A limited license in Minnesota lets you keep driving for narrowly approved reasons, such as getting to work, school, treatment, or essential caregiving errands, after your license has been suspended, revoked, canceled, or denied. The program sits under Minnesota Statutes ยง 171.30 and is run by the Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) division of the Department of Public Safety. Whether you qualify, and how soon you can apply, depends on why your license was pulled.
Who Qualifies
The commissioner may issue a limited license when your driving privileges have been suspended, revoked, canceled, or denied under a range of statutes, including no-fault insurance violations, implied consent revocations under 169A.52, DWI-related actions under 169A.54, and test refusals under 171.177.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.30 – Limited License
Two groups are shut out entirely. If your license was canceled as “inimical to public safety” under section 171.04, you cannot get a limited license.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.04 – Persons Not Eligible for Drivers Licenses If you’ve been disqualified from commercial driving under section 171.165, the state will not issue any limited license, including for commercial purposes.
How Long You Wait Before Applying
You don’t qualify the day after your license is withdrawn. For a first-time DWI or implied consent violation, the minimum wait is 15 days.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.30 – Limited License If your revocation stems from vehicular manslaughter or criminal vehicular operation, the wait is one full year. Repeat DWI offenses and aggravating factors such as a high BAC can stretch the timeline further, so the exact wait depends on your record and the offense.
What You Can Drive For
A limited license is not a regular license on a new timer. It authorizes specific, approved activities, and the commissioner has broad authority to restrict your vehicles, hours, and routes.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.30 – Limited License The approved purposes are:
- Driving to and from a job your livelihood depends on. The rules define livelihood as gainful employment for wages or salary.3Legal Information Institute. Minnesota Rule 7409.3600 – Limited License
- Driving to and from classes at a postsecondary institution where you are enrolled.
- Driving to substance use disorder treatment or counseling, and to a recognized abstinence-based support group up to three times per week, or more often if a court orders it.3Legal Information Institute. Minnesota Rule 7409.3600 – Limited License
- Limited trips to meet dependents’ needs if you are the primary caregiver and losing driving privileges would substantially disrupt a dependent’s education, medical care, or nutrition.
The commissioner can also require you to show that public transit or carpooling would be a significant hardship before granting the license.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.30 – Limited License If a bus route covers your commute, expect to explain why it doesn’t work.
Ignition Interlock Is Often the Better Path for DWI Revocations
For many alcohol-related revocations, section 171.306 offers a separate route back to driving: the ignition interlock program. A participant receives a class D license restricted to vehicles equipped with a working interlock device, which measures breath alcohol and prevents the engine from starting at or above 0.02.4Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.306 – Ignition Interlock Device Program An employer-owned vehicle can be driven without an interlock during the normal course of work if the employer provides written consent.
The financial advantage is timing. The commissioner cannot require you to pay the $680 reinstatement fee and surcharge before issuing the restricted interlock license; that bill is deferred until you seek full, unrestricted reinstatement. You do pay the ongoing costs of leasing, maintaining, and calibrating the device through an approved service provider.
People under 18 are not eligible for the interlock program. If you leave the program or are removed before completing it, you lose the interlock license and can face plate impoundment on top of the original revocation.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169A.60 – Administrative Impoundment of Plates
What It Costs
The largest expense for most applicants is the reinstatement fee. Alcohol-related revocations under sections 169A.52, 169A.54, or 171.177 carry a $250 fee plus a $430 surcharge, totaling $680 per revocation. Revocations tied to non-alcohol offenses, such as driving without insurance, carry a $30 fee.6Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.29 – Revoked License Conditions for Reinstatement If paying $680 upfront isn’t possible, the statute allows an installment option that gets you reinstated for a limited period while you pay the balance over time.
DVS also charges a $20 limited license fee. The commissioner may require you to pass a written knowledge test from the Minnesota Driver’s Manual as part of the reexamination the statute authorizes. You’ll also need current proof of insurance; Minnesota does not use the SR-22 filing system that many other states require, so ask your insurer what documentation DVS will accept.
How to Apply
DVS handles limited license applications through its driver compliance division, and appointments are required. Contact DVS to schedule one rather than mailing in paperwork or walking into an office unannounced.
Bring the following to your appointment:
- Your full name, date of birth, and driver’s license number.
- The full name and address of your employer or postsecondary school.
- The specific hours and days you need to drive for each approved purpose.
- A description of your routes and the reasons for them. The commissioner can restrict routes, so accuracy matters.
The commissioner weighs whether you genuinely need to drive and whether transit or carpooling could serve as reasonable alternatives.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.30 – Limited License If your schedule changes after approval, update your limited license through DVS instead of adjusting on your own.
After You’re Approved
You receive a paper limited license listing your authorized purposes, times, and routes. Processing times vary with DVS workload. Carry the paper license with your official notice of withdrawal whenever you drive. Law enforcement uses both documents to verify that your driving falls within the restrictions.
The limited license is not permanent. It covers a defined period tied to your underlying suspension or revocation. Before it expires, you’ll either complete full reinstatement or, if your revocation period isn’t over, apply for a renewal with updated information.
Driving Outside Your Restrictions
Driving while your license is revoked is a misdemeanor in Minnesota, and that includes holding a limited license but driving outside the approved times, routes, or purposes. If your revocation requires the ignition interlock program and you drive a vehicle without the device, the charge escalates to a gross misdemeanor.7Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.24 – Violations Driving Without Valid License
For drivers whose licenses were canceled as inimical to public safety, any driving at all is a gross misdemeanor, with possible jail time and extension of the cancellation period. If you need to drive somewhere that falls outside your approved purposes, contact DVS first rather than risk a new criminal charge.