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Illinois vs Washington

Bottom line

Illinois requires more property-damage coverage than Washington ($20,000 vs $10,000). Both require an SR-22 filing for certain violations. Illinois generally has lower license-reinstatement costs.

Official government sources Last verified June 2026 36 fields reviewed Source links on every value

Important differences between Illinois and Washington

The differences drivers should know.

Property damage
Illinois$20,000
Washington$10,000
Illinois requires more property-damage coverage.
UM/UIM requirement
IllinoisUninsured Motorist bodily injury (UM) is mandatory in Illinois at minimum 25/50, mirroring the…
WashingtonOffer-and-reject. RCW 48.22.030 requires every liability policy to include UIM coverage — which…
Clock starts from
IllinoisFrom the reinstatement date. The SR-22 must be on file before driving privileges are reinstated and is…
WashingtonFrom the date proof was required (RCW 46.29.600(1)(a)) — not the reinstatement date and not the…
Non-owner SR-22
IllinoisYes — an Operator's Certificate covers the motorist in any non-owned vehicle and is the form filed when…
WashingtonYes
SR-22 filing fee
Illinois~$15-50 (charged by the insurer, not the SOS)
Washington~$15-25 (insurer-charged filing fee, not a DOL fee)
License reinstatement
IllinoisScenario-dependent (SOS Driver Services fee table): $70 — discretionary/traffic-related suspension,…
Washington$75 standard / $170 for DUI or implied-consent reinstatement
Illinois costs less to reinstate.
Registration reinstatement
Illinois$100, paid online at ILIVS.com, to lift a license-plate/registration suspension from an…
WashingtonN/A
No-insurance, first offense
IllinoisMinimum $500 fine for driving uninsured (on a traffic-stop/crash conviction), plus license-plate…
WashingtonTraffic infraction (not a crime) — monetary penalty set by the Washington Supreme Court penalty…
No-insurance, repeat offense
IllinoisMinimum $1,000 fine for driving a vehicle while the license plates are suspended for a previous…
WashingtonSame as first — RCW 46.30.020 sets no first/subsequent distinction; driving uninsured is a single-tier…
DUI suspension
Illinoistwo tracks. (A) Statutory Summary Suspension — administrative/implied-consent (11-501.1, durations per…
Washingtontwo parallel tracks with day-for-day credit (46.61.5055(9)(b)). administrative (implied consent, RCW…
DUI fine range
Illinois625 ILCS 5/11-501: 1st = Class A misdemeanor (up to 364 days and up to $2,500); BAC >=0.16 adds a…
WashingtonRCW 46.61.5055, by prior offenses in 7 years and BAC tier (gross misdemeanor unless felony). No prior:…
Driving while suspended
Illinois625 ILCS 5/6-303: base 1st violation = Class A misdemeanor (up to 364 days / up to $2,500), unless a…
WashingtonRCW 46.20.342, three degrees. first degree (habitual offender driving under a ch 46.65 revocation):…
CDL consequence
Illinois625 ILCS 5/6-514: a first major violation = disqualification for not less than 12 months (refusal of…
WashingtonRCW 46.25.090 (federal FMCSA structure). 1-year disqualification (first major offense): DUI — including…
View full comparison ↓

Recent law changes

Changes verified from official state sources.

IllinoisMinimum liability limits last changed effective January 1, 2015 (raised to 25/50/20 by the 98th General Assembly). The DUI/implied-consent statute…
WashingtonLiability minimums (25/50/10) unchanged since 1980 c 117. Recent amendments to SR-22-relevant sections: DUI felony-offense lookback extended from 10…

Full comparison

Every compared field, with the official source on each value.

