Displaying or Possessing a Canceled, Revoked, or Suspended License or Permit

What may be considered by some to be an inconsequential traffic violation can actually become a great source of frustration. Under Illinois law, it is illegal to use a canceled, revoked, or suspended license or permit as authorization to drive on this state’s roads. While that is probably obvious to anyone with a license, the details of what constitutes a violation of this law and the consequences are not so obvious.

The law making it illegal to display or possess a canceled, revoked, or suspended license can be found at 625 ILCS 5/6-301 of the Illinois code. Under that section of law, there are several provisions of how a person can be accused and convicted of this crime, some of which you may not be aware.

Details of the Offense

The description of this traffic violation is pretty straightforward. A person can be convicted under 625 ILCS 5/6-301 for doing any of the following with a canceled, revoked, or suspended license or permit:

• Displaying or causing such a license or permit to be displayed, or even having such a license or permit in your possession;
• Lending out such a license or permit, or allowing one to be used at all by another;
• Failing to turn in such a license or permit when asked to do so by an authorized agent of the state;
• Allowing anyone else to use even a valid permit or license;
• Take the licensure exam for another, or get someone else to take the exam for you.

As you can see, this law covers much more than just using a suspended, canceled, or revoked license or permit. This law has many ways in which it can go after someone and bring criminal charges.

Consequences of Violating this Law

As far as traffic violations go, breaking this law is not a small offense. In fact, it is a Class A misdemeanor under Illinois law. This is the most serious misdemeanor under Illinois law, and is one step below a felony offense. Under the law, when a person is convicted of a Class A misdemeanor, a judge is empowered to hand down a maximum penalty of up to $2,500 fine and a jail term of up to one year.

If a person is convicted of using a fake driver’s license or permit in any of the ways described here, then by law, the judge is required to do one or more of the following:

• Attach notice of a conviction of a Class A misdemeanor to the person’s record;
• Impose a minimum fine of $500, or 50 hours of community service;
• Sentence the person to a minimum of seven days in jail.

As you can see, it can be a serious issue with mandatory jail time and fines to be imposed upon conviction. That is why understanding this law and knowing how to defend against its charges is critical to anyone facing the charge of displaying or possessing a canceled, revoked, or suspended license. If you are facing charges under this law, contact us today at Driver Defense Team. We will help you understand what your options are, and provide you with the best defense available.