Georgia vs Texas

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.

§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.

§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.

Texas 'DWI' (Penal Code Ch. 49), by prior convictions. Ch. 49 sets the offense class and minimum jail; dollar maxima come from the Penal Code Ch. 12 class ranges. 1st DWI (49.04) = Class B misdemeanor, min 72 hours jail (6 days if open container), up to $2,000 — elevated to Class A (up to $4,000) if BAC 0.15+ (49.04(d)). 2nd DWI (49.09(a)) = Class A misdemeanor, min 30 days, up to $4,000. 3rd+ DWI (49.09(b)) = 3rd-degree felony, 2-10 years, up to $10,000. DWI with child passenger <15 (49.045) = state jail felony, up to $10,000. IID required for a 2nd+ within 5 years (49.09(h)); entitlement to use the substance is no defense (49.10).

§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.

DWLI: additional suspension period, then reinstatement needs an SR-22 (2 yrs) plus the $100 fee. Operating during a registration suspension (Sec. 601.371): $100-$500 fine and 72 hours-6 months jail; a repeat is a Class A misdemeanor. Operating without required FR (Sec. 601.195): up to $500 and/or up to 6 months jail.

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.