Coverage

Bodily injury / person same
Illinois
$25,000
Official source ↗
Washington
$25,000
Official source ↗
Bodily injury / accident same
Illinois
$50,000
Official source ↗
Washington
$50,000
Official source ↗
Property damage
Illinois
$20,000
Official source ↗
Washington
$10,000
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UM/UIM requirement
Illinois
Uninsured Motorist bodily injury (UM) is mandatory in Illinois at minimum 25/50, mirroring the liability BI limits (215 ILCS 5/143a). Underinsured…
Full details
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.
Official source ↗
Washington
Offer-and-reject. RCW 48.22.030 requires every liability policy to include UIM coverage — which Washington defines broadly to bundle uninsured +…
Full details
Offer-and-reject. RCW 48.22.030 requires every liability policy to include UIM coverage — which Washington defines broadly to bundle uninsured + underinsured + hit-and-run + phantom-vehicle — defaulting to the same limits as the liability coverage, but the named insured or spouse may reject it in writing. PIP is likewise optional: offered on every policy, waivable in writing (RCW 48.22.085).
Official source ↗

SR-22 / FR-44

SR-22 required same
FR-44 required same
Filing duration same
Illinois
3 years
Official source ↗
Washington
3 years
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Clock starts from
Illinois
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…
Full details
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.
Official source ↗
Washington
From the date proof was required (RCW 46.29.600(1)(a)) — not the reinstatement date and not the conviction date. tolls, doesn't restart: if the…
Full details
From the date proof was required (RCW 46.29.600(1)(a)) — not the reinstatement date and not the conviction date. tolls, doesn't restart: if the person surrenders the license and reapplies within the window, proof is reestablished for the remainder of the 3 years (46.29.600(3)).
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Non-owner SR-22
Illinois
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…
Full details
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.)
Official source ↗
Washington
Yes
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Costs

SR-22 filing fee
Illinois
~$15-50 (charged by the insurer, not the SOS)
See Illinois sources ↗
Washington
~$15-25 (insurer-charged filing fee, not a DOL fee)
See Washington sources ↗
License reinstatement
Illinois
Scenario-dependent (SOS Driver Services fee table): $70 — discretionary/traffic-related suspension, failure to appear, family responsibility (child…
Full details
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.
Official source ↗
Washington
$75 standard / $170 for DUI or implied-consent reinstatement
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Registration reinstatement
Illinois
$100, paid online at ILIVS.com, to lift a license-plate/registration suspension from an insurance-verification failure (separate from the $100…
Full details
$100, paid online at ILIVS.com, to lift a license-plate/registration suspension from an insurance-verification failure (separate from the $100 driver's-license mandatory-insurance fee — both can be owed). Repeat offenders serve a 4-month plate suspension before the $100 reinstatement.
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Washington
N/A
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Penalties

