An SR-22 is not an insurance policy. It is a certificate of financial responsibility filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) by an insurance company confirming that you carry the minimum liability insurance required by law.
In every DUI case in California the DMV will require a driver to submit an SR-22 before they will reinstate or issue any form of driving privilege after a suspension.
An SR-22 is commonly required if you:
In DUI cases, the SR-22 requirement comes from the DMV, not the court—though the two often operate in parallel.
In most DUI-related cases, the SR-22 must be maintained for three years from the date driving privileges are reinstated.
Key point:
You can win or resolve your criminal case and still be suspended by the DMV. The DMV doesn’t know or care whether a criminal case is dismissed or not–they operate their own procedure which has its own distinct rules of evidence and due process rights.
If the DMV elects to suspend the license (as they do in the vast majority of DUI arrests), you may apply to get a restricted license after a DUI suspension, the DMV will require:
Without an SR-22 on file, no restricted license will be issued, regardless of what happens in court.
Yes—but not because the SR-22 itself is expensive.
Some people without a car can obtain a non-owner SR-22 policy, which satisfies DMV requirements without insuring a specific vehicle.
If your SR-22:
The insurance company must notify the DMV, and the DMV can:
This is one of the most common ways people unintentionally violate DUI-related requirements.
If you’re facing a DUI case and need to know more about your options and plan of action—you can contact me by sending a request to review the case here: