Colorado Reinstatement Fee: Costs, SR-22, and Requirements

The Colorado driver’s license reinstatement fee is a flat $95, with an extra $25 added when the loss of license was alcohol-related.¹ The fee is the same whether you lost your license for a DUI, too many points, unpaid tickets, or a child support issue, but the steps you must complete before the Department of Revenue will accept that payment are not.²

What You’ll Pay

Under C.R.S. § 42-2-132(4)(a)(I), every driver whose license has been suspended, canceled, or revoked owes a $95 restoration fee before the state will reissue driving privileges.¹ It is non-refundable.

If the revocation was for DUI, DUI per se, DWAI, or underage drinking and driving, you owe another $25 on top, for a total of $120. The Department of Revenue can waive that $25 add-on if you can show indigency.¹

The reinstatement fee does not cover a new card. Once you are cleared, a standard driver’s license costs $34, or $12.30 for a duplicate if your old card is still valid.³ If the DMV requires you to retake the written knowledge test, that fee is separate as well.

What Else Reinstatement Requires

The fee is uniform. The prerequisites are not. The three most common reasons for losing a Colorado license lead to very different checklists.

DUI and Alcohol-Related Revocations

Alcohol-related revocations carry the heaviest requirements. You must serve the full revocation period (or qualify for early reinstatement through the interlock program), complete a court-ordered alcohol and drug education or treatment program, and file an SR-22 certificate proving liability insurance.⁴ A second or subsequent alcohol offense triggers a Level II education and treatment program certified by the Behavioral Health Administration.¹

Point Suspensions

If you accumulated too many points, the path is shorter: submit the reinstatement application, pay the $95 fee, and show evidence of insurance. An SR-22 is not typically required for a point-based suspension.⁵ You will need to pass the written knowledge test when you renew your license.

Unpaid Tickets or Child Support

For suspensions tied to unpaid tickets or a child support delinquency, you must resolve the underlying obligation before the DMV will accept the application and fee.² For child support, that generally means reaching compliance with the support order. For tickets, it means paying the fines or satisfying whatever the court requires.

SR-22 Insurance

An SR-22 is not a policy. It is a certificate your insurer files with the state confirming you carry at least Colorado’s minimum liability coverage: $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $15,000 for property damage. The state requires it after alcohol-related revocations and after suspensions related to driving without insurance, among other violations.⁶

You must keep that coverage in place continuously for three years from the filing date.⁷ If the policy lapses, your insurer notifies the DMV and your license goes right back into suspension. Expect a noticeable premium increase; drivers carrying an SR-22 commonly pay 50% to 80% more for auto insurance than they did before.

Alcohol and Drug Education Levels

Colorado uses two program levels. The court decides which level you need, and the DMV enforces it as a condition of reinstatement. The two agencies’ requirements can differ, so check both.

Level I is 12 hours of DUI instruction over at least three days, with no more than four hours in any single day. It applies to first-time offenders whose violation did not involve a high blood alcohol level or a test refusal.⁸

Level II is 24 hours of instruction over 12 weeks and may be followed by additional therapy. The DMV requires Level II when a driver has two alcohol violations within five years, three or more alcohol violations in a lifetime, a BAC of .15 or higher, multiple per se BAC results of .08 or above, or a refusal to take a chemical test.⁹ If Level II is required for reinstatement, you can enroll after reinstatement using an Affidavit of Enrollment (Form DR 2643) from a BHA-certified treatment agency, which lets you get your license back while finishing the program as a condition of your restored privilege.

Getting Back on the Road Sooner With an Interlock

For an alcohol-related revocation, you may not have to wait out the full revocation period. Colorado’s ignition interlock program allows early reinstatement if you install a device that tests your breath before the vehicle will start.

For violations on or after January 1, 2023, you can apply for early reinstatement on the first day the revocation goes active, with no one-month waiting period.¹⁰ If you refused a chemical test, you must serve two months before becoming eligible. The length of the interlock requirement depends on the offense:

First DUI or per se with BAC below .15: 9 months
First DUI or per se with BAC of .15 or higher: 2 years
Second or subsequent per se: 2 years
Chemical test refusal (any offense number): 2 years
Habitual traffic offender: minimum 1 year

¹¹

The device itself is leased from a private provider. Monthly installation, lease, and calibration costs typically run $50 to $150, which adds up over a multi-year requirement.

Financial assistance is available if you qualify. To be eligible, you must be a Colorado resident lawfully present in the United States, have been at least 21 years old at the time of the violation, and have a federal adjusted gross income within a set percentage of the federal poverty guidelines. If you did not file a tax return because your income was too low, you can show eligibility with a notice of action from the Division of Human Services confirming enrollment in a public assistance program, or with a court declaration of indigency from your criminal case. The maximum assistance is $400 per person, distributed as a pro-rated credit toward future monthly lease charges.¹²

How to Submit the Application

The core document is Form DR 2870, the Application for Reinstatement.¹³ If an SR-22 is required, your insurance company files that separately with the DMV on your behalf. You have three ways to submit:

Online through myDMV. Upload the application and pay by credit card or electronic check. Online submissions are typically processed in three to four business days.¹⁴
By mail. Send the completed DR 2870, a check or money order for $95 payable to the Department of Revenue, and any required documents (such as SR-22 evidence) to: Driver License Reinstatement, P.O. Box 173345, Denver, CO 80217-3345. Allow up to 20 business days.¹⁵²
In person. For point suspensions, unpaid tickets, and child support suspensions, you can reinstate at a full-service driver license office.⁵

Once the DMV processes your payment and verifies that every requirement has been met, you receive a clearance letter confirming your privilege is restored. From there you can visit a driver license office to get a new physical card.

What Driving Before Reinstatement Costs You

Driving on a license that is still under restraint is a bad gamble. For non-alcohol suspensions (points, unpaid tickets, child support), driving anyway is a class A traffic infraction, and a second conviction within five years bars you from holding any Colorado license for an additional three years.¹⁶

For alcohol-related revocations, the stakes climb. Driving on a license revoked for DUI, DUI per se, DWAI, or underage drinking and driving is a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense. A second conviction carries a mandatory fine of $500 to $3,000 and extends the period before you can apply for any driving privilege by four years, on top of any criminal penalty the court imposes.¹⁶ The $95 or $120 reinstatement fee is cheap by comparison.

1
Justia. Colorado Code 42-2-132 – Period of Suspension or Revocation
2
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Process to Reinstate Driving Privilege
3
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. State DMV Fees
4
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Reinstatements
5
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Reinstatement Frequently Asked Questions
6
Colorado Department of Revenue. Auto Insurance
7
FindLaw. Colorado Code 42-7-408 – Proof of Financial Responsibility Methods of Giving Proof Duration Exception
8
Behavioral Health Administration. Information for People With a DUI or DWAI
9
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Alcohol and Drug Education Treatment
10
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Early Reinstatement (Interlock)
11
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Ignition Interlock Program
12
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Financial Assistance for Ignition Interlock
13
Colorado Department of Revenue. Application for Reinstatement DR 2870
14
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. myDMV Online Services Help Center
15
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Contact Us – DMV
16
FindLaw. Colorado Code 42-2-138