Section 40-5-64. Limited driving permits for certain offenders

   (a)  To whom issued.

   (1) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of Code Section 40-5-57 or 40-5-63 or any other Code section of this chapter, any person who has not been previously convicted or adjudicated delinquent for a violation of Code Section 40-6-391 within five years, as measured from the dates of previous arrests for which convictions were obtained or pleas of nolo contendere were accepted to the date of the current arrest for which a conviction is obtained or a plea of nolo contendere is accepted, may apply for a limited driving permit when and only when that person's driver's license has been suspended in accordance with paragraph (2) of subsection (a.1) of Code Section 40-5-22, subsection (d) of Code Section 40-5-57, paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code Section 40-5-63, paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code Section 40-5-67.2, or subsection (a) of Code Section 40-5-57.1, when the person is 18 years of age or older and his or her license was suspended for exceeding the speed limit by 24 miles per hour or more but less than 34 miles per hour, and the sentencing judge, in his or her discretion, decides it is reasonable to issue a limited driving permit.

   (2) Any person whose driver's license has been suspended as a result of a second conviction for violating Code Section 40-6-391 within five years, as measured from the dates of previous arrests for which convictions were obtained to the date of the current arrest for which a conviction is obtained, may apply for an ignition interlock limited driving permit after serving at least 120 days of the suspension required for such conviction and providing either a certificate of eligibility from a drug court program in the court in which he or she was convicted of the offense for which such suspension was imposed or by submitting proof of enrollment in clinical treatment as provided in Code Section 40-5-63.1. No person who has been granted an exemption from the ignition interlock device requirements of Article 7 of Chapter 8 of Title 42 shall be eligible for a limited driving permit or any other driving privilege for a period of one year.

   (3) To the extent a person is subject to more than one suspension for which a permit may be issued, the department shall not issue such permit unless the suspensions are for a conviction for driving under the influence in violation of Code Section 40-6-391 imposed pursuant to Code Section 40-5-63 and an administrative suspension imposed pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code Section 40-5-67.2 arising from the same incident.

(b) Application form. Applications for limited driving permits shall be made upon such forms as the commissioner may prescribe. Such forms shall require such information as is necessary for the department to determine the need for such permit. All applications shall be signed by the applicant before a person authorized to administer oaths.

(c) Standards for approval. The department shall issue a limited driving permit if the application indicates that refusal to issue such permit would cause extreme hardship to the applicant. Except as otherwise provided by subsection (c.1) of this Code section, for the purposes of this Code section, "extreme hardship" means that the applicant cannot reasonably obtain other transportation, and therefore the applicant would be prohibited from:

   (1) Going to his or her place of employment;

   (2) Receiving scheduled medical care or obtaining prescription drugs;

   (3) Attending a college or school at which he or she is regularly enrolled as a student;

   (4) Attending regularly scheduled sessions or meetings of support organizations for persons who have addiction or abuse problems related to alcohol or other drugs, which organizations are recognized by the commissioner;

   (5) Attending under court order any driver education or improvement school or alcohol or drug program or course approved by the court which entered the judgment of conviction resulting in suspension of his or her driver's license or by the commissioner;

   (6) Attending court, reporting to a probation office or officer, or performing community service; or

   (7) Transporting an immediate family member who does not hold a valid driver's license for work, medical care, or prescriptions or to school.

(c.1) Exception to standards for approval.

   (1) The provisions of paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5) of subsection (c) of this Code section shall not apply and shall not be considered for purposes of granting a limited driving permit or imposing conditions thereon under this Code section in the case of a driver's license suspension under paragraph (2) of subsection (a.1) of Code Section 40-5-22.

   (2) An ignition interlock device limited driving permit shall be restricted to allow the holder thereof to drive solely for the following purposes:

      (A) Going to his or her place of employment;

      (B) Attending a college or school at which he or she is regularly enrolled as a student;

      (C) Attending regularly scheduled sessions or meetings of treatment support organizations for persons who have addiction or abuse problems related to alcohol or other drugs, which organizations are recognized by the commissioner; and

      (D) Going for monthly monitoring visits with the permit holder's ignition interlock device service provider.

(d)  Conditions attached. A limited driving permit shall be endorsed with such conditions as the commissioner deems necessary to ensure that such permit will be used by the permittee only to avoid the conditions of extreme hardship. Such conditions may include the following restrictions:

   (1) Specific places between which the permittee may be allowed to operate a motor vehicle;

   (2) Routes to be followed by the permittee;

   (3) Times of travel;

   (4) The specific vehicles which the permittee may operate;

   (4.1) The installation and use of an ignition interlock device in accordance with Article 7 of Chapter 8 of Title 42, which shall be required for any permittee who is applying for an ignition interlock limited driving permit; and

   (5) Such other restrictions as the department may require.

(e)  Fees, duration, renewal, and replacement of permit.

