How to Reinstate Your License After a DUI in Minnesota

To reinstate your driver’s license after a DUI in Minnesota, you have to serve your full revocation period, complete a chemical use assessment (and any treatment it recommends), file proof of auto insurance with Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), and pay a $680 reinstatement fee.¹ Depending on your offense history and your alcohol concentration at the time of arrest, you may also need an ignition interlock device installed before you can drive again, and your vehicle’s plates may be impounded and replaced with special registration plates.

How Long Your License Is Gone

Minnesota imposes two revocations that can run against you at the same time: an administrative revocation from DVS triggered by a failed or refused chemical test, and a separate revocation that follows a criminal DWI conviction. The administrative revocation kicks in quickly. The conviction-based one may come later, and when both apply, DVS sometimes shortens the total after conviction.

For a driver 21 or older whose first offense involves a failed test with a BAC under .16, the administrative revocation runs 90 days. Drivers under 21 face 180 days. A BAC of .16 or higher, or a test refusal, pushes it to a full year.² Second or subsequent offenses within ten years carry longer periods.

On the conviction side, a first DWI conviction for a driver 21 or older triggers a 30-day revocation; drivers under 21 get 180 days; and any first conviction with a BAC of .16 or higher gets a year.² Where the conviction-based revocation is shorter than the administrative one already running, DVS may reduce the overall period after the court enters the conviction, though not automatically in every case, and not typically when the BAC was .16 or higher.

Reinstatement isn’t available until the revocation period fully expires. Nothing you do — completing the assessment, paying the fee, filing insurance — moves that date forward.

The Chemical Use Assessment

Every person seeking reinstatement after a DWI has to complete a chemical use assessment. This is required by Minnesota Statutes Section 169A.70, and it has to be performed by a qualified assessor who meets specific licensing and training standards under state rules.³⁴

The assessment is a face-to-face interview. Based on what the assessor finds, the recommendation ranges from a short educational class for lower-risk cases to intensive outpatient or inpatient treatment for higher-risk situations. Whatever the recommendation is, you have to complete it and document that completion for DVS. Assessments typically cost between $100 and $250; any treatment program is separate and can run considerably higher.

Filing Insurance Proof

Minnesota does not use the SR-22 form that most other states require after a DWI. Instead, DVS requires proof of auto insurance on its own form, PS35016, which has to be completed by an authorized representative of your insurance company rather than by your agent.⁵ You can also submit insurance information online through DVS.

Expect premiums to jump substantially after a DWI conviction — typical increases run 60% to 200% and last for several years. Shopping among carriers matters here because after-DWI quotes can vary widely.

What Reinstatement Costs

The reinstatement fee itself is $680, and it is non-refundable whether or not your application is approved.¹ On top of that, plan for:

The chemical use assessment ($100 to $250), plus any recommended treatment.
Higher auto insurance premiums for several years.
Ignition interlock costs, if required: roughly $50 to $170 to install, and $60 to $120 per month for lease and calibration. Over a two-year program that runs $1,500 to $3,000.
Special registration plates, if plate impoundment applies: $50 plus registration tax and filing fees.⁶

Some judicial districts offer financial assistance for interlock costs based on income. The Tenth Judicial District, for example, covers installation and part of monthly lease fees for up to 12 months.⁷ Check with your local district to see whether a comparable program exists.

Submitting the Reinstatement Request

Once your revocation period is finished, DVS mails a notice listing exactly what you need to do.⁸ The statute governing this step is Minnesota Statutes Section 169A.55, which requires proof of completed alcohol treatment or counseling and any additional requirements the commissioner imposes.⁹

You submit the reinstatement request to DVS online, by mail, or by fax. The form asks you to attest under penalty of perjury that you haven’t committed any traffic violations between the offense date and your request.¹⁰ You’ll also need a certified copy of your driving record and documentation showing you completed any court-ordered sanctions and your chemical assessment.

DVS then checks your driving record for unresolved violations, confirms your revocation has fully expired, verifies your assessment and treatment are complete, and confirms your insurance is on file. Review takes several weeks and can stretch longer if anything on your record has to be cleared up first. You can check status through the DVS driving privilege lookup tool or by calling driver compliance at 651-296-2025. If DVS denies the request, the notice explains what still needs to be done, and you can address those items and reapply.

Most adults reinstating after a first DWI do not have to retake the written or road test. Section 169A.55 lets the commissioner impose “any other requirements” case by case, but routine reinstatement doesn’t involve re-examination for adults.¹¹

When You’ll Need an Ignition Interlock

For anyone with multiple DWI incidents or certain aggravating circumstances, reinstatement doesn’t return a clean license — it returns a license with an ignition interlock restriction. The device prevents the vehicle from starting if it registers any alcohol on your breath. Under Section 169A.55, the minimum interlock period depends on your history:¹¹

One year for an offense within ten years of a prior impaired driving incident, or after two prior incidents.
Two years for those same circumstances if the BAC was at twice the legal limit or higher, or if you refused the test.
Three years if your license was canceled or denied because of an offense within ten years of two priors, or after three priors.
Four to six years for the most serious repeat offenders.

