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Fine Remittance – Do I Qualify?

Oregon’s Governors Brown and Kotek remitted the unpaid fines and fees in some cases associated with traffic violations that have resulted in subsequent driver license suspensions due to a failure to comply or failure to appear in a court in Oregon.  

What is a remission of fines? 
A remission of fines is the forgiveness of fines and fees that were imposed on a person for violating a traffic law. In Oregon, the governor has the constitutional power to remit these fines and fees. 

Who is eligible?  
Refer to both Governor Brown’s Order and Governor Kotek’s Order. Read Governor Kotek’s Frequently Asked Questions for additional information on eligibility.

What does this mean? 
  • If your case is listed in either remission order, without action on your part, Oregon courts will send DMV a court notice of clearance of the failure to appear or failure to comply suspension. 
  • Once DMV records the notice(s) of court clearance, eligible people can begin the process to reinstate their right to apply for driving privileges and to obtain a valid driver's license.  
  • If you believe that you are eligible, see below for additional information.  
What do I need to do? 
Follow these steps to reinstate and get a valid driver's license. Do not drive until DMV has reinstated your driving privileges and you receive a valid driver's license.

​Review the lists of the cases included in both Governors' remission orders. 

  • ​Tips for searching the list include: 
    • ​Use CTRL-F to open a search bar to type in and find your last name on the list. 
    • Search by your last name or a portion of your last name. Some full last names may be portions of another longer name, so those names will also appear in the find results. For example, Martin will find names that also contain the name Martin, such as Martinez.
    • Use the up and down arrows to move to the next time the name appears on the list.  
    • Your name may be listed more than once if you have more than one docket number or have dockets in more than one court.  
  • ​If your name is on the list, go to Step 2.  
  • If your name is not on the list, see the Name or Case Not Included on the List section following Step 4.

Find out if DMV recorded a notice of court clearance for your case(s). You can check your status by calling DMV Customer Assistance at 503-945-5000.  If you currently have an Oregon driver's license, permit, identification card, vehicle registration card, or vehicle title, you may be able to check your driving privilege status by logging into your profile at DMV2U. Scroll down to Status Check Tools and click on Check my driving privilege. 

  • If your driver's license standing is Suspended, this means that DMV has not yet recorded all notice(s) of court clearance. ​
    • You may wish to wait a few days and then return to your account to check on your standing. 
    • It may take the court and DMV several business days, or longer, to exchange notice of court clearance information. Circuit court clearances are transferred electronically to DMV.​
    • If after several weeks, your driver’s license standing remains suspended, contact DMV for the status of a circuit court clearance. For justice and municipal court clearances, you may wish to contact the court directly. You might not be eligible under the criteria of the Governor’s remission order.  When contacting the court or courts, have your Docket Number, Sanction (failure to appear or failure to comply), and Sanction Commence Date available. Refer to Court Contact and Resource Information also on this webpage for court phone numbers and locations. 
    • DMV has no authority to lift a suspension for failure to appear or failure to comply without a notice of clearance from the court. 
    • You may wish to request your reinstatement requirements from DMV. See DMV Contact Information below. 
  • A standing of Eligible to Reinstate, means that DMV has recorded all required notice(s) of court clearance. If a court clearance has been posted for your case(s), proceed to Step 3. 

In most cases, the next step is to reinstate your right to apply for driving privileges by paying DMV the required $75 reinstatement fee. (Note: the reinstatement fee will increase from $75 to $85 at midnight (12:00 a.m.) on January 1, 2024, payments made after 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2023 will be charged the $85 fee.) The fee can be paid online from your DMV2U account. Within the payment transaction, your DMV2U account will include Your Account Status and Driver’s License Standing. 
  • Once you’ve paid the reinstatement fee, your driver’s license standing should change to Valid, Eligible, or Expired. 
  • ​If your driver’s license standing is still showing Suspended, contact DMV Customer Assistance at (503) 945-5000.​​​

Once you have paid your reinstatement fee, check your reinstatement status email to learn if your driver's license standing is Valid, Eligible or Expired. If your last license was issued in Oregon, and the license is expired less than two years, you may be eligible to renew or replace your license online. 

Note: If your last card issued by Oregon DMV was an Oregon identification card, you will need to visit a DMV office to exchange it for a license. You may need to retake a knowledge and drive test. 

  • Valid - If your standing is Valid, your driver's license is reinstated. You must carry a valid license or permit while operating a motor vehicle. If you need a new card, you can order a replacement license from your DMV2U account. You must carry your printed receipt with you when you drive, replacing it with your new card when it arrives. Driving without a valid physical proof of a driving credential may result in a citation and fine.  
  • Eligible - If your standing is Eligible, you are eligible to apply for a driver’s license. Visit Get a Driver License for more information. You can apply to renew or replace your license from your DMV2U account​. You must carry your printed receipt with you when you drive, replacing it with your new card when it arrives. Driving without a valid physical proof of a driving credential may result in a citation and fine. 
  • Expired - If your standing is Expired, you must renew your driver’s license. You may apply to renew your license from your DMV2U account​​.  You must carry your printed receipt with you when you drive, replacing it with your new card when it arrives. Driving without a valid physical proof of a driving credential may result in a citation and fine. ​
  • Expired two years or more - If your license has expired for two years or more, you must apply for a new driver's​ license, including passing the vision, knowledge, and driving tests. Visit Get a Driver License​ for a complete set of instructions, including identification requirements. 

  • If your case or cases are not included in the order, but your license is suspended because of a Failure to Comply (nonpayment) or Failure to Appear sanction in a traffic violation case, you should first reach out to the court or courts in which you were sanctioned in your traffic violation case or cases. Courts may be willing to work with you on payment plans or other ways to take care of outstanding fines and clear outstanding suspensions.  
  • If you need assistance seeking relief from court fines and fees, Oregon Law Center and Legal Aid Services of Oregon have prepared materials to help, including a step-by-step guide to addressing your court debt and a sample letter to the court. Visit Oregon Law Center for the Court Debt Relief Packet.  
  • Find your local legal aid office. Please note that legal aid offices do not have information about the status of your fines and fees or steps you must take after your suspension has been cleared. For this information, please refer to the Steps 1 through 4 above.  
  • After contacting the court, if you are unable to resolve your suspension and you would like to request that the Governor remit certain fines and fees, contact the Governor’s Office​.  

  • Circuit Courts
    • ​​Use the green drop-down button or the interactive map to find a circuit court’s contact and location information.
  • ​Municipal/Justice Courts
    • ​Scroll down the page and click on Municipal & Justice Court Registry. Search by court name to find a court’s contact and location information.​
  • OJD Courts ePay​ ​​​​​

  • ​DMV2U​​:  Ask DMV a Question under the Notify the DMV tab 
  • Call DMV Customer Assistance: 503-945-5000 
  • Call Driver Sanctions Unit: 503-945-5037​
See DMV2U Driver License Standings for additional standings-related information and links to online licensing transactions.  

For additional information related to reinstating your driving privileges, see Suspensions, Revocations, and Cancellations​.