Under Maryland’s seizure driving laws, you must report epilepsy or a seizure disorder to the Motor Vehicle Administration, and after a seizure the MVA can suspend or refuse to issue your license for at least 90 days from the date of the seizure. That 90-day floor is the starting point. The Medical Advisory Board (MAB) reviews your case individually and can shorten, lengthen, or add conditions based on the specifics of your seizures, treatment, and driving history.
What You Have to Tell the MVA
Maryland regulations list epilepsy and seizures among the conditions you must report when you apply for or renew a license, and when you receive a new diagnosis while already licensed. The license application asks about medical conditions that could affect driving, and you are required to answer honestly. Other reportable conditions on the same list include stroke, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, blackouts, and traumatic brain injury.1Cornell Law School. Maryland Code of Regulations 11.17.03.02-1 – Disorders Reported by Applicant or Licensee
The regulations do not set a deadline in days for reporting a new diagnosis, but the expectation is prompt disclosure once your doctor tells you what you have.
The 90-Day Minimum After a Seizure
After a seizure, the MVA can suspend your license or refuse to issue one for a minimum of 90 days measured from the date of your last seizure. Ninety days is the floor, not a guarantee. Depending on the details of your case, the MAB can recommend a longer wait, and drivers with favorable circumstances can sometimes ask for the suspension to be shortened or withdrawn with supporting medical evidence.2Cornell Law School. Maryland Code of Regulations 11.17.03.04 – Medical Advisory Board Guidelines
The MVA also has broad authority under Maryland Transportation Code 16-103.1 to disqualify anyone who cannot safely control a vehicle because of a medical condition.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 16-103.1 – Persons Not to Be Licensed — Disqualifications
How the Medical Advisory Board Decides Your Case
Once the MVA learns about your seizure disorder, your file goes to the Medical Advisory Board. You will need to submit documentation from your treating physician covering your seizure history, treatment plan, and current level of control. The MAB uses that record to recommend whether to allow, restrict, or suspend your license, and reviews are ongoing: someone with well-controlled seizures on stable medication might be reviewed every few years, while a driver with recent seizure activity could face reviews every few months.2Cornell Law School. Maryland Code of Regulations 11.17.03.04 – Medical Advisory Board Guidelines
What Helps Your Case
The MAB weighs specific factors that can shorten the wait or support a return to driving:
- An established pattern of nocturnal-only seizures
- Breakthrough seizures that happened while your doctor was adjusting medication
- Prolonged, consistent auras that give you time to pull over
- Simple partial seizures that do not affect consciousness or motor control
- A clean driving record with no accidents or violations tied to your condition
What Hurts Your Case
Other factors push in the opposite direction and can extend the seizure-free period well beyond 90 days:
- Skipping doses or missing medical appointments
- Alcohol or drug use within the past three months
- Needing three or more medications to control seizures
- A structural brain lesion behind your seizures
- Accidents or violations related to the condition
These modifiers matter. A driver with a single breakthrough seizure during a medication change and an otherwise clean record is in a very different position than someone with the same number of seizures who has been skipping appointments.
Conditional Licenses
Instead of a full suspension, the MVA can issue a conditional license for drivers who show some control but have not fully cleared the review. Restrictions can include daytime-only driving, no highway driving, or more frequent medical evaluations.
Whether Your Doctor Will Report You
Maryland uses a permissive reporting model. Your doctor is not legally required to notify the MVA of your seizure disorder, but any physician or authorized healthcare provider may choose to report a patient whose condition involves lapses of consciousness.4Cornell Law School. Maryland Code of Regulations 11.17.03.02 – Disorders Reported by Physicians or Other Authorized Persons The authority comes from Maryland Transportation Code 16-119, which lets physicians report in writing and requires the MVA to arrange an examination of any reported driver.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 16-119 – Reports of Disorders
Reports submitted under that section are confidential by law. They can only be disclosed by court order and can only be used to determine driving qualifications.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code Section 16-119 – Reports of Disorders If the MVA receives a report, it must examine you and can cancel your license if you fail to meet the medical standards. “May report” does not mean your doctor will stay silent. Many neurologists and primary care physicians who treat seizure patients will discuss driving restrictions with you directly, and some will report to the MVA if they believe you are driving against medical advice.
Penalties for Not Reporting
Failing to disclose a seizure disorder, or lying on your license application, carries real consequences. Maryland’s point system assigns 12 points for making a false statement or affidavit to the MVA, the highest point value in the system and enough to trigger automatic license revocation.6Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Transportation Code 16-402 For comparison, reckless driving is six points and driving unlicensed is five.
Then there is what happens after a crash. If you cause an accident and had not disclosed a known seizure disorder, an injured party’s attorney will use that nondisclosure to argue negligence. Auto insurance carriers may also scrutinize coverage, because policies generally require you to be legally authorized to drive, and operating a vehicle while medically disqualified can create a coverage dispute.
The most serious exposure is criminal. If you know your seizures are poorly controlled, drive anyway, and cause someone’s death, prosecutors can pursue charges based on criminal negligence. The standard requires showing that you knew or should have known your driving created a reasonable probability of serious harm and that you drove despite that knowledge.
Challenging an MVA Suspension
If the MVA suspends or restricts your license, start with a reconsideration request directly to the MVA. Submit updated medical documentation: a new letter from your neurologist showing improved seizure control, medication compliance records, and any other favorable evidence tied to the MAB’s specific concerns.
If the MVA holds its position, you can request a hearing before the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). An administrative law judge will review the medical evidence and hear testimony before issuing a decision.7Motor Vehicle Administration. General Hearing Information Most MVA hearings at the OAH carry a $150 filing fee, but Medical Advisory Board cases are exempt.8Office of Administrative Hearings. Fee Waiver Since seizure-related suspensions run through the MAB, you should not be charged the fee.
The burden is on you to show you are medically fit to drive. Bring seizure logs, medication records, and a detailed letter from your treating physician. If the administrative law judge rules against you, you have 30 days from the hearing date to file an appeal with the Circuit Court in your county of residence.7Motor Vehicle Administration. General Hearing Information Circuit Court review is limited to legal issues such as procedural errors, failure to consider relevant evidence, or an arbitrary decision, not a full rehearing of the medical facts. You have the right to bring an attorney to both the OAH hearing and the Circuit Court appeal.
Commercial Drivers Face a Different Rule
If you hold or want a commercial driver’s license for interstate driving, federal rules are much stricter than Maryland’s. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration disqualifies anyone with a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy, or any condition likely to cause loss of consciousness, from operating a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce.9eCFR. 49 CFR 391.41 – Physical Qualifications for Drivers There is a federal individual exemption program with strict conditions, including remaining completely seizure-free, annual physician reports, annual medical examinations by a certified examiner, and reporting any crash within seven days.10Federal Register. Qualification of Drivers; Exemption Applications; Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders You can qualify to drive your personal car under Maryland’s process while still being disqualified from operating a commercial vehicle across state lines.