Thanks to a new law that was passed by the New York State Legislature and signed by Governor Cuomo, those changes are now in effect.

New York State Assembly Bill A7463B, which is otherwise known as the Driver’s License Suspension Reform Act which was signed by Cuomo in December 2020, took effect on June 29th and makes the following changes to the drivers laws in New York State:

• Your driver’s license will no longer be suspended for unpaid traffic fees and/or fines, fines and fees.
• If your driver’s license had been suspended for an unpaid traffic fee and/or fine, it has not been reinstated.
• It allows you to set up a payment plan to pay your fees, fine, and/or surcharges, and the monthly payment amount will be set at either 2% of net monthly income or $25 per month, whichever is higher.
• The state, county, or municipality is now required to send you additional notices for upcoming and missed hearings and appearances in court.
• If your license was suspended because you didn't answer a summons, you can automatically reinstate your license simply by just in court or setting up a payment plan.

New York State is the 10th state to pass a series of laws like this and this change will have a potentially positive impact on hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.

For more information about this, or to find out if your license has been reinstated, you can contact the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles at 800-698-2931 or online via the NYS DMV website here.