Massachusetts Registry News

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently decided Commonwealth v. Chown, wherein the Court announced rulings which govern the legal requirement to obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license upon becoming a Mass. resident. A Barnstable Police Sergeant stopped Chown for speeding. He noticed that Chown had a valid Canadian Driver’s License and an expired Massachusetts License. If […]

When the Registry of Motor Vehicles intends to suspend your driver’s license and/or right to operate a motor vehicle in Massachusetts, for 3 or 7 Surchargeable Events, you will receive written notice in advance. The Registry will send the license suspension notice to you mailing address which is on file with the RMV.  If you

Massachusetts Police officers recently filed an immediate threat report and medical complaint with the Driver Control Unit of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles in two high profile incidents. Upon receipt of such a report, the RMV may immediately and indefinitely revokes the driver’s license of the person named therein. The standard required for an

With the RMV’s facial recognition system, the Registry is uncovering false license records which were generated many years ago. If you have received a letter from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles stating that your right to operate has been revoked indefinitely due to a comp fraud lic/id, that means that the Registry believes that

I routinely get questions regarding whether the Massachusetts RMV runs drivers license suspensions consecutively or concurrently. The answer to this common question is: it depends on the license suspension reason. Melanie’s law requires the Mass RMV to “stack” breathalyzer failure and breath test refusal suspensions against drunk driving convictions triggered by the same OUI.  Massachusetts

I recently received this inquiry regarding out of state license suspensions. I am a Minnesota resident/driver. I was suspended in New Mexico for a year for a breath test refusal which is now clear/reinstated. My home state Minnesota revoked me for New Mexico, and Mass. has suspended me for both of those even though I

The highest court in Massachusetts ruled today that the odor of burnt marijuana does not supply the police with reasonable suspicion to believe that a crime is being committed. In the case of Commonwealth v. Benjamin Cruz, the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court held that because possession of one ounce or less of marijuana is not

If you are serious about getting your license reinstated, the time to hire a lawyer to represent you is before your Board of Appeal hearing. It is usually too late after the Board heard your case and denied your appeal. In September of 2009, I spoke with a gentleman who had a 2 year suspension

If you have received a letter from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles which states that your license is indefinitely revoked for “COMP FRAUD LIC/ID,” this means that the Registry has found evidence that you fraudulently obtained a license or identification card. In most cases, these “COMP FRAUD LIC/ID”  revocations are triggered when the Registry