Maryland MVA Fees

The Three-Tier Reinstatement Fee Structure

Maryland's MVA charges different reinstatement fees depending on why your license was suspended or revoked. The fee schedule uses a three-tier structure:

$30 — Administrative Restoration Fee. This is the base fee for lifting a compliance suspension, such as one triggered by an unpaid traffic citation (Failure to Comply) or failure to complete a mandated Driver Improvement Program. Once the underlying issue is resolved — the fine paid, the course completed — you pay $30 to the MVA to restore your credential.

$90 — Standard Reinstatement Fee. This applies to points-based suspensions and revocations, as well as CDL reinstatements. If your license was suspended because you accumulated 8 to 11 points, or revoked at 12+ points, the MVA charges $90 to process your reinstatement application.

$150 — Drug/Alcohol Reinstatement Fee. Any suspension or revocation tied to a DUI, DWI, drug offense, or breath test refusal triggers this higher fee. This is separate from and in addition to whatever program costs (Alcohol Education, clinical treatment) the MVA requires before accepting your reinstatement application.

The amount due depends on the hold and the MVA's instructions. Separate court, insurance, and program costs may also apply when multiple holds are involved.

Beyond the MVA: The Full Cost Picture

The MVA fees are just one layer. The total cost of getting your license back depends on how many holds you're clearing and what caused them.

Driving record: $12 for a non-certified PDF through the myMVA portal, or $15 for a certified sealed copy. You'll need this to identify every active hold before you start resolving anything.

Court fines and payment plans: If you have unpaid traffic citations, you'll need to pay them in full or establish a court-approved installment plan (10% monthly payments, minimum $150 in outstanding fines to qualify). Miss an installment and the court voids the agreement, refers the balance to the Central Collection Unit, and adds a 17% collection surcharge.

Insurance penalties: An insurance lapse generates $200 for the first 30 days, then $7 per day after that, capped at $3,500 per vehicle per year. Add a $25 registration restoration fee and the cost of SR-22 filing (typically $15–$50 through your insurer) if the MVA requires continuous proof of financial responsibility.

Ignition interlock costs: If your suspension involves a DUI/DWI, Noah's Law likely mandates the Ignition Interlock Program. Installation runs $100–$180, monthly monitoring is $80–$100, and the MVA charges a $47 enrollment fee. A 180-day program at the low end costs roughly $600–$800 total.

License printing: Once reinstated, a new standard 8-year Maryland driver's license costs $88. Under-21 licenses are prorated at $11 per year. A corrected license (adding or removing restrictions) is $30.

OAH hearing: If you want to contest a suspension, requesting an Office of Administrative Hearings hearing costs $150.

Fees You Can't Avoid vs. Fees You Can Minimize

The MVA fee schedule lists the $30, $90, and $150 charges. The documented hardship waiver in this process is for certain Ignition Interlock Program costs through Form DC-212.

Some other costs have flexibility. The Ignition Interlock Program offers a fee waiver application (Form DC-212) for financially eligible participants, which eliminates the $47 enrollment fee and cuts the monthly device lease by 50%. You'll need to document your income to qualify.

Court payment plans spread the financial hit across ten months, but they carry a trap: entering a payment plan counts as a guilty plea, which means the court records a conviction and the MVA assesses points. If those points push your active total to 8 or more, you've just triggered a new suspension or revocation while trying to clear the old one.

The most expensive mistake isn't any single fee — it's resolving holds in the wrong order and creating new suspensions in the process. A $30 restoration fee turns into $90 plus program costs when a payment-plan conviction pushes your point total over the threshold.

The Maryland Driver's License Reinstatement Guide maps out the exact resolution sequence, including which fees apply at each stage and how to avoid triggering new holds while clearing existing ones.

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