9. Minors With DUI Suspensions
The Critical Need Restricted Drivers License.
If you are under age 21 and lost your license due to a first DUI or zero tolerance case, then you may wish to consider applying for a critical need license to drive in Sonoma County if you believe you can adequately show the Sacramento DMV that public transportation in your area of Sonoma County is not sufficient to accomplish your transport to and from work or school or you are the primary means of transporting a family member to medical appointments.
It is often extremely helpful to ask a local Sonoma County lawyer to provide and review this application so that eligible minors may minimize the possibility of denial of application. A Santa Rosa lawyer will be sure that the entire application is completed, including all required signatures from parents, school officials, employers and/or doctors.
DUI Attorneys review applications to ensure there is adequate supporting information which we know the DMV Sacramento office looks for, such as bus schedules, supplemental explanations, and additional documentation of any kind which may support the application.
Improve The Chances of Being Approved
Make no mistake: the DMV only grants under-21 restricted licenses for truly critical needs. So getting a job and/or enrolling in school typically increases chances of getting this limited license. The number and severity of Sonoma County transportation hardships involving conflicts between school and employment increase the chances of being approved, particularly when coupled with inadequate or completely impractical family/public transportation alternatives.
Click here to browse local college classes at Sonoma State University, and Santa Rosa Junior College, and Empire College, and click here for comprehensive list of available California Apprenticeship Programs, including contact information. Some Apprenticeship Programs are available in Santa Rosa and surrounding Napa and Sonoma counties, such as cement masons, electricians, operating engineers, plumbers & refer mechanics, and sound & communication; click here for the Building Trades Apprenticeship Website, or here for the California Tooling and Machining Apprenticeship Association. Another viable option may be Santa Rosa's Redwood Empire Beauty College, or click here for information on the Culinary Institute of America St. Helena campus.
Sonoma County transit is adequate in many areas so click here for Sonoma County Transit Schedules to determine if alternatives exist. If not, then it may be advisable to print out nearby routes and schedules to attach to the application so that the DMV can readily see the lack of alternatives in a given situation.
Application Form
The critical need application can be filled out online, and printed, to complete with supporting materials, and sent to a Santa Rosa lawyer for comments, reprinted if necessary, and obtain signatures and mail to Sacramento with additional documentation.
The form usually takes at least two weeks for you to prepare and complete, plus attorney review time, and at least a week or two for the Sacramento DMV to consider, so it is important to start this process as soon after determining the one-year DMV suspension is likely. Even if the application is approved, one must still suffer the mandatory first 30 days suspension, so this would be the best time to complete the application process. Click here for the under age 21 form: DS694 Application for Critical Need License.
More Tips for a Successful Application
Understand the application before starting. Study the application carefully to understand how it is laid out and what is expected in each Section. Complete it fully or else you risk delay when the DMV returns it for incompleteness. Sonoma County lawyers typically advise clients that certain sections on page one must be fully completed, including all boxes, dollar and hours blanks, etc. We often advise to use extra paper to fully explain answers if needed, rather than providing short, half-hearted explanations.
Write it to impress those who will read it. Santa Rosa lawyers often advise to be mindful of who will read the submitted application and thus be mindful of the eligibility requirements at all times. This is not an application to avoid substantial, or perhaps even severe, inconvenience to the applicant and/or family in Sonoma County, but rather a sworn statement under penalty of perjury that the applicant has a truly critical need to drive for which the applicant's family depends upon the applicant financially or medically, or for which the applicant depends to attend school in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County or elsewhere.
Inadequate public transportation and inadequate alternate family transportation are a required part of each area of need for which one may qualify. Therefore it is very, very important to be sure to fully address this fundamental requirement. Review the Tips above under "Improve The Chances."
If an applicant lives by him/herself in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, or elsewhere, and his/her income is essential to support him/herself (rent, food, energy and phone bill, repairs, etc) then typically the DMV will treat the applicant as his/her own family unit to qualify on page one of the application. The financial information in such cases would be the applicant's rather than the parent(s).
The license is not for driving during work. Note that the DMV typically does not allow this type of restricted license for driving during the course of employment, just to and from employment. Therefore it is likely that the DMV will automatically reject an application which includes an assertion that driving is required during a job.
Be sure to get all required signatures. The application indicates a place where the applicant and parent must sign at the end of Section I (on page two just above Section II) and either physician, principal and/or employer must complete their applicable Section(s) on page 2 and then sign in Section V. Missing signatures are likely to result in delay due to a returned application and further effort on the part of the Sonoma County applicant.
Consult with a lawyer first about your individual circumstances. These Tips are almost always given to clients, but they are not legal advice because they are necessarily generalized for this discussion. Your individual circumstances may vary and actual legal advice which is tailored to your specific life situation may be different for you. Therefore it is always best to hire a Santa Rosa DUI lawyer for a reasonable fee, such as Jake, to review your entire situation and give you the best advice to confirm your eligibility and maximize your chances of obtaining driving privileges from the DMV during a suspension due to a pending or recent Sonoma County DUI.