If a person charged with an expired driver's license obtains a valid driver's license within 20 working days, the court may dismiss the charge and assess a $20 fee.

• A. False
• B. Only if there is prior conviction
• C. Only if the person is a first-time offender
• D. True

Answer: (D)

A key idea here is that timely license reinstatement can clear the charge. If someone is charged with driving with an expired license and they obtain a valid license within 20 working days, the court may dismiss the charge and assess a $20 fee. This is discretionary: the court may choose to dismiss, but it isn’t forced to do so. The 20 working days provide a reasonable window to fix the violation, and weekends and holidays aren’t counted as part of that period.

The rule isn’t limited by whether the person has prior convictions or is a first-time offender; it applies to eligible defendants who renew within the window. The $20 is an administrative dismissal fee paid to the clerk, not a punitive fine. In practice, having proof of renewed license within the deadline is the key step to trigger dismissal.