This article covers what happens once you win a Michigan license appeal — the restricted license, the ignition interlock, and everything that comes after the hearing itself. If you’re earlier in the process, our guide to winning a Michigan driver’s license restoration case walks through building and winning that case first. Remember, our firm guarantees to win every driver’s license restoration and clearance appeal case we take, so this is a rundown of what will take place once the hearing itself is behind you.
The Timeline After You Win a Michigan License Appeal
It can take up to 4 weeks to get a decision on an in-state Michigan license appeal, though it often arrives sooner. When you win, and if you’re a Michigan resident, the decision comes with instructions for installing your ignition interlock unit — including which companies are licensed to handle it — and a reminder to visit a Secretary of State Branch Office to pick up a physical copy of your restricted license.
For out-of-state clients who win a clearance that removes Michigan’s hold on their driving record, the outcome looks a little different. If your appeal is granted, Michigan notifies you that it has issued a “clearance,” which then allows you to obtain a license in your own state.
Your Restricted License and the Ignition Interlock
If you live in Michigan, you will almost certainly win a restricted license at this stage. You’ll need to install an ignition interlock — a breathalyzer built into the car — in whatever vehicle you drive, for at least one full year. You can keep driving on the restricted license with the interlock installed for as long as you want after that.
Some people go years, but we generally advise against that, because even the most innocent mechanical problem — a dead battery, or a false alcohol reading — can trigger an interlock violation that revokes your license all over again.
Once the first year is up, the best thing you can do is go back to OHAO (Michigan’s Office of Hearings and Administrative Oversight) and file a new appeal requesting removal of the interlock and a full, unrestricted license.
There are two types of restricted licenses, but in practice, the Secretary of State grants the general version far more often — the time-based version has become the exception rather than a real choice between equals.
The general restricted license lets you drive to, from, and during the course of employment, to and from school, to and from any necessary medical treatment, and to and from AA or another sobriety support group, with no time-of-day restrictions. If you’re on call, you can drive for work at any hour, or head to a 3 a.m. AA meeting if that’s where you need to be.
When the time-based version is granted, it allows you to drive for any reason during a set window — typically something like 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Hearing officers vary in how they handle this. Some may ask directly which type you’d prefer if you win, assuming you’re currently employed — if not, you’ll typically get the time-based license by default. Others default to the work-type license regardless, unless you’re on disability or in a similar situation. Either way, we can always seek to change the format from one type to the other.
Winning a Full, Unrestricted Michigan License Appeal
Here’s an important point: going from a restricted license to a full license — and getting the ignition interlock removed — requires going through another full appeal. That hearing, like the first, is conducted remotely over Microsoft Teams, so location is never a barrier either time. This second appeal is identical to the first, except you also have to bring a “Final Report” from the interlock company showing whether there have been any violations — including any missed or positive-for-alcohol readings — since installation.
Minor violations happen fairly often and aren’t a serious concern. A “major violation,” on the other hand, is a bigger deal — it will result in OHAO automatically revoking your license, and only considering giving it back if you timely request a hearing to determine why your license shouldn’t remain revoked.
In almost every case, within a period of days — but generally not longer than a month — most people find out whether they’ve won or lost. Of course, because we guarantee to win, our clients, for the most part, are simply waiting to hear that they’ve won, and to find out what comes next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you’ll find some of the questions we hear most often asked at this stage of the process — the kind of things people ask us again and again once they’ve won and are looking ahead.
Q. Is there any way to win a full license instead of a restricted license?
A. Technically, yes, but such outcomes are incredibly rare. If you live in Michigan, a restricted license is the only realistic option available at this stage.
Q. Is there any way to avoid getting an ignition interlock unit put on my car?
A. No. If you live in Michigan and win a restricted license, the ignition interlock is required in any vehicle you drive, for at least one full year — and it can only be removed after filing and winning another appeal once that year is up.
Q. How much does the ignition interlock cost?
A. This is why it’s called “FAQ,” and not “FA,” or “frequent answers.” We don’t quote an exact number here, since interlock providers set their own rates — but it’s not prohibitively expensive, and we can point you toward the best provider once you’re at that stage.
Q. How many letters of support do I need?
A. Rule 13, which governs license appeals, requires between 3 and 6 letters, and every one has to be notarized. Our firm requires a minimum of 4, and we’ve submitted as many as 8 on a single case.
Q. What should the letters say?
A. We help extensively with this, and we’ll go over it in detail once you come in.
Q. How do I get the letters to you, and how do I get the corrected copies back?
A. Email, fax, or regular mail all work — most people do it by email.
Q. Who should I call as a witness?
A. No one. Live witnesses aren’t part of how we build these cases — the hearing officer’s decision is based on your documentation, your testimony, and your letters of support, and we prepare every case that way.
Q. Do you have a place where I should go for the substance abuse evaluation?
A. Yes — we work with several evaluators. We’ll make sure that you’re referred to a counselor who will provide a clinically sound evaluation at a competitive price.
Q. I live far away, or out of state. Does that matter?
A. No. All hearings are done by video, and everything else related to the case — including the evaluation — can be done that way too, except for the legally required urine screen. That has to be done somewhere in person, like a local doctor’s office, lab, or urgent care. Nobody ever has any problem with this.
Q. Do I really need a lawyer to do this?
A. Legally speaking, no. We’ll be honest with you: plenty of people try this on their own first. What we see most often is those same people coming back to us a year later, ready to win a Michigan license appeal the right way — after a denial that could have been avoided.
Q. Why should I hire you?
A. Because driver’s license restoration and clearance appeals make up the vast majority of our practice — this isn’t a side focus for us, it’s most of what we do, and we help people win a Michigan license appeal far more often than most firms ever will. We only take cases we’re confident we can win — here’s how we screen every potential client — and once we do, we guarantee our work: we keep at it at no additional cost until you win.
Q. How much do you charge?
A. Our fees are published on our Fees page, and that’s always the most current number — pricing can change, so we’d rather point you there than quote something that might be out of date. Your first meeting with us is scheduled before your evaluation, on purpose, so we can spend that time preparing you for it and get the process started.
The license restoration process is involved. Its complexity doesn’t come from the governing rules themselves, but from how those rules get applied — and that’s something learned through experience. We can help someone who’s turned that corner in their life and gotten genuinely sober get back on the road.
We’re always glad to answer questions, and we have the best, and nicest staff, around. If you call our office, you’ll never feel pressured to make an appointment — we’ll simply answer your questions and invite you to call back with anything else that comes up.
In the end, if you hire us, we’ll stick with your case — continuing to work at no additional cost — until you win. If you decide to go another way, you’ll still hang up the phone pleasantly surprised at how helpful our staff and team were, and glad you called.
Whatever decision you make, take the time to think it through carefully. Just as there are no shortcuts to properly handling a license appeal, choosing who to hire deserves the same level of consideration.
Ready to win a Michigan license appeal, or just have questions about your case? Call our office at 586-465-1980 for a free, confidential phone consultation, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. An after-hours answering service is available any time, and you can also reach us through the contact form or chat box on our website. Learn more about our license restoration services.
About the Author
Jeff has been a practicing Michigan criminal lawyer, DUI attorney and driver’s license restoration lawyer for more than 30 years. He is passionate about winning and doing whatever it takes to accomplish that. He understands that a pending criminal or DUI charge is stressful and that being unable to legally drive is a huge problem.
