FR-44 in Florida after a DUI
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Florida requires an FR-44 for 3 years, counted from the date the FR-44 is filed to lift the suspension. It is filed by your insurer with Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles — you cannot buy it separately and no company sells a cheaper version of it.
Florida does not use SR-22 for drunk driving convictions. Everyone convicted under s. 316.193 must carry an FR-44 proving liability limits of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per crash and $50,000 property damage — ten times the ordinary bodily-injury floor. The requirement runs three years, and an existing SR-22 has to be replaced by the FR-44 to lift the suspension.
| What Florida requires | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form | FR-44 |
| How long | 3 years |
| Clock starts | the date the FR-44 is filed to lift the suspension |
| Filed with | Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles |
| Liability limits | $100,000 per person, $300,000 per crash and $50,000 property damage — ten times the ordinary bodily-injury floor. |
| Source | FLHSMV, Verification criteria for financial responsibility sanctions · checked 2026-08-30 |
What this form is, and what it is not
An SR-22 is a certificate your insurer files with the state to confirm that a policy meeting the required liability limits is in force. Florida describes it plainly as an insurance filing certifying bodily injury and property damage liability for reinstatement purposes. You cannot buy an SR-22 on its own, no company sells a cheaper one, and shopping for “SR-22 insurance” is shopping for ordinary liability cover with a form attached.
So there is nothing to shop for in Florida beyond an ordinary liability policy from a carrier that will do the filing. Some will not, and that — rather than price — is what narrows the list first.
How Florida compares
The three-year figure that national pages quote for every state is right in some of them and wrong in the rest. Of the 12 states whose rules we hold, 8 run three years, and Florida runs 3 years. North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Mississippi have no SR-22 in their processes at all.
The other requirement that arrives with it in Florida
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles runs the interlock programme here, and a first offence carries court discretion on a plain first conviction; at least 6 months at 0.15% or with a minor in the car. Second conviction 1 year (2 years at 0.15%), third 2 years, fourth or more 5 years That requirement and the insurance requirement start and finish at different moments, which is why people are surprised twice: once when the device comes off and the filing is still running, and once when the filing ends and the conviction is still on the record.
Florida DUI law in full → · What the interlock costs in Florida → · Certified installers in Florida →
FR-44 questions in Florida
How long do you need an SR-22 in Florida?
3 years, counted from the date the FR-44 is filed to lift the suspension. That start date matters as much as the length: it decides whether time already served under suspension counts toward the period or whether the clock only begins when you get the licence back.
What does an FR-44 cost in Florida?
The filing fee itself is small. In Florida part of the increase is not a penalty at all: $100,000 per person, $300,000 per crash and $50,000 property damage — ten times the ordinary bodily-injury floor. A larger policy costs more before any risk rating is applied.
What happens if my FR-44 lapses in Florida?
The insurer tells the state, and the state acts on that notice rather than waiting for you to be caught driving. Expect the licence to go back to suspended, and expect to pay the reinstatement fee again to lift it. Filing a new certificate stops the bleeding but does not always restart the clock where you left it.
Do I need an FR-44 in Florida if I do not own a car?
Yes — that is what a non-owner policy is for. The requirement attaches to you rather than to a vehicle, so selling the car does not end it. What ends it is time, and in Florida that is 3 years.
Is the FR-44 the same thing as the ignition interlock in Florida?
No, and satisfying one does nothing for the other. The interlock is a condition on the vehicle and the licence, run in Florida by Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; the insurance requirement is a condition on your policy, handled by Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Both usually have to be in place before the state will reinstate, and they run on separate clocks that rarely end on the same day.
Attorney advertising. InterlockDeviceNearMe is not a law firm, does not practice law, and does not give legal advice. Nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. Requesting a consultation connects you with an independent attorney or a legal referral service, who decide separately whether to take your case. Case outcomes depend on facts we do not know, and no result is ever promised. Deadlines in DUI cases are short and vary by state — speak to a licensed attorney in your state before relying on anything you read here.