How to get your Texas driver's license back after a drug offense
By Texas Court Counseling · Published
Some Texas drug convictions suspend your driver's license. The suspension lasts until you finish a state-approved drug education class, the 15-hour Drug Offender Education Program (DOEP), or until two years pass. Here's how it works and how to get your license back.
Which convictions suspend your license
Since a 2021 change in the law, Texas automatically suspends your license after a final conviction for:
- a felony drug offense, or
- a misdemeanor drug offense, if you were also convicted of another drug offense committed less than 36 months before.
For other misdemeanor drug offenses, a judge can still order a suspension, but only after finding in writing that it serves public safety. Your court paperwork says whether your license was suspended.
How long it lasts
The suspension is for 90 days, and it continues after that until you finish an approved drug education program. If you never take the class, it ends after two years. Finishing the class is usually the fastest way back on the road.
Steps to get your license back
- Take the DOEP from a provider licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). State law allows it in person or online.
- Get your certificate. It's a numbered paper form, mailed to you within 5 days of finishing. It can't be emailed.
- Send DPS what it asks for. The Department of Public Safety asks for the certificate of completion, a $100 reinstatement fee, and proof of insurance (an SR-22) kept on file for two years. DPS's "Drug or Controlled Substance Offenses" page has the current details.
- Check your eligibility on DPS's driver license website before you drive.
If the class was part of probation instead
A judge or probation officer can also order the DOEP as a condition of probation, whether or not your license was suspended. In that case, ask your probation officer how they want proof that you finished.
Learn more in what the DOEP is, or see our DOEP class, taught live on Zoom.
Sources
- Texas Transportation Code §521.372, license suspension for drug offenses
- Texas Transportation Code §521.374, educational program to end the suspension
- Texas DPS, Drug or Controlled Substance Offenses
- Bill analysis of S.B. 181 (2021), which shortened drug suspensions and allowed online classes
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your court order and your probation officer decide which class you need and by when. We are not a court and are not affiliated with any court.