South Carolina § 56-1-395 - Driver's license reinstatement fee payment program.

§ 56-1-395. Driver's license reinstatement fee payment program.

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall establish a driver's license reinstatement fee payment program. A person who is a South Carolina resident, is eighteen years of age or older, and has had his driver's license suspended may apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a license valid for no more than twelve months to allow time for payment of reinstatement fees. If the person has served all of his suspensions, has met all other conditions for reinstatement, and owes two hundred dollars or more of South Carolina reinstatement fees only for suspensions that are listed in subsection (E), the Department of Motor Vehicles may issue a twelve-month license upon payment of a forty-dollar administrative fee and payment of ten percent of the reinstatement fees owed. Of the forty-dollar administrative fee, the department may retain five dollars to cover the cost of operating the program. The remainder must be credited to the State Highway Fund established in Section 57-11-20.

(B) During the period of the twelve-month license, the person must make periodic payments of the reinstatement fees owed. Monies paid shall be applied to suspensions in chronological order, with the oldest fees being paid first. The department may provide the person with a fee schedule that shows how much the person may pay every month to satisfy the fees that he owes in a timely manner. The department may allow a person to make payments toward the payment program online. However, the first and final payments must be paid in person at one of the department's branch offices.

(C) When all fees are paid, and the department records demonstrate that the person has no other suspensions, the person is eligible to renew his regular driver's license.

(D) If all fees are not paid by the end of the twelve-month period, existing suspensions shall be reactivated.

(E) This subsection applies only to a person whose driver's license has been suspended pursuant to Sections 34-11-70, 56-1-170, 56-1-185, 56-1-240, 56-1-270, 56-1-290, 56-1-460(A)(1), 56-9-351, 56-9-354, 56-9-357, 56-9-430, 56-9-490, 56-9-610, 56-9-620, 56-10-225, 56-10-240, 56-10-520, 56-10-530, and 56-25-20.

(F) No person may participate in the payment program more than one time in any two-year period. Once a person has participated in the payment program for a suspension, the person cannot enter into another payment program for the same suspension. If the person receives another payment program-qualifying suspension pursuant to subsection (E) while already enrolled in the payment program, the person cannot add the new suspension to the existing payment program. If a person who is currently participating in a payment plan commits a subsequent infraction for which his license is suspended for some period of time, then he may no longer participate in the payment plan for the prior offense.

HISTORY: 2010 Act No. 273, SECTION 15.A, eff January 2, 2011; 2016 Act No. 275 (S.1258), SECTION 19, eff July 1, 2016; 2023 Act No. 51 (S.549), SECTION 1, eff May 18, 2024.

Editor's Note

Section 56-10-270, referenced in subsection (E), was repealed by 2002 Act No. 324, SECTION 10.

2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 40(A), provides as follows:

"SECTION 40. (A) SECTION 1 and Section 56-1-220 take effect twelve months after the approval by the Governor."

Effect of Amendment

2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 1, rewrote the section.