A judge has suspended my California drivers license and wants me to pay a fine but I cannot afford it. Is there another way to get my license back?

Question

A judge has suspended my California drivers license and wants me to pay a fine but I cannot afford it. Is there another way to get my license back?

Answer

If you have had your license suspended and you are being asked to pay a fine, then it may be possible to arrange an alternative arrangement. So, what should you do regarding California judge drivers license reinstatement can't pay fine?

If you can't pay the fines, you will need to start by explaining to the judge that you really cannot pay. You may want to have proof- such as pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements or any other details that you can provide to the court that will convince them that you really legitimately cannot afford to pay. The judge, at his discretion, may be able to offer you alternative options, such as community service. However, there is no guarantee that this will be possible, and if the fee is a standard fee assessed by the DMV for a basic license reinstatement (as opposed to a fine for a given offense) then there really isn't going to be a lot that the judge can do.

You may be able to try to arrange a payment plan if the judge will not provide you with community service or another alternative to paying the fine. If this is permitted, you may be able to pay your fine over a few months. Again, this will be at the discretion of the court system and is not going to be an option for standard fees for license reinstatement.

Your other option may be to attempt to consult with a lawyer (perhaps one who does pro bono work?) who can provide you with guidance on how to proceed.

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