Missouri SR-22 requirements after a DUI
Missouri requires an SR-22 filing for 2 years after a DUI, counted from the start of the suspension.
What Missouri says
SR-22 form. The Department of Revenue requires filing and maintaining proof of liability insurance (SR-22) for two years from the starting date of the suspension or revocation. The DOR reinstatement page notes SR-22 is not required for a first-time Administrative Alcohol suspension of a driver under age 21.
“File and maintain proof of liability insurance (SR-22 form) for two years from the starting date of your suspension or revocation”
Ignition interlock statute (see the state page): Mo. Rev. Stat. § 302.440
At a glance
| Filing required after a DUI | Yes |
|---|---|
| Form | SR-22 |
| Filing period | 2 years |
| License reinstatement fee | $45 |
| Licensing agency | Missouri Department of Revenue, Driver License Bureau |
Which filing, and what triggers it
Form: SR-22
The Missouri Department of Revenue, Driver License Bureau calls it 'proof of liability insurance (SR-22 form)' - 'a form from your insurance company that shows your motor vehicle has liability insurance'. The DOR says the insurance company may file the SR-22 for the driver, and the Mandatory Insurance FAQ says the filing may be faxed to the Driver License Bureau. RSMo 303.170 describes it as the insurer's written certificate filed with the director of revenue.
“When proof of insurance is required, your insurance company may file proof of liability insurance coverage for you on an SR-22 form.”
What triggers it
The DOR reinstatement chart requires an SR-22 for two years for: points suspensions/revocations from alcohol-related moving violations (DWI, BAC, vehicular manslaughter); Administrative Alcohol or Zero Tolerance suspensions/revocations (.08% or more, or .02% under 21) - except a first-time under-21 zero-tolerance suspension; Refusal (chemical) revocations; and Abuse & Lose / minor-in-possession revocations. Only one SR-22 filing is needed even when several reasons require it. Statutory basis: RSMo 303.150 (suspension on conviction), 302.304(4)-(5) (points suspensions, including alcohol-related points, reinstated only after proof is filed) and 302.525 (administrative suspension reinstated after filing proof under chapter 303).
“Points - Alcohol-Related Moving Violations (Examples: DWI, BAC, vehicular manslaughter) Pay the $45 reinstatement fee; File and maintain proof of liability insurance (SR-22 form) for two years from the starting date of your suspension or revocation”
How long it stays on file, and from when
2 years, counted from the start of the suspension.
Two years 'from the starting date of your suspension or revocation' (DOR reinstatement chart; the Administrative Alcohol FAQ says the same; the Refusal FAQ says 'two years from the effective date of your Chemical Revocation'). RSMo 302.304(4) states that unless proof is filed a points suspension 'shall continue in effect for two years from its effective date', and RSMo 303.280(1)(1) lets the director release the proof 'at any time after two years from the date such proof was required' if no further qualifying conviction was received in that two-year period. The DOR says the proof must be filed 'and maintain[ed]'; it does not use the word 'continuous'.
“You need to file the SR-22 form for two (2) years from the starting date of your suspension or revocation.”
If the policy is cancelled or lapses
RSMo 303.210: a certified policy 'shall not be cancelled or terminated until at least ten days after a notice of cancellation or termination' is filed in the office of the director of revenue. The DOR reinstatement chart lists 'Failure to Maintain Insurance' as a separate reinstatement reason: a $20 fee plus filing the SR-22 'if still required'. The DOR's Insurance Information page and Mandatory Insurance FAQ state, in the context of the separate three-year proof period that follows a no-insurance suspension, that the Driver License Bureau 'will again suspend your driver license and/or license plates' if proof is not maintained and that proof must then be kept 'for the remainder of the three-year period that you were originally required to maintain an SR-22 filing'. RSMo 303.280(3) requires proof to be re-established 'for the remainder of such two-year period', but only where proof was cancelled after a surrender of the license and registration. No DOR page states whether the two-year DWI period restarts after a lapse, and the DOR pages do not name the insurer's cancellation form.
“Failure to Maintain Insurance Pay the $20 reinstatement fee File and maintain proof of insurance (SR-22 form), if still required.”
Non-owner and out-of-state policies
| Non-owner (operator) policy | Accepted |
|---|---|
| Out-of-state insurer or resident | Accepted |
RSMo 303.160(1) allows proof to be given 'with respect to a person who is not the owner of a motor vehicle'; 303.170(1) waives vehicle designation on the certificate when the policy is issued to a person who is not the owner of a motor vehicle; and 303.190(1) and (3) define the certified 'motor vehicle liability policy' as an owner's or an operator's policy, the operator's policy insuring the named person for use of 'any motor vehicle not owned by him or her' at the same limits. The DOR pages cited here do not use the phrase 'non-owner SR-22'.
“Such operator's policy of liability insurance shall insure the person named as insured therein against loss from the liability imposed upon him or her by law for damages arising out of the use by him or her of any motor vehicle not owned by him or her, within the said territorial limits”
RSMo 303.180: a nonresident whose vehicle is not registered in Missouri (or who owns no vehicle) may file the certificate of an insurer authorized in the state of registration or residence, on condition the insurer executes a power of attorney for service of process and agrees in writing that its policies conform to Missouri law; the director stops accepting that insurer's certificates if it defaults. The DOR pages cited here do not separately address a driver who has moved out of state, other than the out-of-state accident-judgment clearance-letter procedure.
