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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…
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
Bodily injury / accident same
Property damage
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…
Official source ↗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.
Washington
Offer-and-reject. RCW 48.22.030 requires every liability policy to include UIM coverage — which Washington defines broadly to bundle uninsured +…
Official source ↗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).
SR-22 / FR-44
SR-22 required same
FR-44 required same
Filing duration same
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…
Official source ↗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.
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…
Official source ↗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)).
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…
Official source ↗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.)
Costs
SR-22 filing fee
License reinstatement
Illinois
Scenario-dependent (SOS Driver Services fee table): $70 — discretionary/traffic-related suspension, failure to appear, family responsibility (child…
Official source ↗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.
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…
Official source ↗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.
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…
Official source ↗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.
Washington
Traffic infraction (not a crime) — monetary penalty set by the Washington Supreme Court penalty schedule under RCW 46.63.110; the statute (RCW…
Official source ↗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)).
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…
Official source ↗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.
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…
Official source ↗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.
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…
Official source ↗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).
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…
Official source ↗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).
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…
Official source ↗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).
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…
Official source ↗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.
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.…
Official source ↗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.
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…
Official source ↗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).
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…
Official source ↗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.
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…
Official source ↗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.