Michigan Driver Responsibility Fees After an OWI: Repealed in 2018

Michigan's driver responsibility fees are gone. No new fees have been assessed since 1 October 2018, the state stopped collecting unpaid fees after 30 September 2018, and drivers are no longer liable for balances that were still outstanding.^[1] As of October 2026, an OWI conviction does not bring the $1,000-a-year fee that it once did.^[2]

This page explains what the fees were, how they ended, and why some web pages still describe them. For the costs an OWI does carry today, see fines, costs and fees after an OWI.

What driver responsibility fees were

Michigan created driver responsibility fees in 2003 PA 165. They were charged in addition to court costs and came in two kinds: one for drivers who built up 7 or more points within two years, and one for specific violations. Both were generally charged for two years.^[5]

Violation (before repeal)	Fee
Operating while intoxicated	$1,000 in each of two consecutive years ($2,000 in all).[2]
Driving while impaired by alcohol or a controlled substance (OWVI), or reckless driving	$500 in each of two consecutive years.[6]
7 or more points within two years	$100, plus $50 for each additional point, collected for each year the total was at least 7 points (generally two years).[5]

Unpaid fees had consequences for the license. The Senate Fiscal Agency explains that 2003 PA 165 required suspension of a driver's license for unpaid fees.^[7]

How the fees ended

1. 2014: a phase-out. Amendments phased out new assessments and prohibited new fees after 30 September 2019.^[7]
2. March 2018: full repeal signed. A package of public acts signed on 1 March 2018 sped up the phase-out so that no new assessments would be issued beginning 1 October 2018, and ended collection of outstanding fees after 30 September 2018.^[1]
3. The key act. The SFA summarizes 2018 PA 43 (House Bill 5040): beginning 30 September 2018 the fees may not be collected, people are no longer liable for outstanding fees, and a person whose license was suspended for unpaid fees may reinstate if otherwise compliant and eligible.^[7]
4. Sobriety court. 2018 PA 48 (House Bill 5046) waived the fees for a person who successfully completed a DWI or sobriety court program on or after 1 October 2018.^[8]
5. A short amnesty. From 1 October to 31 December 2018, people suspended for unpaid fees could reinstate without paying the $125 reinstatement fee, if otherwise eligible. After 1 January 2019, the $125 fee applies.^[9]

The scale was large. According to the SFA, Treasury estimated that 317,000 drivers owed fees and were in default, and nearly $800 million in assessed fees would go uncollected when the remaining balances were forgiven.^[10]

Act numbers: the Senate Fiscal Agency identifies the repeal as "PAs 43 through 50 of 2018." Some sources say "2018 PA 46-51," which does not match.^[1]

Where the statute went

The fees lived in MCL 257.732a. That section now does something unrelated: it creates the state's fire protection fund.^[11] A related section, MCL 257.732b, which let people do workforce training instead of paying certain fees, was repealed by 2024 PA 113, effective 2 April 2025.^[11] Anyone reading an older article that cites 257.732a as the "driver responsibility" statute is reading history.

Why some pages still describe the fee

Old information lingers, including on government websites. As of 25 October 2026, the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning "Impaired Driving Law" page still said: "Convicted drunk drivers are subject to a $1,000 penalty for two consecutive years under the Driver Responsibility Act, for a total of $2,000 in additional costs."^[3] That statement is out of date; the fees ended in 2018.^[1] For that reason this guide relies on the statutes and the Legislature's own analysts rather than on that page.

Other web pages may repeat the same out-of-date information. The twenty myths about Michigan OWI law page collects others like it, and the timeline of recent changes places the 2018 repeal among other updates.

What an OWI still costs

The end of driver responsibility fees did not end the money side of an OWI. The main items that remain are:

• Court fines and costs. These are set at sentencing and are explained on fines and costs in OWI cases. For a first OWI the fine range is $100 to $500.^[12]
• The $125 reinstatement fee. A person whose license was suspended, revoked or restricted under sections including 303, 319, 625 or 625f must pay $125 to the Secretary of State before a license is issued or returned.^[4] The SOS page says some reinstatement fees can be paid online or by mail, and others at an office.^[13]
• Failure-to-appear and failure-to-pay clearance fees. If a person charged with or convicted of an OWI-type offense fails to appear or to pay, the license is suspended after notice, and reinstatement requires a $45 clearance fee for each failure.^[14]

Checking where your license stands

Someone who is unsure whether an old fee-related suspension or any other hold is still on their record can buy a copy of their own driving record at any Secretary of State office.^[15] The Department of State's free Road to Restoration clinics connect people with suspended or restricted licenses with department staff and volunteer attorneys to review their records.^[16] Questions about court fines and fees go to the court that handled the case, according to the Secretary of State.^[17]

Clean Slate to Drive is a different law

People sometimes mix up the 2018 fee repeal with the later "Clean Slate to Drive" laws. Those laws, including 2020 PA 376, took effect on 1 October 2021 and narrowed failure-to-appear and failure-to-pay suspensions to violations for which suspension is allowed.^[18] Beginning the same day, the Secretary of State had to reinstate, without a reinstatement fee, licenses suspended for reasons no longer allowed under the Vehicle Code.^[19]

Neither change erases an OWI suspension or revocation. The Secretary of State says sanctions not eligible to be cleared under Clean Slate to Drive remain on the record, and the driver remains responsible for reinstatement fees and fines related to the original violation.^[17] Its free Road to Restoration clinics help people review suspended or restricted licenses, but they do not expunge DUI convictions or hold reinstatement hearings.^[16] For revoked licenses, see license restoration hearings; for driving while suspended, see driving while license suspended or revoked; and for other help, the help and resources directory.