No-insurance, first offense
Illinois
Minimum $500 fine for driving uninsured (on a traffic-stop/crash conviction), plus license-plate suspension. The registration side is enforced…
Full details
Minimum $500 fine for driving uninsured (on a traffic-stop/crash conviction), plus license-plate suspension. The registration side is enforced through ILIVS: a failed second verification -> registration suspension, lifted by obtaining coverage and paying $100 at ILIVS.com.
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Washington
Traffic infraction (not a crime) — monetary penalty set by the Washington Supreme Court penalty schedule under RCW 46.63.110; the statute (RCW…
Full details
Traffic infraction (not a crime) — monetary penalty set by the Washington Supreme Court penalty schedule under RCW 46.63.110; the statute (RCW 46.30.020(1)(d)) sets no fixed dollar amount and no first/subsequent escalation. The commonly assessed penalty is approximately $550 (court rule, not statute). Showing you were actually insured at the time gets the citation dismissed for a $25 administrative cost (46.30.020(2)).
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No-insurance, repeat offense
Illinois
Minimum $1,000 fine for driving a vehicle while the license plates are suspended for a previous insurance violation. Repeat ILIVS offenders also…
Full details
Minimum $1,000 fine for driving a vehicle while the license plates are suspended for a previous insurance violation. Repeat ILIVS offenders also serve a 4-month plate suspension before the $100 reinstatement.
Official source ↗
Washington
Same as first — RCW 46.30.020 sets no first/subsequent distinction; driving uninsured is a single-tier traffic infraction with the penalty set by the…
Full details
Same as first — RCW 46.30.020 sets no first/subsequent distinction; driving uninsured is a single-tier traffic infraction with the penalty set by the Supreme Court schedule (46.63.110). No escalation by prior count.
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DUI suspension
Illinois
two tracks. (A) Statutory Summary Suspension — administrative/implied-consent (11-501.1, durations per 6-208.1), effective on the 46th day after…
Full details
two tracks. (A) Statutory Summary Suspension — administrative/implied-consent (11-501.1, durations per 6-208.1), effective on the 46th day after notice: first offender 6 months (failed test >=0.08 / drugs / THC >=5 ng) or 12 months (refusal); non-first-offender 12 months (fail) or 36 months (refusal). Under-21 Zero Tolerance: 3 or 12 months (BAC >0.00) / 6 or 24 months (refusal). (B) DUI conviction revocation — indefinite, with minimum eligibility: 1st = 1 year, 2nd within a 20-year period = 5 years, 3rd = 10 years, 4th+ = lifetime. If under 21 at conviction: 1st = 2 years, 2nd = 5 years or until the 21st birthday (whichever is longer), 3rd = 10 years, 4th+ = lifetime. Revocation reinstatement is hearing-gated (informal for 1st, formal for multiple).
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Washington
two parallel tracks with day-for-day credit (46.61.5055(9)(b)). administrative (implied consent, RCW 46.20.308 -> periods in 46.20.3101): triggered…
Full details
two parallel tracks with day-for-day credit (46.61.5055(9)(b)). administrative (implied consent, RCW 46.20.308 -> periods in 46.20.3101): triggered by a breath/blood test at or above 0.08 (0.02 under-21) or a refusal; headline periods — test failure suspends at least 90 days, refusal revokes at least 1 year; 30-day temporary license from arrest, 7-day window to request a hearing ($375 fee). conviction-based (46.61.5055(9)): below 0.15 -> 90-day suspension (no prior) / 2-year revocation (1 prior) / 3-year (2+); 0.15 or above -> 1-year / 900-day / 4-year; refusal -> 2-year / 3-year / 4-year. Mandatory IID on all vehicles (46.61.5055(5), 46.20.720) for 1/5/10 years by prior IID restrictions. Revocation grounds also in 46.20.285 (DUI 1-year baseline; vehicular homicide 2 years).
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DUI fine range
Illinois
625 ILCS 5/11-501: 1st = Class A misdemeanor (up to 364 days and up to $2,500); BAC >=0.16 adds a mandatory 100 hours community service + $500 min…
Full details
625 ILCS 5/11-501: 1st = Class A misdemeanor (up to 364 days and up to $2,500); BAC >=0.16 adds a mandatory 100 hours community service + $500 min fine; transporting a child <16 adds up to 6 months + $1,000 min + 25 days CS. 2nd = mandatory minimum 5 days jail or 240 hours CS; BAC >=0.16 adds 2 days + $1,250 min. 3rd = Aggravated DUI, Class 2 felony (BAC >=0.16 adds 90 days + $2,500 min; child <16 adds $25,000). 4th = Class 2 felony, no probation (>=0.16 -> $5,000 min). 5th = Class 1 felony. 6th+ = Class X felony. Aggravated DUI (3rd+, school bus, great bodily harm, no license, no insurance, etc.) is a Class 4 felony floor; DUI causing death = Class 2 felony, 3-14 years (one death) or 6-28 years (two or more).
