Frequently Asked Questions

Secretary of State Facilities do not offer obtaining police record copies online. Under special parental responsibility and authorization, certain information about minors can be asked for online.

Drivers can, however, ask for police record information in person at a close Secretary of State Facility and via mail by sending your abstract form to the office in Springfield.

It will take at least 10 days for the record to be mailed at the address you have provided.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

Drivers, who have made a moving violation or have obtained a traffic ticket, may need to attend additional driving education such as adefensive driving course.

On another note,drivers have the option to attend specialized driversed to reduce the points on their drivers license and clean their driving record. Traffic fines will need to be paid accordingly.

For more information: Traffic Tickets and Violations in Illinois

In order to paytraffic finesin Illinois, you can use two different methods:

• Contact the town or city which issued the ticket
• Use the Illinois state E-pay system

The city authority will explain and provide information on the payment options available to you. E-pay is run by the Illinois State Treasurer s Office and will be able to offer the online payment option if it is available for your municipality.

By choosing to pay a traffic ticket directly, it is considered that you have pleaded guilty. Drivers also have the option to dispute the ticket by engaging a traffic lawyer.

For more information: Traffic Tickets and Violations in Illinois

If you suspect that someone has illegally accessed your record you should immediately inform the nearest Secretary of State Facility.

You can also choose to instigate legal proceedings and take the person to court for civil action. Apart from this, the person who has done the illegal access will be prosecuted for criminal behavior.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

Driverfacilities in Illinois offer the service of purchasing an abstract of the driving record. To get one, you will needto fill in theDrivers Record Abstract Request Form, prepare the $12 fee payment, and submit the form using any of the following methods:

• In person at a Secretary of State Facility
• By mail to:

Secretary of State

2701 S. Dirksen Parkway

Springfield, IL 62723

When completing the form, confirm your identity to show that you are authorized to ask for the information. Only one record is issued per request. If you want additional records you need to complete separate forms. Allow for 10 to 15 days to have the information mailed back to you.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

Driving record contains sensitive information and it is therefore protected. It is possible to obtain a copy of someone else s driving record in Illinois if you have the adequate notarized permission by the person you are asking the record for.

To get a copy of the police record, complete the Drivers Record Abstract Request Form along with the notarized written permission and prepare the $12 fee to purchase the record. You can submit the form in person or, if you are out of state, you can mail it to Secretary of State Facility.

There is an exemption related to getting driving records for minors under 18. Only their legal guardians or close family members can obtain this sensitive information, but they must also have written permission from the person listed on the form. The information you needwill be mailed to you within 10 to 15 days.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

If you have been driving under the influence and you refuse to submit to the chemical test, you will be put under statutory summary suspension. This suspension bears activities and consequences, which you must take care of to reinstate your driving license. You will not be able to obtain a Restricted Driving Permit.

To reinstate driving license, you will need to:

• Attend a court hearing.
• Pay all suspension fines.
• Take an alcohol awareness program.
• Post bond if required.
• Attend community service.
• Get BAAID installed and pay the costs.
• Pay fines for towing or impounding.

Once you complete each action you may obtain a written notice from a Secretary of State Facility, whichmust be used as proof of your clear driving record when you apply for adrivers license reinstatement.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

Offenders who want to remove points from their driving license in Illinoisgenerally need to take an 8-hourdefensive driving course at an Illinois traffic school and fulfill all other conditions which have been put upon them with a court order.

Each case is treated individually. If you want to take care of the traffic ticket fines more quickly or efficiently, contacting a traffic lawyer is a good option.

For more information: Traffic Tickets and Violations in Illinois

The number of points assigned to one person s drivers license vary according to the severity of the offense and may range from 5 points to 55 points. Past driving record information also has an impact on the suspension notice.

• For drivers over 21, suspension or revocation may be put when three or more offenses are committed within 12 months.
• For drivers under 21, suspension or revocation may be put when two or more offenses are committed within 24 months.

It is at the court s disposal to decide about the suspension.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

Depending on the court order issued by the court, which was in charge of the administrative hearing, you may be assigned to attend additional drivers education. A defensive driving course lasting for eight hours can be ordered to offenders who have been charged with DUI convictions.

When the relevant court of jurisdiction decides that is necessary, you can also be ordered to attend community service or courses that are related to the type of the offense that you have committed. You must fulfill all court order activities to have your driving record cleared.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

Drivers who have lost a traffic ticket for a road law violation in Illinois,can ask for the information again using one of the following methods:

• In person at a nearby Secretary of the State Facility
• Via mail:

Secretary of State

2701 S. Dirksen Parkway

Springfield, IL 62723

Notarized requests are needed for minors and close family members.Traffic ticket fines can be disputed at court if decide to plead not guilty and if you get in touch with a traffic lawyer.

