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Texas insurance glossary

Occupational driver license

An occupational driver license is a restricted Texas license that lets a suspended driver operate a non-commercial vehicle for work, school or essential household duties.

Sources checked

Texas Transportation Code ch. 521, subchapter L governs it. The petition goes to a court, and § 521.242 allows the judge to deny it where the petitioner cannot present evidence of financial responsibility under ch. 601 — which in practice means an SR-22.

The statute is uniform statewide; the court is not. The clerk, the forms, the fees and the hearing all vary by county, which is why the genuinely useful guidance is county-level rather than general.

Texans also call it an essential need license. The statewide procedure is here, and the filing itself is on the SR-22 page.

Sources: Texas DPS — occupational driver license; Texas DPS — occupational license FAQ (section 12); Tex. Transp. Code ch. 521, subch. L — occupational driver licenses. Verified .

A definition, not legal advice and not a quote. Rules and figures change; confirm your own situation against the source named above, or with us, before you act on it. Last checked .

See also

  • Essential need license Essential need license is the everyday name for an occupational driver license, taken from the statutory test the petitioner has to satisfy.
  • SR-22 An SR-22 is a certificate a Texas insurer files with the Department of Public Safety to prove a driver carries at least the minimum liability coverage Chapter 601 requires.
  • Financial responsibility Financial responsibility is the Texas requirement that a person be able to answer for the damage they cause with a vehicle, most commonly satisfied by a liability policy.
  • DWI DWI is driving while intoxicated: the Texas offense of operating a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated, under Penal Code § 49.04.

Where this is handled

A definition does not file anything. When the suspension date is closer than the research, one independent agency on FM 1959 can transmit the SR-22 to the DPS and tell you what the state wants before you pay anyone anything.

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