Key Takeaways

Driving without insurance in Minnesota is a misdemeanor, with a maximum penalty of up to a 90-day jail sentence and a $1,000 fine.
Convictions result in license revocation and registration suspension.
The best defense goal is often to prevent “conviction,” as this prevents certification to the Department of Public Safety, avoiding license penalties.
Repeat offenders face harsher penalties, including possible jail time; therefore, legal representation can be beneficial.

Driving Without Insurance in Minnesota, or “Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance” (aka no proof of insurance) is a misdemeanor crime, with driver’s license revocation consequences if convicted.

Penalties: driving without insurance

A common misdemeanor driving offense, the maximum penalty for “driving without insurance” is 90 days jail and $1,000 fine.

If convicted, the court will also “certify” the conviction to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. And Minn DPS will then:

put the conviction on driver’s license record,
revoke the vehicle registration, and
suspend your driver’s license.

If you then drive without a valid license, you can face a driving after suspension charge. Minnesota DPS requires proof of insurance prior to license reinstatement. See, Minnesota Statutes § 169.797.

Prevention first: So the best plan is to have car insurance for every driver and vehicle driven in Minnesota.

Plan B: after driving without insurance ticket

But what if something goes wrong with that plan; and you get a traffic ticket for no proof of insurance? The first thing to do is to get insurance coverage for that vehicle and driver.

Better late than never: Getting insurance coverage after the violation will not be a legal defense to the criminal charge. But it will help persuade a prosecutor or judge to exercise leniency.

The defense goal for most people in a Driving Without Insurance case in Minnesota is to prevent a conviction. After all, if there is no conviction; the court cannot “certify a conviction” to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. So, it would not:

go on the driver’s license record,
trigger a license suspension or
vehicle registration revocation.

Note that if the prosecutor offers to “reduce” the Driving Without Insurance to a petty misdemeanor, a guilty plea and conviction – even for a petty misdemeanor – will still get “certified” to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and still result in a driver’s license revocation due to the conviction.

Avoiding jail for repeaters

With multiple prior convictions for driving without insurance, judges may sentence the repeat offender to executed jail time. So in that situation, the defense goal may become to reduce or avoid jail time.

“Will I Lose my License for a driving without insurance conviction?”

Yes, and revocation of motor vehicle registration as well. This is specified in The following Minnesota Statutes Sections:

“In addition to criminal penalties, a person convicted under this section is subject to revocation of a driver’s license or permit to drive under section 169.792, subdivision 7, and to revocation of motor vehicle registration under section 169.792, subdivision 12.”
Minn. Stat. § 169.791, Subd. 6 (2025)

And:

“In addition to the criminal penalty, the driver’s license of an operator convicted under this section shall be revoked for not more than 12 months. If the operator is also an owner of the vehicle, the registration of the vehicle shall also be revoked for not more than 12 months.”
Minn. Stat. § 169.797, Subd. 4 (f) (2025)

How long? The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s administrative rules have the answer:

Failure to produce proof of insurance. The commissioner shall revoke the driver’s license of a person who fails to produce proof of insurance under Minnesota Statutes, section 169.791 or 169.792. The revocation period is:

A. 30 days or until the person files proof of insurance held at the time of the incident if the person has no other violations of Minnesota Statutes, section 169.791, 169.792, or 169.797, within five years;

B. 90 days or until the person files proof of insurance held at the time of the most recent incident if the person has two violations of any combination of Minnesota Statutes, section 169.791, 169.792, or 169.797, within five years;

C. 180 days or until the person files proof of insurance held at the time of the most recent incident if the person has three violations of any combination of Minnesota Statutes, section 169.791, 169.792, or 169.797, within five years; and

D. one year or until the person files proof of insurance held at the time of the most recent incident if the person has four or more violations of any combination of Minnesota Statutes, section 169.791, 169.792, or 169.797, within a five-year period.
Minnesota Rules 7409.1600, Subp. 2.

“Should I hire a lawyer?”

Hiring a good defense attorney to defend you will cost money. But in the long run, a lawyer could be cheaper than a driving without insurance conviction.

The cost of losing your license for 30 days or more can cause employment problems. And for repeat offenders, the jail time can be costly as well. Bringing a lawyer with you to court can show that you’re taking this seriously. And you fully intend to drive within the laws of Minnesota from that day forward. See: Do I Need a Criminal Lawyer?

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Driving After Revocation: Avoid Conviction

Defending and Winning DUI Cases in Minnesota

Driving Without Insurance