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Hardship and restricted license costs: the fees to drive during a suspension

A DUI suspension does not always mean no driving at all. Most states sell a narrow bridge back to legal driving — a Florida hardship license for business or employment purposes, a Texas occupational driver license — and the bridge has published tolls: application and administrative fees set by the licensing agency, plus reinstatement fees that must be paid before the restricted license issues. This page lists those official fees and the unpriced costs around them.

Florida: business-purposes and employment-purposes hardship licenses

Florida issues restricted licenses under § 322.271 through the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' Bureau of Administrative Reviews. There are two widths: an employment-purposes-only license, limited to driving to and from work and work-required driving, and the broader business-purposes-only license, which adds driving necessary to sustain livelihood — education, church and medical purposes as defined by the department. A driver applies on Form HSMV 72034, attends a review hearing, and must show DUI-program enrollment or completion; a first-time DUI suspension can be reviewed on an accelerated track, while some suspensions — including a second refusal suspension — carry hard periods with no hardship eligibility at all.

The published state fees are specific. FLHSMV's fee schedule charges a $130 administrative fee for alcohol- and drug-related offenses, on top of the base reinstatement fee — $45 for a suspension or $75 for a revocation — so a DUI revocation costs $205 in state fees before any license issuance fee. Published guidance on the hardship process also lists a $12 filing fee for the hardship hearing itself. Those are the complete official tolls; everything else in a Florida hardship case — DUI school tuition, any required interlock, and the FR-44 insurance filing Florida requires instead of an SR-22 — is priced on its own schedule or, for insurance, not priced on this site at all.

Texas: the occupational driver license (ODL)

Texas's bridge is a court order, not a DMV application. Under Transportation Code ch. 521, subchapter L, a person whose license is suspended petitions a court for an occupational driver license limited to essential needs — work, school and essential household duties — within court-set hours. The Department of Public Safety then issues the license. DPS's published fee for the ODL itself is $10 per year, for a license issued for up to two years. The reinstatement fee that must accompany it is $100 for most suspensions and $125 after an Administrative License Revocation suspension arising from a DWI arrest.

The two unpriced Texas components are the court filing fee for the petition — set by each county and court, so no statewide figure exists and none is quoted here — and the SR-22 financial-responsibility filing the order requires, whose filing mechanics are covered on our SR-22 costs page. Where the underlying DWI requires an interlock, the ODL order carries that condition too, at the device rates in our interlock guide. Budget the Texas bridge as $10 a year plus $100–$125 in DPS reinstatement fees plus your county's filing fee, and confirm the filing fee with the clerk before petitioning.

Sources: Florida Statutes § 322.271; FLHSMV published fee schedule (administrative fee $130; suspension reinstatement $45; revocation $75; hardship filing $12 as published in FLHSMV-fee guidance); Texas Transportation Code ch. 521 subch. L and Texas DPS driver license and reinstatement fee schedules ($10/year ODL; $100 / $125 ALR reinstatement). Last verified: October 2026.

Eligibility limits are a cost, too

Restricted licenses are not available for every suspension, and the exclusions have real prices. Florida bars hardship eligibility during the hard suspension that follows a second test refusal, and revocations for DUI manslaughter and certain repeat offenses can be permanent or reviewable only after long periods. Texas occupational licenses are unavailable for some suspension types and cannot restore commercial driving privileges — a CDL holder's occupational license covers non-commercial driving only, a limit priced in lost work rather than fees (see DUI costs for CDL holders).

Driving outside the restriction's hours or purposes is typically charged as driving while license suspended, restarting the cost stack with a new case. The restricted license is therefore best budgeted as a package: the published fees in the table, the program and interlock conditions attached to it, and strict compliance — because the cheapest restricted license is the one that is never revoked.

Common questions

How much does a Florida hardship license cost in state fees?

For a DUI revocation: the $75 revocation reinstatement fee plus the $130 alcohol/drug administrative fee — $205 — plus any license issuance fee, and a $12 hardship hearing filing fee. DUI school, interlock and FR-44 insurance are separate.

How much is a Texas occupational license?

The license itself is $10 per year from DPS, plus the reinstatement fee ($100, or $125 after an ALR suspension), plus your county court's petition filing fee, which varies and is not published statewide.

Can a restricted license be used for commercial driving?

No. A Texas occupational license does not restore CDL privileges, and Florida hardship licenses are limited to the employment or business purposes stated on the license.

Sources: Florida Statutes § 322.271 and FLHSMV fee schedule; Texas Transportation Code ch. 521 and Texas DPS fee schedules. Last verified: October 2026. This page is educational information about costs only — not legal advice. Laws and fees change; confirm current figures with your court and your state's driver-licensing agency.