Illinois SR-22 & Car Insurance Requirements

Uninsured Motorist bodily injury (UM) is mandatory in Illinois at minimum 25/50, mirroring the liability BI limits (215 ILCS 5/143a). Underinsured Motorist bodily injury (UIM, 215 ILCS 5/143a-2) is required only if the insured buys UM limits above the 25/50 minimum; at minimum limits it is not separately required. UM/UIM limits may not exceed the liability limits. UMPD (uninsured-motorist property damage) must be offered at a maximum $250 deductible. Illinois mandates UM, which fewer than half of states do.

From the reinstatement date. The SR-22 must be on file before driving privileges are reinstated and is maintained 3 years from that point; a coverage lapse (SR-26) re-suspends and restarts the 3 years.

Yes — an Operator's Certificate covers the motorist in any non-owned vehicle and is the form filed when the person does not own a vehicle. (Owner's Certificate covers owned vehicles and is required to obtain/retain plates; an Owner's/Operator's Certificate covers both.)

DUI (11-501) -> administrative Statutory Summary Suspension (11-501.1) AND conviction-based indefinite revocation; SR-22 required to reinstate. Uninsured driving (7-601) -> ILIVS plate suspension + mandatory-insurance DL suspension. Safety Responsibility (uninsured at-fault crash) and unsatisfied judgment (SR-17, 30 days) -> SR-22-bearing suspension. 3 moving violations in 12 months (21+) -> discretionary suspension. important two-track structure: the Statutory Summary Suspension is administrative/implied-consent (effective day 46), separate and parallel to the criminal DUI conviction that triggers revocation; a Field Sobriety Suspension (cannabis SFST) is a third, concurrent track.

statutory summary suspension (administrative): clear all other suspensions/revocations on the record and pay the reinstatement fee ($250 first / $500 multiple); reinstatement becomes valid once entered on the driving record after the provisional termination date. First offenders may apply for an MDDP (Monitoring Device Driving Permit) with a BAIID for relief during the suspension. DUI-conviction revocation (indefinite): (1) appear before an SOS hearing officer — informal hearing for a 1st offense, formal for multiple; (2) undergo an alcohol/drug evaluation and complete any indicated treatment; (3) complete a remedial education program; (4) file proof of financial responsibility (SR-22); (5) pay the $500 reinstatement fee; (6) pass the written, vision, and driving exams and pay the application fee. A revocation reinstatement fee can only be processed after the Administrative Hearings Department issues a reinstatement recommendation and the SR-22 (or out-of-state waiver) is on file. After a revocation, a person may not reapply for at least one year.

Scenario-dependent (SOS Driver Services fee table): $70 — discretionary/traffic-related suspension, failure to appear, family responsibility (child support), Safety Responsibility (uninsured-accident administrative), unsatisfied judgment, Zero Tolerance (under-21), parking/tollway/automated-traffic; $100 — mandatory-insurance-conviction driver's-license suspension (separate from the $100 license-plate fee; both can be owed), solicitation of towing; $250 — Statutory Summary Suspension (DUI/implied consent) first offense, Field Sobriety first; $500 — SSS multiple/subsequent, Field Sobriety multiple, and Revocations (DUI conviction). The $250/$500 SSS and revocation fees may only be paid to the Springfield office.

An SR-22 filing may take up to 30 days to process once received by the SOS in Springfield. A reinstatement becomes valid once payment and all conditions are entered on the driving record (after any provisional termination date). The Statutory Summary Suspension itself takes effect on the 46th day after notice.

As an alternative to an SR-22, an individual may deposit $70,000 in cash or securities with the Illinois State Treasurer, file a surety bond, or file a real-estate bond approved by a court of record. A certificate of self-insurance (625 ILCS 5/7-502) is available for fleet owners. Out-of-state residents may waive the Illinois SR-22 by filing an Out-of-State Affidavit (form DSD FR9); the requirement reinstates if they return to Illinois within 3 years.

625 ILCS 5/6-514: a first major violation = disqualification for not less than 12 months (refusal of testing; BAC >=0.04 in a CMV, or over the non-CMV limit while holding a CDL/CLP; DUI; leaving the scene; any felony using a vehicle; driving a CMV while disqualified; a fatality by negligent operation). note FOR THE audience: a DUI in a personal/non-commercial vehicle disqualifies the CDL — (a)(2)/(a)(3)(i) explicitly reach a CDL/CLP holder driving a non-CMV. 3 years if the violation occurred while transporting placarded hazmat. A second such offense (separate incidents) = lifetime disqualification (reducible to not less than 10 years if the US DOT authorizes; a later disqualifying offense after reinstatement = permanent). A controlled-substance felony using a vehicle, or a severe-human-trafficking felony with a CMV = lifetime, no reduction. 2 serious traffic violations in 3 years = 60 days; 3 = 120 days. Out-of-service/6-507 ladders (6 mo / 2 yr / 3 yr and 1 yr / 3 yr / 5 yr). Railroad-grade-crossing = 60 / 120 days / 1 year. CDL alcohol threshold is 0.04 (half the 0.08 standard). Disqualifications apply only to conduct after March 31, 1992.

Illinois is administered by the Secretary of State (SOS), not a DMV. It is a standard SR-22 state — it does not use the FR-44 (used only by Florida and Virginia) or the SR-22A. Three certificate forms exist: Owner's, Operator's (non-owner), and Owner's/Operator's. The SR-22 clock runs from the reinstatement date, and a lapse (filed as an SR-26) re-suspends the license and restarts the three years. DUI cases run on two parallel tracks: an administrative Statutory Summary Suspension (implied-consent, effective on day 46) alongside the criminal conviction, which carries an indefinite revocation; a cannabis-related suspension can add a third concurrent track at the same $250/$500 fee. Two separate $100 insurance-lapse reinstatement fees can apply — one for the driver's license (SOS Driver Services) and one for the license plate and registration (Vehicle Services). Uninsured-motorist coverage is mandatory (25/50). Points work on a conviction-count basis (three moving violations within 12 months for drivers 21+) rather than a numeric point total. Record retention: moving violations 4-5 years; suspension and revocation matters 7 years from reinstatement; alcohol and drug offenses for life. Note that two official sources differ on renewal lead time — the SOS SR-22 page advises renewing at least 45 days ahead, while the SR-1 publication says 30. Relief permits include the MDDP (Monitoring Device Driving Permit, with a BAIID) and a Probationary License.