Legal Question in Traffic Law in New Jersey

suspended nj license...confusing one

Ok..this is pretty confusing. I used to live in NJ- had a NJ license. I got quite a few points on my license...was not suspended, and then moved to PA. I then turned in my NJ license to PA, and recieved my PA license. I have now lived in PA for about 7 years. Over the years, I have recieved notices about my NJ surcharges. My question is this: I was pulled over for speeding in NJ recently..when the officer ran my PA license...he then inoformed me that my NJ license was suspended....and that meant I was not allowed to drive home. He also informed me of a unpaid ticket from years ago..that was not paid and was now a warrant. I paid the unpaid ticket, and then I recieved a ticket for driving while suspended...but rather than my PA license # on the ticket...my NJ license # is on there...which I turned in and has expired years ago. The officer told me to take care of the suspension before the court date. My question is: if the suspension is due to the unpaid surcharges...and I cannot afford to pay them the total amount...and cannot take care of the suspension and restoration in time....is this going to have an effect on my PA license? Im so confused as to what is going to happen.


Asked on 11/27/04, 4:38 pm

3 Answers from Attorneys
Rafael Gomez Rafael Gomez, Attorney at Law, P.C.

Re: suspended nj license...confusing one

This is what happened. NJ suspended your privilege to drive in the state of NJ. It has not yet requested that PA suspend your PA license, even though it has the power to do so under the power of the Interstate Compact which neighboring States sign onto to give full force and effect to their laws. Your NJ license number will always exist in the NJ dmv files. That number is assigned to you. So when NJ suspends your NJ priveleges it has that number to use as a reference for all of your violations. So if you're caught driving through NJ and you hand the officer your PA license, the PA license will automatically cross-reference to your NJ license and that's why the NJ officer writes the NJ license number on your NJ ticket rather than your PA license number. So far you've been lucky that your PA license has not been suspended yet at the request of NJ. If you cannot afford your surcharges, you should consult a bankruptcy attorney in PA to determine whether you may be able to discharge this debt in bankruptcy. I have represented many people in NJ whose surcharges I was able to discharge in bankrupcty. However, you should check in the state in which you live because each district has its own rules about this.

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Answered on 11/27/04, 7:55 pm
Marc V. Taiani AAAL - Allegheny Attorneys At Law

Re: suspended nj license...confusing one

YES this will effect your PA License...even though there is no reciprocity as is it relates to out of state points for PA, your PA license can and should have been suspended because your initial NJ license was suspended. In essence you need to delay the hearing until you can make all of the necessary restoration or you are looking at a license suspension of possibly one year!

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Answered on 11/27/04, 10:42 pm
Michael Carroll Michael D. Carroll, L.L.C.

Re: suspended nj license...confusing one

This can affect the status of your PA license. You should contact NJ DMV and attempt to get into a payment schedule for the surcharges. If you get into a payment arrangement, you may be able to get the NJ suspension lifted.

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Answered on 11/29/04, 12:23 pm


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