Crime & Traffic
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Unpaid traffic tickets can lead to the suspension of your driver’s license. Here are some common situations where paying off tickets and fines are required to get your license back:
- You have 5 or more unpaid red light tickets
- You have 5 or more unpaid speeding tickets
- You have 5 or more unpaid tollway fines
Before suspending your license, the Secretary of State (SOS) will send you a notification of suspension. The notification will list the amount due and the procedures to pay or resolve the tickets. You will have 45 days to pay the fines. If you pay off the tickets or fines within the time listed, SOS will not suspend your license. How to pay the fines may depend on the type of ticket and the court. You might have to appear in court to pay certain fines. Please read your traffic tickets and the notification from SOS carefully. You might also want to contact the Traffic Violations Section of SOS at (217) 785-8619 for more information.
Follow the steps below to pay the amount due and reinstate your driver’s license.
Note: Starting July 1, 2025, Illinois will stop suspending licenses for missing court ("failure to appear") for minor traffic tickets that only carry a fine. Instead, the court will enter a conviction , add fixed costs, and notify the Secretary of State.
If the suspension happened between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2025, and the ticket didn’t involve a death, the Secretary of State will lift it by January 1, 2026, after getting notice from the court.
Licenses can still be suspended for missing court in cases involving possible jail time or a death.
As of January 1, 2025, drivers will get more notice before court dates that could lead to suspension. Courts won’t be required to issue a failure to appear order right away if the absence was unavoidable.
If your license has been suspended, go to the office of the municipality that issued the tickets to you. You may be able to work out a payment plan with them. This allows you to get your license back while you make payments.
For tolls, call the Illinois Tollway at (800) 824-7277 or visit the Illinois Tollway website to pay them off.
Once you pay off your tickets or agree to a payment plan, the municipality will notify the Secretary of State. They will also give you a Final Disposition . Keep this document, as you will need it to get your driver’s license back.
You must mail or bring the Final Disposition to a Secretary of State location. If you pay the fine within the time period listed in the notice from SOS, you will not need to pay the reinstatement fee. If the time has expired and your license has been suspended, you must pay a $70 reinstatement fee. You might be able to pay the fee online, depending on where you are. Otherwise, you need to pay by mail or in person.
For tolls, Illinois Tollway will send a fax to the Secretary of State’s office letting them know you paid the tolls.
It will take some time before your license is reinstated. You can contact SOS to check the status of your license. If your license is still suspended, do not drive. Driving on a suspended license can lead to an increase in the length of the suspension , revocation of your license, jail time, and seizure of your car.
If you believe that the suspension is due to some error, you can contest the suspension:
- For unpaid tickets, you will need to file a written request with SOS for an administrative hearing. A $50 fee is required at the time of filing.
- For unpaid tolls, contact the Illinois Tollway right away to if you have a valid legal reason for why you are not responsible for a toll violation.
