Michigan Driver’s License Civil & Criminal Sanctions (2025)

Posted on July 5, 2025

In Michigan, having your driving privileges suspended, revoked, or restricted is one of the most disruptive legal penalties anyone can face. Whether resulting from a DUI, drug conviction, or multiple traffic violations, Michigan’s driver’s license civil & criminal sanctions affect thousands of people every single year. These penalties...

Driving Without a License (A True Story From 2 Michigan Courts)

Posted on April 5, 2024

Key Takeaways All traffic misdemeanors stay on your driving record forever. Any previous DWLS/DWLR conviction can be counted as a “prior” offense, no matter how long ago it occurred. If a DWLS/DWLR is the consequence of...

License Revoked for DUI’s? Here is the Process to Get it Back

Posted on January 17, 2024

In Michigan, there is a very specific license appeal process a person must follow to regain driving privileges after having his or her license revoked for 2 or more DUI’s. Everyone who has lost the ability to drive has probably said, a million times over, “I need my license back.” Not being...

What to Know About Driving While License Revoked (DWLR) in Michigan

Posted on December 20, 2023

This article will be a close-up look at a revoked license charge (Driving While License Revoked, or DWLR, for short) in Michigan. It is intentionally separate from the last installment on this blog examining suspended license charges. Although the offenses of driving while license suspended license and driving while license revoked are...

Handling a Driving While License Suspended (DWLS) Charge in Michigan

Posted on December 13, 2023

A conviction for driving with a suspended license (Driving While License Suspended, or DWLS, for short) can really screw up a person’s ability to drive legally. The Michigan Secretary of State MUST impose some kind of additional suspension if a person is convicted for DWLS. A suspended license charge is the most...

CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) and DUI

Posted on September 27, 2023

As Michigan DUI lawyers, we know that some people who win up facing an OWI charge hold a commercial driver’s license, or CDL. For these people, the ability to drive a commercial vehicle is a required part of their job. It’s how they make a living. Without a CDL,...

Ignition Interlock Violations and the Michigan Secretary of State

Posted on September 20, 2023

In our roles as Michigan driver’s license restoration lawyers, we handle a lot of ignition interlock violation cases. We regularly save people from having their licenses permanently revoked. Many interlock violations seem unnecessary, and indeed, some really are unfair. However, there are also others that arise because a person does, in fact, test positive...

Driving on Suspended or Revoked License Penalties in Michigan

Posted on August 13, 2023

Driving on a suspended license (DWLS) and driving on a revoked license (DWLR) are part of the same law, and are probably the most common offenses seen in Michigan’s district courts. My team and I quite literally handle these cases all the time. Driving on a...

DWLS and DWLR – Long Version

Posted on August 13, 2023

The charges of Driving While License Suspended, commonly designated by the letters “DWLS” and Driving While License Revoked (DWLR) are perhaps the most common “crimes” that wind their way through the Judicial System. In this section, we’ll examine some of the more common aspects of these cases, and what they mean to a...

DWLS and DWLR – Suspended and Revoked License Charges in Michigan

Posted on August 13, 2023

Driving While License Suspended (DWLS) and Driving While License Revoked (DWLR) are two different offenses covered under the very same state law. Legally speaking, they carry the same potential punishment. Most (but not all) DWLS cases arise because of an unpaid Ticket somewhere in a person’s...