At some point in your life, you probably left the house and got in your car without realizing that you didn’t have your driver’s license with you. Hopefully you were able to retrieve your license in short order, but are you actually in violation of the law if you don’t have your driver’s license in your possession while you’re driving? Let’s explore driver’s license possession laws in Minnesota in today’s blog.
Do I Need My Physical Driver’s License To Drive?
You are legally required to carry your physical driver’s license with you when you are behind the wheel in Minnesota. Simply having a valid license but not carrying it with you is considered illegal and a punishable offense. Here’s what the law says:
“Every licensee shall have the license in immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle and shall display it upon demand of a peace officer, an authorized representative of the department, or an officer authorized by law to enforce the laws relating to the operation of motor vehicles on public streets and highways.”
In other words, you need to carry your physical driver’s license with you at all times when you are driving in Minnesota, and you can be cited by an officer who pulls you over and finds that you are not carrying your license with you. A citation typically runs between $140-$200, which is more than anyone wants to pay for a simple mistake.
However, Minnesota understands that we all make mistakes at times and has a resolution that we think is pretty fair. The statute goes on to state:
“No person charged with violating the possession requirement shall be convicted if the person produces in court or the office of the arresting officer a driver’s license previously issued to that person for the class of vehicle being driven which was valid at the time of arrest or satisfactory proof that at the time of the arrest the person was validly licensed for the class of vehicle being driven.”
So although you may be cited for driving without a license, you can have the citation dismissed if you can prove to the court or the arresting police department that you had a valid physical driver’s license at the time you were pulled over. Heading down to the department or the courthouse with your driver’s license can help clear this all up.
Finally, it’s worth noting that although you can go and get your driver’s license issue cleared up, doing this won’t get police to drop any other citations associated with your traffic stop. Police cannot just stop you to see if you have your driver’s license with you, they would need to witness some other infraction that warranted the need to conduct a traffic stop where they would eventually uncover that you did not have your physical license. If you were originally stopped for speeding, rolling a stop sign or distracted driving, you will still have to contest these offenses in court.
You can likely handle a driver’s license possession on your own, but if you need help with another type of traffic charge, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm at (952) 224-2277.
