The power to restore driving privilege is almost exclusively in the hands of the Secretary of State’s Administrative Hearings Section (AHS)
In Michigan, there is a distinct difference between a suspension and a revocation of a driver’s license. With a suspension, a driver’s ability to drive is only taken away for a limited time and, once a certain time period has passed or the driver complies with a court order, driving privileges are restored.
Revocations are different: a revocation is a lifetime loss of driving privileges, and before privileges are restored a driver must comply with certain legal requirements of the Michigan Secretary of State, which always include an administrative review.
Most revocations of a driver's license in Michigan are for one year, but five-year revocations are imposed if the person has a prior revocation on his or her license in the seven years preceding the current revocation. In some cases delaying a criminal matter that will result in a revocation for a few weeks or months can mean the difference between a one-year and a five-year revocation.
Revocations are different: a revocation is a lifetime loss of driving privileges, and before privileges are restored a driver must comply with certain legal requirements of the Michigan Secretary of State, which always include an administrative review.
Most revocations of a driver's license in Michigan are for one year, but five-year revocations are imposed if the person has a prior revocation on his or her license in the seven years preceding the current revocation. In some cases delaying a criminal matter that will result in a revocation for a few weeks or months can mean the difference between a one-year and a five-year revocation.
