After a court resolution of a DUI case you will receive a letter entitled “Order of Suspension” from the Mandatory Actions Unit of the DMV.
This letter explains the DMV suspended your license as a result of the Court conviction. This suspension is mandatory and required by the Vehicle Code. Sometimes this letter comes quickly after the Court disposition but sometimes it can arrive months later.
The suspension imposed can run as short as 6 months and as long as 3 years. However, in most cases you can get reinstated immediately if you show enrollment in the DUI school, show installation of an ignition interlock, show you filed and SR-22 and pay required re-issue fees.
The letter is generated because of a Court Resolution of your case. It is separate from any previously imposed administrative suspension or restriction. The “administrative” (APS) suspension is the first suspension order issued at the time of your arrest and imposed after your DMV Hearing. That suspension is issued by the Driver Safety Division of the DMV.
The “court” suspension is separate from any administrative suspension previously imposed at the time of your arrest. This means any previous re-issue fees you paid to get a restricted license after your arrest will not count towards the separate re-issue fee required by the court disposition action letter.
Why am I getting this letter? The DMV imposes MULTIPLE suspensions following a DUI arrest. The purpose of the multiple suspensions is to try and make sure no one can “get around” DMV penalties. As stated at the bottom of the letter “This action is independent of any other action”. The good news is that all of the suspensions run concurrent with each other.
What should you do upon receiving the letter? If you have not been suspended administratively for refusal to submit to a chemical test, you can get reinstated immediately by simply paying the separate re-issue fee (usually $55) and confirming the DMV has your SR-22 on file and proof you are enrolled in the class and have the ignition interlock.
Unfortunately if you were previously suspended administratively for a refusal, that suspension trumps all others and you will not be able to take advantage of the early reinstatement options, although you can certainly try.
Matthew Ruff is a Top Tier Torrance DUI Lawyer and Long Beach DUI Attorney with over 30 years experience fighting for the rights of people arrested for driving under the influence and other serious crimes.
