Driving While License Suspended

Driving Privileges in the State of Utah

The Driver Licensing Act of the Utah Public Safety Code governs many aspects of obtaining and maintaining driving privileges in the State of Utah. Utah code 53-3-227 prohibits driving a motor vehicle while the driver’s driving privilege is denied, suspended, disqualified, or revoked.

Brown, Bradshaw & Moffat, LLP, defends clients arrested for allegedly driving while their licenses were suspended. Call (801) 532-5297 to have our criminal defense attorneys review your traffic crime case and answer all of your legal questions.

A person who drives while their driving privilege has been denied, suspended, disqualified, or revoked can be charged with a criminal offense charged as a class C misdemeanor.

Additional Information about Driving While License Suspended in Utah

• Penalties for Driving on a Suspended Driver's License
• Enhanced Penalties for Driving on a Suspended Utah Driver License 
• Additional Resources

Penalties for Driving on a Suspended Driver License

A person may be convicted of a class C misdemeanor for driving a motor vehicle with a license that is denied, suspended, disqualified, or revoked. 

The crime of driving on a suspended, disqualified or revoked driver's license becomes a class B misdemeanor if the driver's license was denied, suspended, disqualified, or revoked for, among other things (some of which are listed below), an alcohol-related prior offense.

Enhanced Penalties for Driving on a Suspended Utah Driver License

The charge can be filed as a class B misdemeanor if the person's conviction is based on the person driving a motor vehicle while the person's driving privilege is suspended, disqualified, or revoked for any* of the following:

• a refusal to submit to a chemical test
• driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs with unsafe blood alcohol concentration
• driving with any measurable controlled substance
• negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death
• a criminal action that the person plead guilty to as a result of a plea bargain after having been originally charged with violating one or more of the sections or ordinances under subsection 3 of Utah code 53-3-227
• a revocation or suspension which has been extended
• where disqualification is the result of driving a commercial motor vehicle while the person's CDL is disqualified, suspended, canceled, or revoked

*See the full list and details on the Utah code website. 

Additionally, a person is guilty of a class B misdemeanor if the person's conviction is based on the person driving a motor vehicle while the person's driving privilege is suspended, disqualified, or revoked by any state, the United States, or any district, possession, or territory of the United States for violations corresponding to the violations above (from subsection 3).

Lawyers for Driving on a Suspended Driver License in Utah

If you were arrested for a class C or a class B misdemeanor for driving with a suspended driver license, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at Brown, Bradshaw & Moffat.

Contact us to discuss how to defend and contest the charges, which could include showing that the traffic stop was in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Additionally, in many of these cases, an attorney can help you get your driving privileges reinstated so that the prosecutor and the court know that the crime will not happen again.

Call us to discuss your case at (801) 532-5297 today.