§ 50–1301.37. Suspension of license and registration for certain convictions; effect of proof of financial responsibility; vehicles owned or leased by the United States, a state, or a political subdivision thereof; suspension for foreign convictions.

(a) The license and registration of all vehicles registered in the name of any person who by a final order or judgment shall have been convicted of, or shall have forfeited any bond or collateral given to secure appearance for trial for a violation of any of the following provisions of law: (1) operating a motor vehicle while the person is intoxicated as defined by § 50-2206.01(9), or while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug or any combination thereof, or while the ability to operate a vehicle is impaired by the consumption of intoxicating liquor, or an individual under 21 years of age operating a motor vehicle when the individual’s blood, breath, or urine contains any measurable amount of alcohol; (2) any homicide committed by means of a motor vehicle; (3) leaving the scene of an accident in which the motor vehicle driven by him was involved and in which there is personal injury, without giving assistance or making known his identity and address and the identity and address of the owner of said vehicle; (4) aggravated reckless driving; (5) any felony in the commission of which a motor vehicle is used; or (6) a conviction of, or forfeiture of bail or collateral for an offense in any state which, if committed in the District of Columbia, would be one of the offenses listed in clauses (1) through (5) of this subsection; shall be suspended by the Mayor and shall remain so suspended and shall not at any time thereafter be renewed, nor shall any other motor vehicle be thereafter registered in the name of such person as owner, except that: (1) if such owner has previously given or shall immediately give and thereafter maintain proof of financial responsibility for the future with respect to all such vehicles registered by such person as the owner, the Mayor shall not suspend such registration unless otherwise required or permitted by law; or (2) if a conviction arose out of the operation, with permission, of a vehicle owned by or leased to the United States, the District of Columbia, a state, or a political subdivision of a state or a municipality thereof, the Mayor shall not suspend the registration of any vehicle so owned or leased. If such person be not a resident of the District of Columbia, the privilege of operating any motor vehicle in the District of Columbia and the privilege of operation within the District of Columbia of any motor vehicle owned by him shall be suspended until he shall have furnished proof of financial responsibility for the future with respect to all such vehicles registered by such person as the owner, and such person shall not be allowed a license, nor shall such owner be allowed to register any vehicle in the District of Columbia, until he has complied with the requirements of this subchapter to the same extent that would be necessary if, at the time of the conviction or forfeiture, he had held a license or had been the owner of a vehicle registered in the District of Columbia.

(b) Upon receipt of a certification from any state that the operating privilege of a resident of the District of Columbia has been suspended or revoked pursuant to a law providing for such suspension or revocation for a conviction or forfeiture under circumstances which would require the Mayor to suspend a nonresident’s operating privilege had the offense occurred in the District of Columbia, the Mayor shall suspend the license of such resident and the registration of all vehicles registered in his name.

(May 25, 1954, 68 Stat. 130, ch. 222, § 37; Aug. 28, 1958, 72 Stat. 955, Pub. L. 85-792, § 9; Sept. 8, 1960, 74 Stat. 862, Pub. L. 86-730, § 5; Aug. 5, 1981, D.C. Law 4-29, § 604(b)(2), 28 DCR 3081; Sept. 14, 1982, D.C. Law 4-145, § 9, 29 DCR 3138; Mar. 9, 1983, D.C. Law 4-174, § 13, 29 DCR 5753; May 24, 1994, D.C. Law 10-122, § 5, 41 DCR 1658; Apr. 13, 1999, D.C. Law 12-212, § 3, 46 DCR 5; Mar. 2, 2007, D.C. Law 16-195, § 7, 53 DCR 8675; Apr. 27, 2013, D.C. Law 19-266, § 306, 59 DCR 12957; June 8, 2013, D.C. Law 19-316, § 4, 60 DCR 1713; Apr. 20, 2024, D.C. Law 25-161, § 3(e), 71 DCR 2248.)

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 40-437.

1973 Ed., § 40-453.

Effect of Amendments

D.C. Law 16-195, in subsec. (a), substituted “person’s alcohol concentration is 0.08 grams or more either per 100 milliliters of blood or per 210 liters of breath or is 0.10 grams or more per 100 milliliters of urine” for “individual’s blood contains .08% or more, by weight, of alcohol, or while .38 micrograms or more of alcohol are contained in 1 milliliter of defendant’s breath, consisting substantially of alveolar air, or while defendant’s urine contains .10% or more, by weight, of alcohol”.

The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 19-266 substituted “person is intoxicated as defined by § 50-2206.01(9)” for “person’s alcohol concentration is 0.08 grams or more either per 100 milliliters of blood or per 210 liters of breath or is 0.10 grams or more per 100 milliliters of urine” in (a).

The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 19-316 substituted “aggravated reckless driving” for “reckless driving involving personal injury” in (a)(4).

Expiration of Law

Expiration of Law 12-212

Section 8(b) of D.C. Law 12-212, which provided that the act shall expire on September 30, 2000, was repealed by section 4 of D.C. Law 13-238.

Applicability

Applicability of D.C. Law 25-161: § 8 of D.C. Law 25-161 provided that the change made to this section by § 3(e) of D.C. Law 25-161 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.

Emergency Legislation

For temporary (90-day) repeal of expiration date of section, see § 4 of the Driving Under the Influence Repeat Offenders Emergency Amendment Act of 2000 (D.C. Act 13-382, July 24, 2000, 47 DCR 6697).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 4 of the Driving Under the Influence Repeat Offenders Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2000 (D.C. Act 13-437, October 20, 2000, 47 DCR 8737).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 4(d) of Anti-Drunk Driving Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2006 (D.C. Act 16-469, July 31, 2006, 53 DCR 6764).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 7 of Anti-Drunk Driving Clarification Second Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2006 (D.C. Act 16-518, October 27, 2006, 53 DCR 9104).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 7 of Anti-Drunk Driving Clarification Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2007 (D.C. Act 17-6, January 16, 2007, 54 DCR 1452).

For temporary amendment of (a), see § 306 of the Comprehensive Impaired Driving and Alcohol Testing Program Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-508, October 26, 2012, 59 DCR 12774).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 306 of the Comprehensive Impaired Driving and Alcohol Testing Program Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-3, January 29, 2013, 60 DCR 2762, 20 DCSTAT 410).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 306 of the Comprehensive Impaired Driving and Alcohol Testing Program Second Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-51, April 17, 2013, 60 DCR 6344, 20 DCSTAT 1360).

For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 4 of the Reckless Driving Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-75, May 23, 2013, 60 DCR 7597, 20 DCSTAT 1428).

Temporary Legislation

For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 4 of Underage Drinking Temporary Amendment Act of 1993 (D.C. Law 10-12, September 11, 1993, law notification 40 DCR 6834).

For temporary (225 day) amendment of section, see § 4 of Driving Under the Influence Repeat Offenders Temporary Amendment Act of 2000 (D.C. Law 13-198, October 21, 2000, law notification 47 DCR 8988).

Editor's Notes

Section 8 of D.C. Law 19-316 provided that the act shall apply as of June 1, 2013.