   (1) A permit issued pursuant to this Code section shall be $25.00 and shall become invalid upon the driver's eighteenth birthday in the case of a suspension under paragraph (2) of subsection (a.1) of Code Section 40-5-22, upon the expiration of one year following issuance thereof in the case of a suspension for an offense listed in Code Section 40-5-54 or a suspension under Code Section 40-5-57 or a suspension in accordance with paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code Section 40-5-63 for a violation of Code Section 40-6-391, or upon the expiration of 30 days in the case of an administrative license suspension in accordance with paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code Section 40-5-67.2; except that such limited driving permit shall expire upon any earlier reinstatement of the driver's license. A person may apply to the department for a limited driving permit immediately following such conviction if he or she has surrendered his or her driver's license to the court in which the conviction was adjudged or to the department if the department has processed the citation or conviction. Upon the applicant's execution of an affidavit attesting to such facts and to the fact that the court had not imposed a suspension or revocation of his or her driver's license or driving privileges inconsistent with the driving privileges to be conferred by the limited driving permit applied for, the department may issue such person a limited driving permit. Permits issued pursuant to this Code section are renewable upon payment of a renewal fee of $5.00. Permits may be renewed until the person has his or her license reinstated for the violation that was the basis of the issuance of the permit. Upon payment of a fee in an amount the same as that provided by Code Section 40-5-25 for issuance of a Class C driver's license, a person may be issued a replacement for a lost or destroyed limited driving permit issued to him or her.

   (2) An ignition interlock device limited driving permit shall be valid for a period of one year. Upon successful completion of one year of monitoring of such ignition interlock device, the restriction for maintaining and using such ignition interlock device shall be removed, and the permit may be renewed for additional periods of two months as provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection.

(f)  Liability of issuing officer. No official or employee of the department shall be criminally or civilly liable or subject to being held in contempt of court for issuing a limited driving permit in reliance on the truth of the affidavits required by this Code section.

(g)  Revocation of permit.

   (1) (A) Any permittee who is convicted of violating any state law or local ordinance relating to the movement of vehicles or any permittee who is convicted of violating the conditions endorsed on his or her permit shall have his or her permit revoked by the department. Any court in which such conviction is had shall require the permittee to surrender the permit to the court, and the court shall forward it to the department within ten days after the conviction, with a copy of the conviction.

      (B) Upon receipt of notice from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities that a permittee who is required to complete a substance abuse treatment program pursuant to Code Section 40-5-63.1 enrolled in but failed to attend or complete such program as scheduled, the department shall revoke such person's limited driving permit and, by regular mail to his or her last known address, notify such person of such revocation. Such notice of revocation shall inform the person of the grounds for and effective date of the revocation and of the right to review. The notice of revocation shall be deemed received three days after mailing.

      (C) Upon receipt of notice from a provider center for ignition interlock devices that an ignition interlock device which a permittee is required to use has been tampered with or the permittee has failed to report for monitoring of such device as required by law, the department shall revoke such permittee's limited driving permit and, by regular mail to his or her last known address, notify such person of such revocation. Such notice of revocation shall inform the person of the grounds for and effective date of the revocation and of the right to review. The notice of revocation shall be deemed received three days after mailing.

   (2) Any person whose limited driving permit has been revoked shall not be eligible to apply for a driver's license until six months from the date such permit was surrendered to the department. In any case of revocation of a limited driving permit pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of this subsection, the department may impose an additional period of suspension for the conviction upon which revocation of the permit was based.

(h)  Hearings. Any person whose permit has been revoked or who has been refused a permit by the department may make a request in writing for a hearing to be provided by the department. Such hearing shall be provided by the department within 30 days after the receipt of such request and shall follow the procedures required by Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act." Appeal from such hearing shall be in accordance with said chapter.

(i)  Rules and regulations. The commissioner may promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement this Code section.

(j)  Penalty. Any permittee who operates a motor vehicle in violation of any condition specified on the permit shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Code 1933, § 68B-311, enacted by Ga. L. 1975, p. 1008, § 1; Ga. L. 1977, p. 648, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 225, § 3; Ga. L. 1983, p. 1000, § 7; Ga. L. 1985, p. 149, § 40; Ga. L. 1985, p. 758, § 9; Ga. L. 1990, p. 2048, § 4; Ga. L. 1992, p. 779, § 21; Ga. L. 1992, p. 2564, § 3; Ga. L. 1992, p. 2785, § 11; Ga. L. 1994, p. 1600, § 1; Ga. L. 1997, p. 760, § 18; Ga. L. 1999, p. 391, § 5; Ga. L. 2000, p. 951, § 5-27; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1457, § 4; Ga. L. 2002, p. 1324, § 1-20; Ga. L. 2003, p. 796, § 1; Ga. L. 2004, p. 471, § 6; Ga. L. 2006, p. 449, § 10/HB 1253; Ga. L. 2008, p. 171, § 7/HB 1111; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 3-4/HB 228; Ga. L. 2010, p. 199, § 3/HB 258; Ga. L. 2010, p. 932, § 14/HB 396; Ga. L. 2011, p. 355, § 8/HB 269; Ga. L. 2012, p. 72, § 5/SB 236; Ga. L. 2013, p. 878, § 2/HB 407.