For more information: Traffic Tickets and Violations in Illinois

If you have committed a traffic violation under the influence for alcohol, you will have your driving license confiscated by a law enforcement officer who has estimated that your driving skills are impaired and that you will not be able to drive safely on the roads in Illinois.

Driversneed to fulfill the action required by the court order in order to reinstate their driving privileges. This includes:

• Paying all traffic fines
• Attending alcohol awareness programs
• Any additional criminal law consequences

DWI convictions often have several arrangements to them for which professional legal help is often a necessity.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

Police records in Illinois are issued in the same form for all applicants. The Secretary of State Facilities issues two different types of driving records:

• Certified driving record
• Non-certified driving record

Certified copies need an additional $2 fee on top of the basic $12 fee. There is a special box on the request form that you must check if you want to get a certified copy.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

Penalties for DUI offenders in Illinois are divided in six tiers, whose severity increases along with the repetition of the behavior:

• First conviction:
  • Class A misdemeanor, minimum revocation of driving privileges for 1 year (2 years if driver is under age 21), suspension of vehicle registration.

• Second conviction:
  • Class A misdemeanor, mandatory minimum imprisonment of 5 days or 240 hours of community service, revocation of driving privileges for a minimum of 5 years for a second conviction within 20 years, and suspension of vehicle registration.

• Third conviction (aggravated DUI):
  • Class 2 felony revocation of driving privileges for a minimum of 10 years, suspension of vehicle registration.

• Fourth conviction (aggravated DUI):
  • Class 2 felony, revocation of driving privileges for life with no relief available,and suspension of vehicle registration.

• Fifth conviction (aggravated DUI):
  • Class 1 felony, revocation of driving privileges for life with no relief available,and suspension of vehicle registration.

• Sixth or subsequent conviction (aggravated DUI):
  • Class X felony, revocation of driving privileges for life with no relief available, and suspension of vehicle registration.

Each of these tiers has more severe fines if the BAC has been higher than 0.16 percent or if children have been included or have been victims of the DUI offense.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

Issuing traffic citations for holders of commercial drivers licenses ismuch stricter. CDL licenses have a stronger responsibility attached to them and receive more severe fines.

A commercial motor vehicle driver with a continuous record of committing traffic violations will have their CDL license suspended or revoked. Long period of negligent traffic record might have the commercial driving license revoked for life.

More information on rules and regulations about commercial drivers is obtainable with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which governs the federal rules applicable for CDL licenses throughout the country.

For more information: Traffic Tickets and Violations in Illinois

Police records can only contain specific information which is allowed by federal regulations about data protection. Personal address, social security information, and other sensitive personal information must not be put on record. Disclosing such information is a criminal act.

Each person spolice record contains information about past driving history, suspensions and details about:

• Convictions
• Withdrawals
• Crashes

DUI records in Illinois do not get cleared and stay on the person s record permanently.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

The legal alcohol limit in Illinois is founded on the type of license the driver holds:

• 0.08 percent for regular drivers license
• 0.04 percent for a CDL license

A law enforcement officer can take your drivers license even if the alcohol limit shown on a blood test is between 0.05 percent and 0.08 percent. If the officer decides that your driving skills are impaired, you will be considered asdriving while intoxicated.

Owners of CDL licenses and minors endure stricter penalties if found to drive while intoxicated.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

Cost for DUI convictions in Illinois rangesdepending on the severity of the offense, the actual alcohol blood amount, and on the repetition of the behavior. The ranges include:

• For first conviction: from $500 to $2,500
• For second conviction: from $1,250 to $5,000
• For third and fourth conviction: from $2,500 to $25,000

These costs relate only to the mandatory fines and do not account for reinstatement fees or any other administrative expenses related to getting your license back.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

The costs that are allocated to traffic finesin Illinois depend on three factors:

• Actual driving speed
• Speeding area
• Frequency of the offense

The more secure and populated the area, the higher the fines. School or work areas are especially sensitive. In a similar sense, costs get higher with increased speed. First time offenders are treated less severely. Having in mind all these aspects, costs can start as low as $75 and can go as high up as $1,000.

In case you think that the traffic ticket price that you have been given is too high, you can dispute the cost at a court hearing.

For more information: Traffic Tickets and Violations in Illinois

Checking drivers record in Illinois will cost you $12 per request. The same fee applies for your own record and for another person s record.

