You can run a Broward County driver’s license check for free at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles portal, mydmvportal.flhsmv.gov.1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver License Check The check takes about 30 seconds, needs only your license number, and returns your current status: valid, suspended, or revoked. In Broward, an unresolved traffic citation is the most common reason a license quietly ends up suspended without the driver knowing.
Running the Check
The Broward County Clerk of Courts links to the same FLHSMV tool from its own website, so it doesn’t matter which door you use. On the page, type your Florida driver’s license number in the format shown (for example, Z123-456-78-901-0). Hyphens are optional. Complete the CAPTCHA and click search. The system pulls your record from the state database and displays your status.
Your Florida license number is 13 characters: the first letter of your last name followed by 12 digits.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Florida Driver’s License and ID Card Information Copy it exactly from your physical card. One wrong digit returns no results, and the system will not guess what you meant.
If you want a formal record rather than a status snapshot, FLHSMV charges $8 for a three-year driving history and $10 for a seven-year record or a certified copy.3Florida Statutes. Florida Code 322.20 – Records of the Department; Fees; Destruction of Records For most drivers just trying to confirm they can legally drive, the free check is enough.
What Each Status Means
A Valid status means your driving privileges are current with no holds or restrictions. You’re clear to drive.
A Suspended status means the state has temporarily pulled your driving privileges. Common triggers include unpaid citations, missed court dates, a lapsed insurance policy, or too many points on your record. The word that matters here is “temporarily.” Once you resolve the underlying issue and pay a reinstatement fee, you can get your license back.
A Revoked status is heavier. Revocation means the state has terminated your driving privileges, and you can’t clear it by paying a fee. Florida law reserves revocation for specific offenses: DUI, vehicular manslaughter, using a vehicle to commit a felony, leaving the scene of a crash involving injuries, and three reckless driving convictions within 12 months.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.26 – Mandatory Revocation of License by Department Getting a revoked license back involves waiting out the revocation period and going through a formal reinstatement or hardship application.
If Your Status Isn’t Valid: Check the Broward Clerk
When the FLHSMV check returns anything other than Valid, the problem in Broward County usually traces back to a traffic citation. The Broward County Clerk of Courts runs a separate case search where you can look up pending citations, outstanding fines, and missed court dates.5Broward County Clerk of Courts. Case Search – Public Outstanding balances can be paid through the Clerk’s online payment portal.6PayItBrowardClerk. PayItBrowardClerk – Broward County Clerk of Courts Payment Portal
The chain from ticket to suspension is short. Under Florida law, if you fail to pay a traffic penalty on time, skip driver improvement school, or miss a hearing, the Clerk notifies FLHSMV within 10 days. The department then mails a suspension order that takes effect 20 days later.7Florida Senate. Florida Code 318.15 – Failure to Comply With Civil Penalty or to Appear; Penalty That suspension stays on your record for seven years even after you eventually clear it. Many drivers find out only during a traffic stop.
Base fines vary by offense and start at $30 for a nonmoving violation and $60 for a standard moving violation, with speeding tickets ranging from $25 up to $250 depending on how far over the limit you were.8Florida Statutes. Florida Code 318.18 – Amount of Penalties Court costs, surcharges, and county fees push the actual amount higher, and fines double in school zones and construction zones. If a ticket already went unpaid long enough to suspend your license, add a reinstatement fee on top.
How to Get Your License Back
Reinstatement is a sequence, not a single payment. Skip any step and your license stays suspended even after you’ve paid the fine.
For a suspension caused by an unpaid Broward citation or a missed court date, contact the traffic court in the county where the citation was issued and satisfy what the court requires: paying the fine, attending a hearing, or completing driver improvement school. Once that’s done, the Clerk’s office electronically notifies FLHSMV that you’re cleared. You then pay a reinstatement fee at any Florida driver license service center or by calling 850-617-3000.9Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Traffic Citations or Court Suspensions
For a citation from another state, get a paid receipt with the court seal from the county where you were ticketed, then take that proof to a Florida service center or mail it to the Bureau of Motorist Compliance in Tallahassee along with the reinstatement fee.9Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Traffic Citations or Court Suspensions
Paying the original fine and paying the reinstatement fee are two separate obligations. Clearing one does not clear the other. After you’ve done both, run the FLHSMV check again to confirm your status has flipped back to Valid.
For traffic citation resolution in Broward specifically, the Clerk of Courts operates its own offices and online payment system, and that’s where the court requirement gets satisfied before FLHSMV will process anything.10Broward County Clerk of Courts. Traffic and Misdemeanor
Don’t Drive on It in the Meantime
Getting caught driving on a suspended or revoked license carries criminal penalties that climb with each offense. If you knew about the suspension, and the state assumes you did once FLHSMV mailed notice to your address on file, the charges are:11Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.34 – Driving While License Suspended, Revoked, Canceled, or Disqualified
- First offense: second-degree misdemeanor, up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine
- Second offense: first-degree misdemeanor, up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine
- Third offense: first-degree misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum of 10 days in jail
The charge jumps to a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, on a third or subsequent offense if any of the violations involved a DUI-related suspension, a refused breath test, a crash causing death or serious injury, or fleeing law enforcement.11Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.34 – Driving While License Suspended, Revoked, Canceled, or Disqualified Habitual traffic offenders who drive while revoked face an automatic third-degree felony regardless of prior offenses.
Not knowing your license was suspended doesn’t erase the ticket. It avoids the criminal charge but still counts as a moving violation with points added to your record. Running the free check before you drive is the cheapest way to keep this from happening.
If You Need to Drive While Suspended
If your license is suspended or revoked and you need to drive for work, school, medical appointments, or church, you may qualify for a restricted license. Florida offers two types:12Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.271 – Authority to Modify Revocation, Cancellation, or Suspension Order
- Business purposes only, which covers driving to and from work, on-the-job driving, and trips for education, church, and medical needs
- Employment purposes only, limited strictly to commuting and driving required by your employer
To qualify, you have to show FLHSMV that losing your license creates a genuine hardship, meaning you can’t maintain your livelihood or support your family without driving. The department typically requires completion of an approved driver training course, or for DUI-related suspensions, a substance abuse education course and evaluation. Letters of recommendation from community members, law enforcement, or judges may also be required.12Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.271 – Authority to Modify Revocation, Cancellation, or Suspension Order
Two limits worth knowing. Drivers with two or more DUI convictions, or two or more breath-test refusal suspensions, generally aren’t eligible for any restricted license. And driving outside the purposes on your restricted permit is treated the same as driving on a suspended license, with the same escalating criminal exposure.