SR-22 in Georgia after a DUI
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Georgia requires an SR-22 for 3 years, counted from the date of conviction. It is filed by your insurer with Georgia Department of Driver Services — you cannot buy it separately and no company sells a cheaper version of it.
Georgia requires the SR-22 to be filed and maintained for three years from the date of conviction — measured from conviction rather than from reinstatement, which is unusual and means time served under suspension counts toward it. The bigger change is recent. Rules adopted to implement SB 121 in 2025 set separate minimum liability limits for DUI convictions: higher after the first, higher again after a second. Most SR-22 comparison pages still quote Georgia’s ordinary minimums.
| What Georgia requires | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form | SR-22 |
| How long | 3 years |
| Clock starts | the date of conviction |
| Filed with | Georgia Department of Driver Services |
| Liability limits | Since SB 121 (2025): $50,000/$100,000/$50,000 after a first DUI conviction, and $100,000/$300,000/$100,000 after a second or subsequent one — against the ordinary $25,000/$50,000/$25,000. |
| Source | Georgia DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24, Reinstatement Procedures for DUI Suspensions · checked 2026-09-06 |
The part of the Georgia rule that catches people
A premium-financed SR-22 that is cancelled for non-payment locks you out: the Department will not accept another premium-financed SR-22 for twelve months from the date the original was accepted.
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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia
Georgia Department of Driver Services, with court authorization for repeat offenses runs the interlock programme here, and a first offence carries set by the permit rules: a second DUI within five years requires the interlock permit under O.C.G.A. 40-5-63(a)(2), and anyone excused from the device on financial hardship grounds gets no limited permit until the required period is served 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. The device itself runs about $75 a month in Georgia before the installation and removal charges.
Georgia DUI law in full → · What the interlock costs in Georgia → · Certified installers in Georgia →
SR-22 questions in Georgia
How long do you need an SR-22 in Georgia?
3 years, counted from the date of conviction. 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 SR-22 cost in Georgia?
The filing fee itself is small. In Georgia part of the increase is not a penalty at all: Since SB 121 (2025): $50,000/$100,000/$50,000 after a first DUI conviction, and $100,000/$300,000/$100,000 after a second or subsequent one — against the ordinary $25,000/$50,000/$25,000. A larger policy costs more before any risk rating is applied.
What happens if my SR-22 lapses in Georgia?
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 SR-22 in Georgia 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 Georgia that is 3 years.
Is the SR-22 the same thing as the ignition interlock in Georgia?
No, and satisfying one does nothing for the other. The interlock is a condition on the vehicle and the licence, run in Georgia by Georgia Department of Driver Services, with court authorization for repeat offenses; the insurance requirement is a condition on your policy, handled by Georgia Department of Driver Services. 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.