You can only obtain one record information per request. Photocopies cost additional $0.50 per copy and certifications will cost $2 extra for each police record.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

The legal alcohol limit for CDL drivers is 0.04 percent. If caught committing aDUI, CDL license owners may face:

• Imprisonment.
• Higher mandatory fines.
• Having to enroll in an alcohol awareness evaluation and treatment.
• BAIID related measures.
• Having to complete community service hours.
• A lifelong suspension of driving license.

Many of the penalties for the CDL license owners are governed by The Federal Motor Safety Carrier Association and are unified on federal level. The work record of drivers of CMV vehicles will endure permanent consequences, more to the point that these offenses do not get cleared from the driving record in Illinois.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

Penalties for minors may be a consequence from the Liquor Control Act or from traffic rules and regulations:

• Drivers under 21, who have violated the liquor act, will have their driving privileges suspended for 6 months for a first conviction, 12 months for a second conviction and have them revoked for a subsequent conviction.
• Drivers under 21, who have received court supervision for violating the Liquor Control Act for the purchase, possession, receipt or consumption of alcohol, will have their driving privileges suspended for 3 months.
• Drivers under age 21, which have been charged with DUI conviction, face a minimum 2-year revocation for a first DUI conviction in addition to the penalties that apply for DUI offenders over 21.
• An offender under age 18 on a statutory summary suspension is not eligible for a Restricted Driving Permit.
• Drivers under 21, who have been convicted of DUI, may need to participate in the Youthful Intoxicated Driver s Visitation Program and undergo a comprehensive counseling session.

Any additional fines and fees, which are relevant for adult offenders, may apply as decided by the court that has held the administrative hearing.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

Reinstating drivers licenseasa DWI offender in Illinois assumes that you attend a hearing and take appropriate action that has been assigned to you by court orders.

To reinstate drivers license, you need to:

• Show up at court.
• Pay DUI traffic fine.
• Attend alcohol and drug awareness program.
• Have an Ignition Interlock Device installed on your vehicle.
• Attend community service.
• Serve prison sentence.
• Pay costs for a Monitoring Device Permit.
• Pay costs for a Restricted Driving Permit.

Only once the reinstating has shown up on the offender s driving record will it be considered fully valid.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

The Secretary of State of Illinois has compiled a document called Monitoring Device Driving Permit (MDDP) Terms & Conditions which gives information about the Ignition Interlock device and which is issued by the Breath and Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device Division. The document is divided into nine respective sections, which consist of:

• Section 1 Permit Requirements
• Section 2 How the Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) works
• Section 3 Violations
• Section 4 Consequences
• Section 5 Responsibilities/Readings/False Positives
• Section 6 Removal of Device and/or Opting out of Program
• Section 7 Fees
• Section 8 Work Exemption Permit Requirements
• Section 9 General

Each of these sections will be able to give more information you need on DWI offenses.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois

Traffic ticket fines in Illinois are administered via the Secretary of State Facilities.

Secretary of State facilities in Illinois also run driving records system from which you can get information about traffic tickets and violations you ve received. To request a driving record, complete a Driving Record Abstract Request form and either submit it to a nearby Secretary of State Facility or mail it to:

Secretary of State

Driver Analysis Section

2701 S. Dirksen Parkway

Springfield, IL 62723

Additionally, drivers will be required to pay a $12 fee.

For more information: Traffic Tickets and Violations in Illinois

When you commit a traffic offense and a traffic ticket is issued to you on the place of the violation, the law enforcement officer must process and report the ticket to the relevant drivers facility. It might take some time before the police report is filed and before it is reflected on the system.

Delays in driving records appearance are generally a question of administrative procedure. It is hence advisable to wait at least ten to fifteen days before you ask for the most recent copy of your driving record.

For more information: All About: Your Personal and Vehicle Records in Illinois

Traffic violations in Illinois are calculated within a point-based system. Therefore, depending on the behavior you have displayed, you will receive certain number of points attached to your record. The range varies from 5 points to 55 points. Points can also be accumulated.Precise points assigned to your driving license can be found in the Illinois Traffic Offenses Chart.

For more information: Traffic Tickets and Violations in Illinois

As part of the reinstatement procedure, it is a usual requirement for DUI offenders to pass a professional medical alcohol and drug evaluation, and to take an associated alcohol awareness course.

DUI offenders will need to provide proof of remedial treatment if required. There is a specially designed juvenile program for minor offenders who have been driving while intoxicated.

For more information: DUI/DWI information in Illinois