Do You Have to Retake the Driving Test After a Suspension? By State

Getting a license back is not always a matter of paying the fee: a number of states treat a revoked license, or one withdrawn long enough to expire, as gone, and issue a new one only after the knowledge test, the road test or a vision screening is passed again. The table lists what each licensing agency states for the three tests, what triggers a re-test, and the testing fee where it is separate from the reinstatement fee — each cited to the agency.

Rows show the adult, non-commercial case. "Required in some cases" means the agency names a condition — a revocation rather than a suspension, a withdrawal longer than a stated period, a license that expired in the meantime — which the state page spells out. "Not addressed" means the reinstatement pages that were read say nothing about that test.

Of the 51 verified jurisdictions, 2 require the knowledge test again in the ordinary reinstatement case and 1 the road test; 47 require one or both only when a condition the agency names is met — a revocation, a long withdrawal, an expired license; the rest reinstate without re-testing or do not address it.

51 states verified.

Re-examination before license reinstatement by state
State	Knowledge test	Road test	Vision	What triggers a re-test	Testing fee	Source	Verified
Alabama	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 36 months	$5	alea.gov	August 29
Alaska	Required	Required in some cases	Required	Revocation · Withdrawal over 12 months · Expired over 12 months	$15	dmv.alaska.gov	August 29
Arizona	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	$25	azdot.gov	August 29
Arkansas	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	$40.00	dfa.arkansas.gov	August 29
California	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Case by case — see state page	—	dmv.ca.gov	August 29
Colorado	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 12 months	$11.50	dmv.colorado.gov	August 29
Connecticut	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 24 months	$40	portal.ct.gov	August 29
Delaware	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Case by case — see state page	$50.00	dmv.de.gov	August 29
District of Columbia	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	$10	dmv.dc.gov	August 29
Florida	Required	Required	Required	Revocation	$48	flhsmv.gov	August 29
Georgia	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 24 months	$32	dds.georgia.gov	August 29
Hawaii	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 12 months	$8	courts.state.hi.us	August 29
Idaho	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 25 months	—	itd.idaho.gov	August 29
Illinois	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	—	ilsos.gov	August 29
Indiana	Required in some cases	Not addressed	Required in some cases	Expired over 6 months	—	in.gov	August 29
Iowa	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Withdrawal over 12 months · Expired over 12 months	$20	iowadot.gov	August 29
Kansas	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required	Expired over 12 months	$25	ksrevisor.gov	August 29
Kentucky	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Withdrawal over 12 months · Expired over 60 months	$40	drive.ky.gov	August 29
Louisiana	Not addressed	Not addressed	Not addressed	Case by case — see state page	—	legis.la.gov	August 29
Maine	Not addressed	Not addressed	Not addressed	Case by case — see state page	$35	maine.gov	August 29
Maryland	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 12 months	$45	mva.maryland.gov	August 29
Massachusetts	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Withdrawal over 24 months · Expired over 24 months	$30 permit application; $35 license application and road test	mass.gov	August 29
Michigan	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 48 months	—	michigan.gov	August 29
Minnesota	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 60 months	—	revisor.mn.gov	August 29
Mississippi	Required in some cases	Not addressed	Not addressed	Expired over 60 months	$24	driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov	August 29
Missouri	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 6 months	$16.50	dor.mo.gov	August 29
Montana	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	$62.32	mvdmt.gov	August 29
Nebraska	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	$29.00	dmv.nebraska.gov	August 29
Nevada	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 12 months	$25	dmv.nv.gov	August 29
New Hampshire	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 36 months	$50	dmv.nh.gov	August 29
New Jersey	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 36 months	$24	nj.gov	August 29
New Mexico	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Not addressed	Withdrawal over 60 months · Expired over 60 months	$18.00	mvd.newmexico.gov	August 29
New York	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	$100	dmv.ny.gov	August 29
North Carolina	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Case by case — see state page	$6.50 per year	ncdot.gov	August 29
North Dakota	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 12 months	$5.00	dot.nd.gov	August 29
Ohio	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 6 months	$29.50	bmv.ohio.gov	August 29
Oklahoma	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 36 months	$42.50	oklahoma.gov	August 29
Oregon	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 24 months	$7 knowledge test; $45 drive test	oregon.gov	August 29
Pennsylvania	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	$45.50	palegis.us	August 29
Rhode Island	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 60 months	—	dmv.ri.gov	August 29
South Carolina	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Withdrawal over 9 months · Expired over 9 months	$25	scstatehouse.gov	August 29
South Dakota	Required in some cases	Not addressed	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 1 months	—	sd.gov	August 29
Tennessee	Not addressed	Not addressed	Not addressed	Case by case — see state page	$28.00	tn.gov	August 29
Texas	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 24 months	$33	dps.texas.gov	August 29
Utah	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation	$52	dld.utah.gov	August 29
Vermont	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 36 months	$23	legislature.vermont.gov	August 29
Virginia	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 12 months	$32	dmv.virginia.gov	August 29
Washington	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 96 months	$50	app.leg.wa.gov	August 29
West Virginia	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Expired over 36 months	$7.50	webapps.transportation.wv.gov	August 29
Wisconsin	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 96 months	$15	docs.legis.wisconsin.gov	August 29
Wyoming	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Required in some cases	Revocation · Expired over 24 months	$45	dot.state.wy.us	August 29