Florida vs Georgia

Scenario-dependent (DDS fee table, mail/online vs. in person): DUI 1st (21+) $200/$210; No Proof of Insurance 1st $200/$210; No Proof of Insurance 2nd+ $300/$310; Points 1st/2nd/3rd $200/$300/$400 by mail (+$10 in person); Super Speeder $50 (after the $200 Super Speeder fee); Child Support $25/$35; Failure to Appear $90/$100. Driving-while-suspended convictions carry their own ladder $210/$310/$410 (§40-5-121). Drug-DUI reinstatement $200/$310 (§40-5-75).

Per the GA Dept. of Revenue lapse rules: a $25 lapse fine for any coverage lapse while the vehicle is actively registered, plus up to $160 additional if the $25 is not paid within 30 days. Registration is suspended/refused until all fines are paid and continuous Georgia liability coverage is on file (verified electronically via GEICS). Note: the widely-cited $60 standard registration-reinstatement fee ($160 after three or more suspensions in five years) appears on county tag-office pages, not on the state DOR lapse page, so it is not recorded here as an official figure.

Misdemeanor: $200-$1,000 fine and/or up to 12 months (§40-6-10). Reducible to a fine of $25 or less with no DDS report (no suspension) if the driver shows coverage was in force at citation. A 1st no-insurance suspension requires an SR-22 and a $200/$210 reinstatement after a 90-day minimum suspension.

Same $200-$1,000 criminal range (§40-6-10). A 2nd+ no-insurance conviction requires an SR-22A (or an SR-22 marked 'Paid In Full') maintained for 3 years, with $300/$310 reinstatement, a non-owner SR-22A if no vehicle is owned, and no limited permit during the suspension.

License revoked on DUI conviction; IID mandatory: ≥6 months (1st, if BAC ≥0.15 or minor in vehicle; court discretion if BAC ≥0.08), ≥1 year (2nd), ≥2 years (3rd) (§316.193). Revocation lengths are set by §322.28 — typically 180 days–1 year for a 1st offense, 5 years for a 2nd within 5 years, and 10 years for a 3rd within 10 years.

§40-5-63 (5-year window): 1st = 12-month suspension, early reinstatement after 120 days with DUI Risk Reduction Program; 2nd within 5 yrs = 3-year suspension, eligible after 18 months, IID required for 1 year; 3rd within 5 yrs = habitual violator, 5-year revocation (§40-5-62/§40-5-58). Suspension begins on the conviction date.

1st: $500-$1,000 (BAC ≥0.15 or minor passenger: $1,000-$2,000). 2nd: $1,000-$2,000 (enhanced $2,000-$4,000); ≥10 days jail if within 5 yrs. 3rd within 10 yrs: 3rd-degree felony; beyond 10 yrs: $2,000-$5,000. 4th+: ≥$2,000, 3rd-degree felony. DUI w/ property damage = 1st-deg misdemeanor; serious bodily injury = 3rd-deg felony; death = DUI manslaughter (2nd-deg felony, 4-yr mandatory min). (§316.193)

§40-6-391 (10-year window, by arrest date, post-2008): 1st misdemeanor $300-$1,000, 10 days-12 mo (judge may probate all but 24 hrs if BAC ≥0.08); 2nd misdemeanor $600-$1,000, 90 days-12 mo (min 72 hrs); 3rd high-and-aggravated misdemeanor $1,000-$5,000, 120 days-12 mo (min 15 days); 4th+ felony $1,000-$5,000, 1-5 years. Name-and-photo publication applies to a 2nd or subsequent conviction within 5 years. Commercial threshold 0.04; under-21 threshold 0.02; separate child-under-14 endangerment offense.

Florida DWLS (FL Stat. 322.34). Suspended unknowingly = civil moving violation (Ch. 318). knowing DWLS, general = 2nd-degree misdemeanor (1st; up to 60 days/$500), 1st-degree misdemeanor (2nd+; up to 1 yr/$1,000), with a min 10 days jail on a 3rd+; 3rd-degree felony on a 3rd+ if the suspension is DUI-related (DUI, refusal, death/serious-injury offense, fleeing) (322.34(2)(c)). Habitual traffic offender driving (322.264) = 3rd-degree felony (322.34(5)). CMV while suspended/disqualified = 1st-degree misdemeanor (1st), 3rd-degree felony (2nd+) (322.34(7)). financial-responsibility / administrative track (322.34(10)) — suspended solely for failing to maintain FR under Ch. 324, child support, or unpaid obligations: lighter — 2nd-degree misdemeanor (1st), 1st-degree misdemeanor (2nd+), with a nolo-election option (322.34(11)). Arrest while suspended for an FR reason triggers vehicle impound/immobilization (322.34(8)). Penalty ranges from FL Stat. 775.082-083: 2nd-deg misd up to 60 days/$500; 1st-deg misd up to 1 yr/$1,000; 3rd-deg felony up to 5 yrs/$5,000.

§40-5-121 (5-year window): 1st = misdemeanor, 2 days-12 months + $500-$1,000 (offender fingerprinted); 2nd/3rd = high-and-aggravated misdemeanor, 10 days-12 months + $1,000-$2,500; 4th+ = felony, 1-5 years + $2,500-$5,000. DDS adds a 6-month suspension on conviction (reinstatement $210/$310/$410); no limited permit. Driving as a declared habitual violator is a separate felony (§40-5-58), $750+ / 1-5 years.

Florida CDL disqualification (FL Stat. 322.61, federal FMCSA structure). 1-year (first major offense): DUI including in a NON-commercial vehicle (322.61(3)(b)1), CMV at 0.04+ BAC, leaving the scene, felony with a vehicle, refusal, CMV-while-disqualified, negligent-operation fatality. 3-year if transporting hazardous materials (4). permanent for a 2nd major offense (5), a controlled-substance manufacture/distribution felony with a vehicle (6), or a human-trafficking felony with a CMV (7). Serious-violation ladder: 60 days (2nd in 3 yrs) / 120 days (3rd) — reckless, 15+ over, texting, handheld, etc. Plus out-of-service-order and railroad-crossing ladders. CMV alcohol threshold 0.04. Important for CDL holders: a DUI in a personal vehicle still triggers a 1-year CDL disqualification.

Georgia CDL disqualification (GA DDS Driver's Manual Section 1.3, federal FMCSA structure). 1-year (first major offense, in a CMV OR a personal vehicle): DUI (O.C.G.A. 40-6-391), CMV at 0.04+ BAC or under the influence, refusing chemical testing, leaving the scene, any felony using a vehicle, CMV-while-disqualified, vehicular homicide, racing, eluding, fraudulent license, operating on a suspended registration, or cargo theft. 3-year if the offense occurs while operating a CMV placarded for hazardous materials. lifetime for a 2nd major offense (any combination); lifetime if a CMV is used in a controlled-substance felony; permanent lifetime if a CMV is used in a human-trafficking felony. Serious traffic violations (15+ over, reckless, erratic lane change, following too closely, fatal-accident traffic offense, no/wrong-class CDL): 60 days (2nd in 3 yrs) / 120 days (3rd+). Out-of-service-order violations: 180 days / 2 yrs / 3 yrs. Railroad-crossing violations: 60/120 days / 1 yr. 24-hour out-of-service for any detectable alcohol under 0.04. Important for CDL holders: a DUI in a personal vehicle (an alcohol/controlled-substance/felony suspension) still costs the CDL for 1 year, a 2nd costs it for life (Section 1.3.7), and no hardship CDL is available.