03/28/2018
Latest and greatest on MI Driver Responsibility Fee Changes
Latest News on Driver Responsibility Fee Changes - www.michigan.gov/driverreponsibility
ELIMINATING Driver Responsibility Fees
The Driver Responsibility Law took effect October 1, 2003. There have been several amendments to this law. The most recent amendments ELIMINATE the Driver Responsibility Fee Law on October 1, 2018.
Effective March 31, 2018, individuals who entered into a payment plan on or before February 1, 2018 will have their outstanding Driver Responsibility Fees eliminated. If there are no additional license actions pending, you may be eligible to reinstate your driver’s license without paying a reinstatement fee* beginning March 31.
Individuals who did not enter into a payment plan on or before February 1, 2018 are still responsible for making payments until October 1, 2018.All Driver Responsibility Fees and reinstatement fees* associated with Driver Responsibility Fees will be waived at this time.
Drivers who aren't on payment plans can get their licenses reinstated after Oct. 1 and will have the $125 reinstatement fee waived if they apply before Dec. 31, 2018.
Please contact the Michigan Department of Treasury, 1-800-950-6227, for payment plan options. Once entered into a payment plan, individuals that have no additional license actions pending may be eligible to reinstate their driver’s license without paying a reinstatement fee*, March 31 through December 31, 2018. Some individuals may qualify for participation in a Workforce Development Program in lieu of payment. Please check the website below for details.
Eligible drivers can contact the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office for additional information regarding reinstating driving privileges at 1-888-767-6424.
* Reinstatement fees will be waived through December 31, 2018. Beginning January 1, 2019, they will be required. If your license is currently suspended for other violations, such as failure to appear in court or driving on a suspended license, among others, you must clear these before reinstating.
Contact Us
www.michigan.gov/driverreponsibility
The Michigan Department of Treasury Office of Collections can be reached at 1-800-950-6227. Periodically the Michigan Department of Treasury experiences extremely high call volumes, which may result in lengthy wait time. For your convenience, the Michigan Department of Treasury, Driver Responsibility Fee Information Line has extended hours of:
Mon – Thurs.: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM Fri: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat: 8:00 AM –12:00
The Secretary of State has set up a help line — 888-767-6424 — and will provide information on the state's website — www.michigan.gov/sos — to help drivers figure out how to get their drivers' licenses reinstated.
The Treasury Department has a help line — 517-636-5240 — and a website to help drivers learn about the driver responsibility fees - http://www.michigan.gov/driverresponsibility
House Bills 5040, 5043, 5044 and 5079, sponsored by state Reps. Lee Chatfield, Roger Hauck, Joseph Bellino, and Daire Rendon, will amend the same section of the Vehicle Code to make the following changes:
• Specify that after Sept. 30, 2018, Department of Treasury can no longer collect outstanding fees. In addition, it specifies that drivers are no longer liable for any fees that remain outstanding and can have their license reinstated.
• End responsibility for the balance of fees for drivers who had entered into an installment agreement to pay their fees on or before Feb.1, 2018, and make drivers eligible to have their license reinstated if they were otherwise in compliance with the act.
• Accelerate the existing phase-out so that no new assessments would be issued beginning Oct. 1, 2018.
• Make an individual enrolled in a workforce training payment program eligible to have their license reinstated and fees waived upon completion of the program.
• Eliminate the separate reinstatement fee of $125 charged by the Secretary of State to reinstate a license that was suspended due to unpaid DRFs from the date the bill is signed (March 1, 2018) until December 31, 2018.
• Designate $250,000 to the Department of Treasury for purpose to implement and administer changes to the act and the workforce training program.
