625 ILCS 5/6-303 – Driving While Driver’s License, Permit, Or Privilege Suspended Or Revoked

625 ILCS 5/6-303 – Driving While Driver’s License, Permit, Or Privilege Suspended Or Revoked

625 ILCS 5/6-303 – Driving While Driver’s License, Permit, Or Privilege Suspended Or Revoked

This law says you cannot drive if your license or driving privilege is taken away, and if you do, you can face serious criminal charges and jail time, especially if you hurt someone or keep doing it.

This statute makes it a crime to drive when your license or right to drive has been suspended or revoked. The punishment gets much tougher if you have prior violations, if someone is hurt or killed, or if your license was taken for serious offenses like drunk driving or reckless homicide.

(a) In general, if you drive a car on an Illinois road while your license, permit, or right to drive (or to get a license) is suspended or revoked, you commit a Class A misdemeanor, unless you are driving under a special permit that the law allows (such as certain limited or restricted permits).

(a-3) If this is your second or later time breaking part (a), and your driving is the cause of a crash that hurts or kills someone, the crime is a Class 4 felony. “Personal injury” here means a serious injury that needs quick medical care, such as heavy bleeding, badly bent or broken arms or legs, or injuries so bad the person must be carried away from the scene.

(a-5) If you break this law in part (a) while your license is revoked because of a past reckless killing with a car or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, you are guilty of a Class 4 felony. You must get a professional check‑up to see if you have an alcohol, drug, or similar problem and follow any treatment that is ordered.

(a-7) If you break this law in part (a) while your license is suspended under certain financial responsibility or similar sections, the officer will give you a Uniform Traffic Citation. If you get 3 or more of these tickets under this part and do not pay the related fees, you are guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

(a-10) Your license or driving privilege can have more than one suspension, more than one revocation, or a mix of both at the same time. One suspension or revocation does not cancel, delay, or lessen any other suspension or revocation; they all still count.

(b) (Blank.)

(b-1) Except for people covered by part (a-7), if the Secretary of State (or another state’s licensing office) gets a report that you were convicted of driving while your license, permit, or privilege was suspended, and you were not allowed to drive except under certain limited permits, the Secretary must extend your suspension for the same length as the original one. If the original suspension is already over, the Secretary may start a new suspension for the same length as the original.

(b-2) Except as stated in parts (b-6) or (a-7), if the Secretary of State (or another state’s licensing office) gets a report that you were convicted of driving while your license, permit, or privilege was revoked, and you were not allowed to drive except under a restricted permit, the Secretary cannot give you a new license for one more year from the date of that conviction.

(b-3) (Blank.)

(b-4) If the Secretary of State gets a report that you were convicted of driving a vehicle that did not have a required ignition interlock device, during a time when you were only allowed to drive cars with that device, the Secretary cannot give you a driver’s license for one more year from the date of that conviction.

(b-5) Sentence: If you are convicted under this law and your license was suspended or revoked because of a past reckless killing with a car or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, you must serve at least 30 days in a row in jail or do at least 300 hours of community service. The court may count time spent in certain activities or treatment programs toward your community service hours.

(b-6) Sentence: If this is your first conviction for driving while revoked, and your revocation was for reckless homicide or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, the Secretary of State cannot give you a new license for 3 more years from the date of this conviction.

(c) Sentence: Except as stated in parts (c-3) and (c-4), if you are convicted under this law and your license was suspended or revoked for any of these reasons, you must serve at least 10 days in a row in jail or do at least 30 days of community service:

1. Because of a past drunk or drugged driving offense, or a similar local offense.
2. Because of a past offense for leaving the scene of a crash that caused injury or death, or a similar local offense.
3. Because of a past summary suspension or revocation related to drunk or drugged driving testing.

This required jail or community service time cannot be reduced or suspended.

(c-1) Sentence: Except as stated in parts (a-7), (c-5), and (d), if you are convicted of this law a second time, the court must order you to do at least 100 hours of community service. The court may count time in certain activities or treatment programs toward these hours.

(c-2) In addition to any other punishment, if you are convicted of this law for the fourth time, the court may do one or both of the following:

1. Take away (seize) the license plates on your vehicle.
2. Stop your vehicle from being used (immobilize it) for a time the court decides.

(c-3) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law while you are under a summary suspension for drunk or drugged driving testing, and you could have gotten a monitoring device driving permit, you are guilty of a Class 4 felony and must serve at least 30 days in jail.

(c-4) Sentence: If you have a monitoring device driving permit or a restricted driving permit that only lets you drive vehicles with an ignition interlock device, and you are convicted of driving a vehicle without that device, you are guilty of a Class 4 felony and must serve at least 30 days in jail.

