License Suspension for Tickets and Court Holds by State

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In Alabama, a failure to appear (FTA) or unpaid traffic tickets leads to a driver's license suspension by ALEA under Ala. Code section 32-6-7. To reinstate your license, first clear the underlying matter with the court that issued it. Depending on the court's discretion, this could mean paying what you owe, appearing in court, or setting up a payment plan.

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Arizona Senate Bill 1551 (effective September 29, 2021) repealed license suspensions for civil failure to pay (FTP) and failure to appear (FTA). Arizona courts can no longer suspend or restrict a regular driver's license for unpaid civil penalties, surcharges, or assessments, or for failing to appear at a civil court date. Any suspensions that already existed for these reasons were automatically rescinded.

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Connecticut has not reformed its failure-to-appear (FTA) rules, so an unpaid ticket can still lead directly to a license suspension. To reinstate, first pay the underlying fine. Mailed-ticket fines and many minor moving violations are paid to the Centralized Infractions Bureau (CIB); other, non-CIB matters are paid to the trial court instead.

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FLHSMV publishes separate clearance instructions for several traffic-citation and court-suspension categories. For an unpaid traffic fine, failure to comply with or appear at a traffic summons, or failure to complete driver improvement school, the published process starts with the traffic court in the county that issued the citation or summons.

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GA DOES suspend for FTA on a traffic violation (O.C.G.A. § 40-5-56). All GA traffic violations are misdemeanors, so once an FTA is entered you cannot just pay the fine - you must REENGAGE the court (reschedule / appear). HB 926 (2022+) then triggers MANDATORY RELEASE of the FTA hold for most citations - limited to ONCE per case (a 2nd FTA in the same case is not guaranteed auto-release).

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Illinois reformed its failure to appear (FTA) rules effective July 1, 2025. As of that date, Illinois no longer suspends licenses for failing to appear on minor, fine-only traffic tickets; courts now enter a conviction plus costs instead. Any FTA suspension that was imposed between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2025 (and did not involve a death) will be lifted by January 1, 2026.

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Indiana has not reformed its rules around failure to appear (FTA) or failure to pay (FTP) a fine. Failing to appear in court or failing to pay a fine triggers an indefinite administrative suspension that lasts until the court notifies the BMV that the matter is resolved. Here is the path to reinstatement: 1. Resolve the citation with each court involved.

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Your license was suspended because the court reported that you failed to comply (FTC) with a traffic citation, which led the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) to suspend your license. To reinstate, you'll need to resolve the matter with the court, either by paying what the court requires or by asking the court to waive the reinstatement fee using form DC2377 along with a Financial Affidavit.

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Maine has not reformed its failure to appear (FTA) law. Under 29-A MRS §2608, failing to appear in court, failing to answer, or failing to pay a fine results in a license suspension. Here is how to reinstate your license: 1. Pay the underlying fine to the court. 2.

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In Minnesota, failing to appear in court (FTA) or leaving fines unpaid can lead to a suspension from the Department of Public Safety (DPS). As of a January 2022 reform, a failure to appear on a petty-misdemeanor traffic matter no longer triggers a suspension, so that category has been removed. Suspensions can still happen for more serious fine-only or non-traffic court holds. To reinstate: 1.

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In Missouri, a failure to appear (FTA) puts a hold on your license that stays in place until you resolve it. To reinstate: resolve the citation with each court that issued it. The court will then issue a Compliance Letter (also called a Release), either to you or transmitted electronically to the Department of Revenue (DOR).

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In New Jersey, failing to appear (FTA) in court leads to a court-ordered license suspension, plus a failure-to-pay (FTP) surcharge that stays in effect indefinitely until it's paid. Important warning: an FTA in New Jersey often comes with an outstanding bench warrant. Before you appear at the court in person, check with that court (or through NJMCDirect.com) to find out whether a warrant is outstanding.

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New York DMV separates traffic-ticket handling by the place named on the ticket. Most New York City tickets handled by the Traffic Violations Bureau use the TVB plea, hearing, and payment routes. Tickets issued outside New York City are resolved with the city, county, town, or village court where the ticket is returnable.

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Resolve the underlying citation, appearance, or payment issue with the court. For failure to appear, use BB3 FTA Compliance; for failure to pay, use BB9 Failure-to-Pay Suspension. The court completes the Notice of Compliance, then the driver submits the completed notice with the $50.00 statutory reinstatement fee to Oklahoma DPS / Service Oklahoma.

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Rhode Island suspensions for failure to appear (FTA) or failure to pay (FTP) are coded "04" in the RI DMV system, and this is the only suspension type you can reinstate online. All other Rhode Island suspension categories require an in-person visit to the Adjudication Unit (DMV.Adjudication@dmv.ri.gov). To reinstate: 1.

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South Carolina has not reformed how it handles failure to appear (FTA): an unpaid ticket leads to a license suspension. To reinstate, first resolve the underlying citation with the court that issued it, by filing Form DL-53 (Affidavit of Eligibility, used to clear the ticket that caused the suspension).

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A Texas failure to appear (FTA) or failure to pay (FTP) is not actually a license suspension. Instead, it's a renewal hold placed through OmniBase, the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) vendor, which blocks you from renewing your license (a related program called Scofflaw can also block vehicle registration).

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Washington changed this rule under Senate Bill 5226, effective January 1, 2023. If your license was suspended because you couldn't pay a fine for a non-criminal moving violation (a "failure to pay"), that no longer suspends your license, and if you had this type of suspension from before January 1, 2023, the Department of Licensing (DOL) already reinstated it for you automatically.

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This suspension is for Failure to Pay Forfeiture (FPF), meaning an unpaid ticket forfeiture. Wisconsin has not reformed this type of suspension, and it results in a 1-year suspension. To reinstate your license, you need to either pay the forfeiture in full, or enter a court-approved community-service or payment arrangement with the court that issued the ticket.