“a written certificate or certificates of an insurance carrier authorized to transact business in the state in which the motor vehicle or motor vehicle described in such certificate is registered, or if such nonresident does not own a motor vehicle, then in the state in which the insured resides”
Liability limits the filing certifies
Minimum limits: 25/50/25
RSMo 303.190(2)(2) sets the certified owner's-policy limits at $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident and $25,000 property damage; 303.190(3) applies the same limits to an operator's policy. The certified policy is a liability policy; no uninsured-motorist or PIP component is stated as part of the SR-22 proof in the sections cited here.
“twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident ... fifty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and twenty-five thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others”
How the filing is confirmed
The DOR reinstatement page directs drivers to bring or mail the SR-22 and fees to the Driver License Bureau (301 West High Street, Room 470, Jefferson City) and the Mandatory Insurance FAQ gives a fax number for the SR-22 filing; the same FAQ states the Driver License Bureau re-suspends the license if proof is not maintained. Under RSMo 303.280 the director releases the proof on request after the two-year period. None of the DOR pages cited here describes an online SR-22 status lookup or a confirmation letter.
Agency page: dor.mo.gov
“Can I fax the SR-22 insurance filing? If so, what is the fax number? Yes, you may fax the SR-22 insurance filing. Our fax number is (573) 522-6062.”
Financial-responsibility statute
“Such license and registration shall remain suspended or revoked and shall not at any time thereafter be renewed ... until permitted under the motor vehicle laws of this state, and not then unless and until he shall give and thereafter maintain proof of financial responsibility.”
How an SR-22 works in general — who files it, why premiums differ, and what an SR-26 is — is explained in the glossary; everything above is specific to this state and quoted from its sources.
Questions about SR-22 in Missouri
- When does Missouri's two-year SR-22 requirement start after a DWI?
- The Department of Revenue's reinstatement chart requires drivers to 'file and maintain proof of liability insurance (SR-22 form) for two years from the starting date of your suspension or revocation' for alcohol-related points suspensions, Administrative Alcohol suspensions and refusal revocations; the DOR's Refusal FAQ words it as two years from the effective date of the Chemical Revocation. RSMo 302.304(4) likewise measures the period from the suspension's effective date.
- Is the SR-22 required for a first-time under-21 zero-tolerance suspension in Missouri?
- No. The DOR reinstatement chart's Administrative Alcohol or Zero Tolerance row states: 'Proof of liability insurance is not required for a first-time suspension, if you are under age 21 and driving with a blood alcohol of .02% or greater.' The DOR's Administrative Alcohol FAQ repeats that the SR-22 is not required in that case.
- What happens in Missouri if the SR-22 policy is cancelled early?
- Under RSMo 303.210 a certified policy cannot be cancelled until at least ten days after the insurer files a cancellation notice with the director of revenue. The DOR reinstatement chart lists 'Failure to Maintain Insurance' as a separate reinstatement reason requiring a $20 fee and refiling the SR-22 'if still required'. No DOR page states whether the two-year DWI period restarts after a lapse.
- Does Missouri require an SR-22 after an alcohol-related suspension?
- The Department of Revenue's reinstatement requirements state that a driver must file and maintain proof of liability insurance (SR-22 form) for two years from the starting date of the suspension or revocation. The DOR notes SR-22 is not required for a first-time Administrative Alcohol suspension of a driver under 21.
Sources
- Missouri DOR - License Reinstatement Requirements chart (SR-22 for two years from starting date of suspension/revocation; one filing covers all reasons; Failure to Maintain Insurance)
- Missouri DOR - Administrative Alcohol FAQs (What is an SR-22; two years from starting date; under-21 exception)
- Missouri DOR - Refusal FAQs (SR-22 for two years from the effective date of the Chemical Revocation)
- Missouri DOR - Insurance Information (re-suspension for failure to maintain proof; SR-22 required when an accident is involved)
- Missouri DOR - Mandatory Insurance FAQs (fax filing of SR-22; remainder-of-period rule)
- RSMo 303.150 - Vehicle registration suspended on suspension of license for conviction; proof required for reregistration
- RSMo 303.160 - Proof of financial responsibility, how given (including for a non-owner)
- RSMo 303.170 - Proof of responsibility by insurance certificate
- RSMo 303.180 - Proof of responsibility by nonresident by insurance certificate
- RSMo 303.190 - Motor vehicle liability policy, contents (25/50/25; operator's policy)
- RSMo 303.210 - Notice of cancellation of insurance to be given director
- RSMo 303.280 - Release of proof and waiver of proof, when (two years)
- RSMo 302.304 - Points suspension; reinstatement only after proof of financial responsibility; two years from effective date
- RSMo 302.525 - Administrative suspension/revocation; reinstatement after filing proof of financial responsibility under chapter 303