If you are arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in Georgia and your blood-alcohol concentration was above the legal limit, your driver’s license will be suspended for an initial 30-day administrative period.
A 30-day suspension can be daunting. Thirty days is a long time to go without being able to drive. Making alternative driving arrangements can be inconvenient at best and impossible at worst.
But it is possible to obtain a limited driving permit that will allow you to drive under certain conditions during your 30-day administrative suspension period.
Limited driving permits
You might qualify for a limited driving permit if you can show that the suspension would cause you “extreme hardship.” To qualify as an extreme hardship, you must have no reasonable means of obtaining transportation to essential places.
For example, it is essential to get to work, take your children to school or go to the doctor’s office or pharmacy. It is also necessary to be able to attend addiction support meetings and attend court hearings and other court-ordered activities.
After you qualify
Even if you qualify for a limited driving permit, it is likely that you will not simply be able to drive wherever you want whenever you want.
For example, there can be limits on when you can drive, where you can drive and what route you can take there. You may only be able to drive specific vehicles. And the department has the authority to place any other restrictions on your limited driving permit it deems necessary.
The limited driving permit is good for the 30-day administrative suspension period, although there are situations in which it can be revoked.
Still, it is a relief to know that with a limited driving permit you can at least get to the necessary places in your life during your 30-day suspension period without too many interruptions or difficulties.