(c-5) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law a second time, and both your current and earlier suspensions or revocations are tied to very serious offenses listed below, then you are guilty of a Class 2 felony, you cannot get probation or conditional discharge, and you must serve a mandatory prison term, if both of these are true:

1. The current violation happened while your license was suspended or revoked for reckless homicide or for a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar offense from another place.
2. The earlier conviction under this law happened while your license was suspended or revoked for reckless homicide, a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, for drunk or drugged driving, a similar out‑of‑state or local offense, or for a related summary suspension or revocation.

(d) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law a second time, you are guilty of a Class 4 felony and must serve at least 30 days in jail or do at least 300 hours of community service, as the court decides, if both of these are true:

1. The current violation happened while your license was suspended or revoked for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, drunk or drugged driving, a similar out‑of‑state or local offense, or a related summary suspension or revocation.
2. The earlier conviction under this law happened while your license was suspended or revoked for one of those same types of offenses or for reckless homicide or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense.

The court may count time in certain activities or treatment programs toward community service hours.

(d-1) Sentence: Except as stated in parts (a-7), (d-2), (d-2.5), and (d-3), if you are convicted of this law for a third or later time, you must serve at least 30 days in jail or do at least 300 hours of community service, as the court decides. The court may count time in certain activities or treatment programs toward community service hours.

(d-2) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law a third time, you are guilty of a Class 4 felony and must serve at least 30 days in jail, if both of these are true:

1. The current violation happened while your license was suspended or revoked for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, drunk or drugged driving, a similar out‑of‑state or local offense, or a related summary suspension or revocation.
2. Your earlier convictions under this law happened while your license was suspended or revoked for one of those same types of offenses, or for reckless homicide or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense.

(d-2.5) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law a third time, you are guilty of a Class 1 felony, cannot get probation or conditional discharge, and must serve a mandatory prison term, if both of these are true:

1. The current violation happened while your license was suspended or revoked for reckless homicide or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense, and your driving privileges will be taken away for the rest of your life.
2. Your earlier convictions under this law happened while your license was suspended or revoked for reckless homicide or such a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense, or while your license was suspended or revoked for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, drunk or drugged driving, a similar out‑of‑state or local offense, or a related summary suspension or revocation.

(d-3) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law a fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth time, you are guilty of a Class 4 felony and must serve at least 180 days in jail, if both of these are true:

1. The current violation happened while your license was suspended or revoked for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, drunk or drugged driving, a similar out‑of‑state or local offense, or a related summary suspension or revocation.
2. Your earlier convictions under this law happened while your license was suspended or revoked for one of those same types of offenses, or for reckless homicide or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense.

(d-3.5) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law a fourth or later time, you are guilty of a Class 1 felony, cannot get probation or conditional discharge, must serve a mandatory prison term, and may receive an extended prison term, if both of these are true:

1. The current violation happened while your license was suspended or revoked for reckless homicide or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense.
2. Your earlier convictions under this law happened while your license was suspended or revoked for reckless homicide or such a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense, or while your license was suspended or revoked for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, drunk or drugged driving, a similar out‑of‑state or local offense, or a related summary suspension or revocation.

(d-4) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law a tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, or fourteenth time, you are guilty of a Class 3 felony and cannot get probation or conditional discharge, if both of these are true:

1. The current violation happened while your license was suspended or revoked for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, drunk or drugged driving, a similar out‑of‑state or local offense, or a related summary suspension or revocation.
2. Your earlier convictions under this law happened while your license was suspended or revoked for one of those same types of offenses, or for reckless homicide or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense.

(d-5) Sentence: If you are convicted of this law a fifteenth or later time, you are guilty of a Class 2 felony and cannot get probation or conditional discharge, if both of these are true:

1. The current violation happened while your license was suspended or revoked for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, drunk or drugged driving, a similar out‑of‑state or local offense, or a related summary suspension or revocation.
2. Your earlier convictions under this law happened while your license was suspended or revoked for one of those same types of offenses, or for reckless homicide or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state offense.

(e) If you break this law and also break the law that says you must have car insurance, the officer must have your vehicle immediately impounded. The vehicle can be released to any licensed driver who shows proof of insurance for that vehicle and brings a notarized written consent from the vehicle’s owner.

(f) In any court case under this law, a certified copy of the defendant’s driving record (driving abstract) can be used as proof of any past convictions.

(g) The vehicle used when breaking this law can be taken and forfeited if your license was suspended or revoked for any of these reasons:

1. A past drunk or drugged driving offense, or a similar local or out‑of‑state offense.
2. A past offense for leaving the scene of a crash with injury or death, or a similar local or out‑of‑state offense.
3. A past summary suspension or revocation related to drunk or drugged driving testing, or a similar out‑of‑state law.
4. A past reckless homicide offense, or a serious drunk or drugged driving crash that caused a death, or a similar out‑of‑state law.

View the full statute here.

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