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Washington
RCW 46.61.5055, by prior offenses in 7 years and BAC tier (gross misdemeanor unless felony). No prior: 24 hrs-364 days jail + $350-$5,000 (<0.15); 48…
Full details
RCW 46.61.5055, by prior offenses in 7 years and BAC tier (gross misdemeanor unless felony). No prior: 24 hrs-364 days jail + $350-$5,000 (<0.15); 48 hrs + $500-$5,000 (>=0.15 or refusal). 1 prior: 30 days + 60 days EHM + $500-$5,000 (<0.15); 45 days + 90 days EHM + $750-$5,000 (>=0.15/refusal). 2 priors: 90 days + 120 days EHM + $1,000-$5,000 (<0.15); 120 days + 150 days EHM + $1,500-$5,000 (>=0.15/refusal). 3+ priors in 15 years -> class B felony under ch 9.94A (46.61.502(6)). Minor-passenger enhancements add IID time, jail, and fines. Mandatory minimums are largely non-suspendable.
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Driving while suspended
Illinois
625 ILCS 5/6-303: base 1st violation = Class A misdemeanor (up to 364 days / up to $2,500), unless a valid MDDP/RDP/probationary/JDP permit applies.…
Full details
625 ILCS 5/6-303: base 1st violation = Class A misdemeanor (up to 364 days / up to $2,500), unless a valid MDDP/RDP/probationary/JDP permit applies. If the underlying suspension/revocation was for DUI (11-501), leaving-the-scene-with-injury (11-401(b)), or a Statutory Summary Suspension (11-501.1): mandatory minimum 10 days jail or 30 days community service (non-suspendable). 2nd (DUI-related) = Class 4 felony, min 30 days or 300 hrs CS; 3rd = Class 4 felony, min 30 days; 4th-9th = Class 4 felony, min 180 days; 10th-14th = Class 3 felony; 15th+ = Class 2 felony. A reckless-homicide / DUI-death revocation underlies a harsher track escalating to Class 1/Class 2 felony and lifetime revocation. Driving on a revoked license also bars license issuance for +1 year from conviction. Collateral: 4th conviction -> plate seizure/vehicle immobilization; driving suspended AND uninsured (7-601) -> immediate impoundment; DUI-related -> vehicle seizure/forfeiture.
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Washington
RCW 46.20.342, three degrees. first degree (habitual offender driving under a ch 46.65 revocation): gross misdemeanor, mandatory minimum jail 10 days…
Full details
RCW 46.20.342, three degrees. first degree (habitual offender driving under a ch 46.65 revocation): gross misdemeanor, mandatory minimum jail 10 days (1st) / 90 (2nd) / 180 (3rd+), non-suspendable; +1-year revocation extension. second degree (suspended for a serious reason — DUI, vehicular homicide/assault, felony-vehicle, hit-and-run, prior DWS, administrative action): gross misdemeanor (up to 364 days / $5,000); +1-year no-new-license. third degree (suspended for administrative/financial reasons, including failure to furnish proof of FR / SR-22 under ch 46.29): misdemeanor (up to 90 days / $1,000); no extension. So driving while suspended solely for an unfiled SR-22 is the lightest tier (3rd degree).
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CDL

CDL consequence
Illinois
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…
Full details
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.
Official source ↗
Washington
RCW 46.25.090 (federal FMCSA structure). 1-year disqualification (first major offense): DUI — including a DUI in a non-commercial vehicle (0.08) — or…
Full details
RCW 46.25.090 (federal FMCSA structure). 1-year disqualification (first major offense): DUI — including a DUI in a non-commercial vehicle (0.08) — or CMV at 0.04+ BAC or any THC; refusal; leaving the scene; vehicle used in a felony; CMV-while-disqualified; negligent-operation fatality. 3-year if the offense occurred while transporting hazardous materials. lifetime (reducible to 10 years per federal rule) for a 2nd major offense. lifetime, no reduction: a vehicle used in a controlled-substance manufacture/distribution felony or a human-trafficking offense. Lesser ladders: serious traffic violations (60 days 2nd / 120 days 3rd in 3 years), out-of-service-order violations, railroad-crossing violations. CMV alcohol threshold is 0.04. Important for CDL holders: a DUI in a personal (non-commercial) vehicle still triggers a 1-year CDL disqualification.
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