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North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 20. Motor Vehicles § 20-35. Penalties for violating Article; defense to driving without a license

Current as of January 01, 2023 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) Penalty.--Except as otherwise provided in subsection (a1) or (a2) of this section, a violation of this Article is a Class 2 misdemeanor unless a statute in the Article sets a different punishment for the violation. If a statute in this Article sets a different punishment for a violation of the Article, the different punishment applies.

(a1) The following offenses are Class 3 misdemeanors:

(1) Failure to obtain a license before driving a motor vehicle, in violation of G.S. 20-7(a).

(2) Failure to comply with license restrictions, in violation of G.S. 20-7(e).

(3) Permitting a motor vehicle owned by the person to be operated by an unlicensed person, in violation of G.S. 20-34.

(a2) A person who does any of the following is responsible for an infraction:

(1) Fails to carry a valid license while driving a motor vehicle, in violation of G.S. 20-7(a).

(2) Operates a motor vehicle with an expired license, in violation of G.S. 20-7(f).

(3) Fails to notify the Division of an address change for a drivers license within 60 days after the change occurs, in violation of G.S. 20-7.1.

(b) Repealed by Laws 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 761, § 4.

(c) Defenses.--A person may not be found responsible for failing to carry a regular drivers license if, when tried for that offense, the person produces in court a regular drivers license issued to the person that was valid when the person was charged with the offense. A person may not be found responsible for driving a motor vehicle with an expired drivers license if, when tried for that offense, the person shows all the following:

(1) That, at the time of the offense, the person had an expired license.

(2) The person renewed the expired license within 30 days after it expired and now has a drivers license.

(3) The person could not have been charged with driving without a license if the person had the renewed license when charged with the offense.

(d) Defense for Deployed Member of the Armed Forces of the United States.--A person may not be found responsible for driving a motor vehicle with an expired drivers license if, when tried for that offense, the person provides verifiable written proof of deployment and establishes the following:

(1) The person was deployed as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States when the drivers license expired.

(2) The person obtained a renewed drivers license within 30 days after returning from deployment.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 20. Motor Vehicles § 20-35. Penalties for violating Article; defense to driving without a license - last updated January 01, 2023 | https://codes.findlaw.com/nc/chapter-20-motor-vehicles/nc-gen-st-sect-20-35/

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