Missouri New Resident Guide

Licensing and Residency Requirements

• You have 30 days from the date of becoming a Missouri resident to title your vehicle.
• As soon as you establish residency in Missouri, you must apply and pay for a Missouri driver license at a Missouri license office. You may surrender a valid current driver license (or one that is expired 184 days or less) from another U.S. state to the state of Missouri to waive your Missouri skills and written tests. All applicants are required to pass the Missouri road sign recognition and vision tests.
• In order to change your name on a vehicle registration, you will need to apply for a new title in your new name.
• To change the name that appears on your Missouri driver license, take acceptable documentation of your legal name change to a Missouri driver license office after you get married, divorced, etc. You may then apply and pay for a duplicate driver license with your new name. You will be asked to retake your photo and sign the document. If your Missouri driver license is within 6 months (184 days) of expiring, you may be eligible to renew your driver license early (instead of just receiving a duplicate of the old license).

Violation Point Counts

The amount of points that go against your driver's license for specific types of violations.

The number of points you receive depends on the conviction. The following are examples of some state law violations and the point values associated with them:

If you accumulate a total of 4 points in 12 months, the Department of Revenue will send you a point accumulation advisory letter.

If you accumulate a total of 8 or more points in 18 months, the Department of Revenue will suspend your driving privilege.

• 1st suspension - 30 days
• 2nd suspension - 60 days
• 3rd or more suspensions - 90 days

The Department of Revenue will revoke your driving privilege for one year if you accumulate:

• 12 or more points in 12 months
• 18 or more points in 24 months
• 24 or more points in 36 months

When your driving privilege is reinstated following a Point Suspension or Revocation, the Department of Revenue reduces your total points to 4.

Every year you drive without getting new points on your record, the points will be reduced.

• 1 year - total remaining points reduced by one-third
• 2 years - remaining points reduced by one-half
• 3 years - points reduced to zero

Although your points may be reduced to zero, certain types of convictions must remain listed permanently on your Missouri driver record.

Headlight Laws

You must dim your headlights from high to low beam when you are within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle or within 300 feet of a vehicle traveling ahead of you.

You must use your headlights:

• From 1/2 hour after sunset until 1/2 hour before sunrise
• Any time weather conditions require the use of your windshield wipers

On February 3, 2014, a US District Court in Missouri ordered the City of Ellisville to stop enforcing its ordinance against flashing headlights as a speed trap warning because the ordinance violated drivers' First Amendment rights and was not an obstruction of police justice. The ruling only granted a preliminary injunction, and hearing on a permanent injunction is pending.

DUI Penalties

First offense (Class B Misdemeanor)

• Up to 6 months imprisonment
• Up to $500 fine
• License suspension 30 days, plus 60 days restricted driving privileges
• Court may order ignition interlock 6 months after license reinstatement

Prior offender (Class A Misdemeanor) (1 previous offense within 5 years)

• Up to 1 year imprisonment
• Up to $1,000 fine
• Court may order 30 days community service as condition of parole/probation
• 2 - 5 years license suspension
• Court must order ignition interlock 6 months after license reinstatement

Persistent offender (Class D Felony) (2 previous offenses within 5 years)

• Up to 4 years imprisonment
• Up to $5,000 fine
• Court may order 60 days community service as condition of parole/probation.
• 3 - 10 years license suspension

Aggravated offender (Class C Felony) (3 or more previous offenses within 5 years, or 1 or more previous vehicular homicide/assault convictions where alcohol was involved)

• Up to 7 years imprisonment
• Up to $5,000 fine
• Court must order ignition interlock 6 months after license reinstatement
• 3 - 10 years license suspension

Chronic offender (Class B Felony) (4 or more previous offenses, 2 or more vehicular homicide/assault convictions where alcohol was involved, or 2 or more previous offenses and any vehicular homicide/assault conviction)

• 5 - 15 years imprisonment
• 3 - 10 years license suspension
• Court must order ignition interlock 6 months after license reinstatement

Other

Child endangerment (child under age 17 in vehicle)

• Up to 1 year imprisonment
• Up to $1,000 fine

Alcohol education

• Required for persons under 21
• Court may order

Alcohol treatment

• If referred

Red Light Violation Fines

• $93.00 fine
• Missouri does not have a state law governing the use of traffic cameras for red light enforcement, but does have a Department of Transportation program to regulate cameras on state-maintained roads.

Turn Signal Information

Signal your intention to turn or change lanes at least 100 feet in advance.

Funeral Procession Right-of-Way Laws

• Funeral lead vehicles must have an amber or purple light or lens or alternating flashing headlamps. All vehicles in the procession must follow each other as closely as safely possible. Toll-free passage is given to processions on any toll bridges, tunnels, or other roads.
• The law gives the procession the right-of-way, except it must yield to emergency vehicles.
• Once the lead vehicle lawfully enters an intersection, all other vehicles in the procession may follow without stopping, but must exercise due care.
• Other vehicles are prohibited from driving between, joining, attempting to pass, or crossing the path of a funeral procession

Bicyclist Passing Distance

You are required to pass at a safe distance.

Using the Shoulder to Pass

You may not drive off the roadway to pass on the right.

Speed Limits

• 70 mph on rural interstates and freeways.
• 65 mph on rural expressways.
• 60 mph on urban interstate highways, expressways and freeways, and other roads except State two-lane "lettered" roads outside of urban areas.
• 55 mph on State two-lane "lettered" roads.

Emergency Vehicle Laws

Move Over

• When you see any of these vehicles displaying flashing lights while stopped on or adjacent to the roadway:
• Emergency vehicle
• Law enforcement vehicle
• State highway and transportation commission vehicle
• Wrecker or tow truck
• You must do the following:
• If on a highway with at least 4 lanes, 2 of which are proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle, and it is safe to do so, make a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the authorized emergency vehicle, if possible with due regard to safety and traffic condition.
• If changing lanes would be impossible or unsafe, reduce the speed of the vehicle, maintaining a safe speed for road conditions and being prepared to stop.

Following

• Do not follow any emergency vehicle traveling in response to an emergency call closer than five hundred feet or drive into or park within the block where a fire apparatus has stopped in answer to a fire alarm.

Collision Procedures

• Stop
• Provide the following information to any other person involved in the accident, or to any police officer at the scene of the crash:
• Driver's name and address
• Vehicle registration number
• Driver license number
• If the crash resulted in injury, death, or property damage of $500 or more, or if you were involved in a crash and do not carry motor vehicle liability insurance, you must report the accident in writing within 30 days after the accident.