Violating program rules adds time: 180 days for a first violation, one year for a second, and 545 days for each subsequent violation.¹² A breath reading of .02 or higher extends the program until you meet the required abstinence period, and the commissioner can terminate participation entirely when public safety warrants it, which restarts your revocation clock without credit for time in the program.

Plate Impoundment

Something many people don’t expect: your vehicle’s plates may be pulled. DVS orders plate impoundment when the offense involves any of the following:¹³

A DWI within ten years of a prior impaired driving incident.
A BAC of .16 or higher at the time of the offense.
A child under 16 in the vehicle who is more than 36 months younger than the driver.
Driving after license cancellation for being deemed a public safety risk.

You get a temporary permit — 14 days if you own the vehicle, or 45 days if someone else was the driver — and then apply for special registration plates (the W-series “whiskey plates”) for $50 plus registration tax and filing fees.⁶ These plates stay on the vehicle for at least one year.

Driving Before Full Reinstatement

You may not have to wait out the entire revocation with no driving at all. Minnesota’s limited license lets you drive for narrow purposes, but eligibility is restricted. For DWI-related revocations, you generally qualify only if it’s your first offense on record (or your second with the first more than ten years old), your BAC was .15 or below, or you refused the test.¹⁴ You have to serve any mandatory waiting period first, and you’re allowed only one limited license in a 24-month period.

The license only covers driving to and from work (and as required during employment), to and from chemical dependency treatment or counseling, and to and from a school where you’re enrolled. Driving is capped at 60 hours per week and six days per week.¹⁵ Homemakers get additional allowances for transporting dependents to school, medical appointments, or grocery shopping, and driving to an ignition interlock service provider for calibration is also permitted. Driving outside those authorized purposes can bring new criminal charges.

If You Have a CDL

A commercial driver’s license adds a separate layer that the standard reinstatement path doesn’t touch. A DWI in any vehicle, commercial or personal, triggers CDL disqualification on top of the ordinary license revocation:¹⁶

First offense: at least one year of CDL disqualification, or at least three years if hauling hazardous materials.
Second offense: lifetime CDL disqualification.
Using a vehicle to commit a controlled substance felony: lifetime disqualification.

Minnesota will not issue a limited license for a Class A, B, or C commercial license. There is no commercial driving during the disqualification period, and a second DWI ends CDL privileges permanently.

If You’re Under 18: Vanessa’s Law

Reinstatement for drivers under 18 runs through a different framework. An unlicensed teen convicted of any impaired driving offense — including DWI, implied consent violations, open bottle, or the “Not a Drop” underage drinking and driving law — cannot get any license, permit, or provisional license until turning 18.¹ After turning 18, the teen has to meet all requirements on the withdrawal notice, pass the written knowledge test, apply for an instruction permit, and hold that permit for at least six months (three months if age 19 or older).

For teens who held a provisional license, the revocation runs until age 18 or until the withdrawal period ends, whichever is longer. Reinstatement then requires serving the full withdrawal period, passing the Class D written test, paying the $680 reinstatement fee, completing a 30-hour in-person classroom driver education course (online doesn’t count), and applying for a new instruction permit that must be held for 90 days while completing six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.¹ Juveniles reinstating after a provisional-license DWI also have to pass the written knowledge test before reinstatement, unlike most adults.¹¹

Challenging a Revocation or Impoundment

If you think your revocation or plate impoundment was wrongly imposed, you have two paths. Administrative review can be requested from DVS at any time during the revocation and doesn’t involve a courtroom. Judicial review has to be filed through the courts within 60 days of being served with the notice.¹³ At an administrative hearing, you can present evidence such as documentation of completed sanctions, interlock compliance, or problems with the original stop or test. If administrative review goes against you, judicial review remains available. Legal representation isn’t required, but for judicial review the procedural rules are strict and the burden is on you.

1
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Vanessa’s Law
2
Minnesota House of Representatives. An Overview of Minnesota’s DWI Laws
3
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169A.70 – Assessment; Chemical Use
4
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Rules 9530.6615 – Chemical Use Assessments
5
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Driver Compliance Requests and Forms
6
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Special Registration Impound License Plates
7
Minnesota Judicial Branch. Financial Assistance – Ignition Interlock Program – Tenth Judicial District
8
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Driver Compliance
9
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169A.55 – License Revocation Termination; License Reinstatement
10
Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS). Request for Reinstatement PS3001-1
11
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 169A.55 – License Revocation Termination; License Reinstatement
12
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 171.306 – Ignition Interlock Device Program
13
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 169A.60 – Administrative Impoundment of Plates
14
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Driver Compliance Limited License
15
Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Minnesota Rules 7409.3600 – Limited License
16
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. CDL Disqualification