How Much Is a Driving Under Suspension Ticket in Louisiana?

A driving under suspension ticket in Louisiana costs a standard license holder up to $500 in criminal fines, but the full price of the ticket is much higher: a separate civil penalty of up to $1,250, court costs, a reinstatement fee, possible ignition interlock expenses, and years of inflated insurance premiums push the real out-of-pocket total into the thousands. For a first offense without DWI involvement, expect $500 to $2,000 up front and a three-year financial impact that can exceed $5,000.

The Criminal Fine

For Class D and Class E license holders, which covers most passenger vehicle drivers, a conviction under R.S. 32:415 carries a criminal fine of up to $500.¹ The judge sets the actual amount based on the circumstances of the stop and your record. A clean first offense usually lands on the lower end; repeat violations push it higher.

Commercial drivers face a much steeper ceiling. If you hold a Class A, B, or C commercial license, the criminal fine rises to as much as $5,000.¹

When the underlying suspension came from a second or subsequent DWI, the fine becomes mandatory rather than discretionary. For a standard license, that mandatory range is $300 to $500. For a commercial license, it stretches from $300 to $5,000.¹

The Civil Penalty on Top of the Fine

The same statute authorizes a separate civil penalty, which the court can impose in addition to the criminal fine. For Class D and E holders, the civil penalty runs up to $1,250. For commercial drivers, it goes up to $2,500.¹ This is not a court cost or administrative surcharge. It’s a distinct financial penalty, and it’s the single biggest number most drivers don’t see coming.

Add a $500 fine, the $1,250 civil penalty, and parish court costs together and a single standard-license ticket can approach $2,000 before anyone talks about getting your license back.

Court Costs and Parish Surcharges

Louisiana courts stack administrative fees on top of the base fine, and the amounts vary by parish. In some courts, moving violation surcharges alone exceed $140. A modest fine quickly turns into a total payment well over $300 once those surcharges hit.

What Happens to Your Vehicle at the Stop

If you’re pulled over on a suspended license and the vehicle is registered in your name, the officer physically removes your license plate on the spot.² You get a temporary sticker that lets someone else with a valid license drive the vehicle for ten business days. If you haven’t cleared every outstanding suspension and completed reinstatement in that window, the Office of Motor Vehicles destroys the seized plate.

Drive the vehicle after the sticker expires without proper registration and it gets impounded, with towing and impound fees added to everything else.² The OMV may issue a hardship plate if losing the vehicle would prevent your household from meeting basic needs or earning a living.

Your Suspension Just Got a Year Longer

A conviction automatically extends your suspension by one full year from the date you would otherwise have been eligible to apply for reinstatement.¹ This happens regardless of what you paid or whether you served jail time. If your original suspension had three months left on it, you now have fifteen months before you can begin the reinstatement process. Get caught again during the extended period and another year gets added.

Reinstatement Fees

Once the suspension period finally runs out, the Office of Motor Vehicles charges a reinstatement fee that depends on why your license was suspended to begin with. The driving-while-suspended reinstatement itself is $60. If the original suspension was DWI-related, the fee is $100 for a first DWI, $200 for a second, and $300 for a third or subsequent. Suspensions tied to unpaid traffic tickets carry a $100 reinstatement fee.³

These are separate from anything you paid the court. You also have to resolve whatever caused the original suspension, whether that means paying off old tickets, filing proof of insurance, or clearing a child support obligation. If multiple suspensions have stacked up, each one requires its own fee and its own compliance paperwork before the state will issue a license.

Ignition Interlock Costs If Ordered

When the original suspension involved a DWI, an implied consent violation, or vehicular negligent injuring, the court can order an ignition interlock device for at least the remaining period of your suspension.¹ Installation runs $70 to $150, and monthly monitoring and calibration fees run $60 to $100. A year-long requirement adds roughly $800 to $1,350 to your total.

Insurance Impact and SR-22

Louisiana may require you to file an SR-22, a certificate from your insurer confirming you carry at least the state minimum: $15,000 for one person’s bodily injuries, $30,000 for multiple injuries, and $25,000 for property damage. You typically carry the SR-22 for three years, and any lapse in coverage during that window can trigger a new suspension.

The SR-22 filing is cheap, usually a one-time $15 to $50 charge from your insurer. The premium increase is where the money goes. Insurers classify a driver with this conviction as high-risk, and 50% rate increases are common. If your current insurer drops you, the assigned-risk pool costs significantly more than the standard market. Over three years, the insurance hit alone can exceed the combined cost of fines, civil penalties, and reinstatement fees.

Jail Exposure

A conviction also carries up to six months in a parish jail, regardless of license class.¹ For a first offense on a clean record, jail is unusual, but it’s discretionary and the possibility is real. Repeat violations and aggravating facts at the stop push things sharply toward incarceration.

Two situations change the jail picture. If your license was suspended solely because of an unpaid judgment from a car accident under R.S. 32:414(R)(1), you cannot be arrested or jailed for driving under suspension; the fine and civil penalty still apply. On the other end, if your suspension stemmed from a second or subsequent DWI, the judge must impose seven days to six months in jail, with at least seven days served without probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, and that time runs consecutively with any DWI sentence.¹

What the Ticket Really Costs

Here is what a single conviction can actually run a Class D or E driver when every piece is added together:

Criminal fine: up to $500
Civil penalty: up to $1,250
Court costs and parish surcharges: $140 to $200 or more
OMV reinstatement fee: $60 to $300 depending on the original suspension reason
SR-22 premium increase: hundreds to thousands over three years
Ignition interlock, if ordered: $800 to $1,350 per year

A standard first offense without DWI involvement realistically costs $500 to $2,000 out of pocket before insurance. Factor in three years of higher premiums and the total impact can clear $5,000. For a commercial license or a DWI-related violation, the numbers climb well past that. Treating this as a routine ticket is the most expensive mistake you can make with it.

1
Justia Law. Louisiana Code RS 32-415 – Operating Vehicle While License Is Suspended
2
Justia Law. Louisiana Code RS 32-415.2 – Operating Vehicle While Under Suspension or Revocation; Removal of License Plate
3
Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. Suspensions