Driving Without A License in NC

All individuals driving on the roads countrywide are required to have a license to ensure roadside safety.

Thus, all states in the U.S. have developed a comprehensive set of laws to govern drivers’ actions and lower the risk of traffic offenses.

One of the fundamental principles is that driving is a privilege that you must apply for. So, a license is only permitted to those drivers who have established and proven that they can fully conform to the road rules and drive responsibly. And since a driver’s license is a responsibility and a privilege, all 50 states of the U.S. have identified that driving without a valid license in hand is punishable.

A young woman, being stopped by police at night for not having a license

Likewise, every driver in the state of North Carolina should have a valid license before they sit behind the wheel and legally operate a vehicle. As driving is a privilege and not a right, unlicensed drivers can’t operate a vehicle even if they intend only to move the car and park it somewhere else. It is strictly against the law in North Carolina to sit in the driver’s seat of a vehicle without a license if the motor is running.

To obtain a driver’s license in North Carolina, a driver should be at least 16 years of age. They must have a learner’s permit in the beginning. Once they are ready to get a new driver’s license, they must visit the local D.M.V. (Department of Motor Vehicles) and take the test. The test requires passing a knowledge test, a road sign test, a vision test, and a driving test. A license is valid for five years and must then be renewed. However, getting a license is not easy, but those who want to drive must strive hard to get it.

Alarming Statistics

Did you know that nearly 1 million people in the state of North Carolina have suspended driver’s licenses? That’s approximately one in every nine licensed drivers in N.C. And most drivers have suspended licenses not because of dangerous driving but because they failed to show up on the day of trial and owe money to the court.

Driving without a valid license in North Carolina is a serious offense. Therefore, it is imperative to have a seasoned lawyer in North Carolina by your side to defend against the allegations and protect you from big fines and even jail time.

So, contact the Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor P.C. today to discuss your case if you have been driving without a license in North Carolina. Continue reading to learn more about driving without a license.

Common Reasons You Could Be Found Guilty of Driving Without a License in N.C.

Here are the most common situations in which you could be found guilty. However, potential penalties vary from case to case. The possible circumstances are:

  • You have a license, but it was not with you when you were pulled over
  • You never got a license
  • You were driving with an expired license
  • You have lived in the state of North Carolina for over two months, but you’re still driving with an out-of-state license
  • You failed to conform to the restrictions on your license
  • Your license was revoked or canceled
  • You have a suspended license

Let’s dig deeper to learn more about how these situations could be penalized.

M5 driving on the highway with trees in the background

No Operators License (N.O.L.)

The N.O.L. or No Operators License infraction is an offense codified in N.C.G.S. § 20-7. Punishments for an N.O.L. charge range from a class 3 (three) misdemeanor for those who never obtained a license down to only an infraction for expired licenses. Moreover, if you are convicted for N.O.L., it can negatively impact your insurance for at least three years.

In North Carolina, you can get ticketed for N.O.L. if you’re licensed to drive but don’t have it when pulled over, or it has expired, or you carry an out-of-state license. The repercussions in such circumstances may include:

  • A fine of $100 and court costs.
  • Three points on your driver record.
  • 1 point on your insurance record.

These are light penalties, unlike the class 3 misdemeanor.

Class 3 Misdemeanors and Penalties

Class 3 misdemeanors include situations where you fail to comply with the license restrictions or never get a license. Such offenses are severe and come with a $200 fine and up to 20 days of jail time.

Class 2 Misdemeanors and Penalties

License issues that are not class 3 misdemeanors or infractions are classified as class 2 misdemeanors in North Carolina, such as showing a fictitious license knowingly, driving under suspension, and revoked license. Class 2 misdemeanors have severe penalties. It includes 60 days in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.

It is essential to understand that driving on a suspended license can come with the same penalties as driving without one unless it was suspended because of drunk driving. Suspension from drunk driving can result in a Class 1 misdemeanor with up to 120 days in jail.

Contact our Lawyer Today

If you’ve been charged with any of the above, then get in touch with us. Traffic offenses can invade your right to drive, thereby making it extremely hard for you to work and live. However, our attorney could make a huge difference. Our experienced lawyer in North Carolina can evaluate your case and suggest a course of action to deal with the charges. Our goal is to get your case resolved and lessen the impact on your insurance and license privilege.

Contact us today for a case evaluation. Let us help you in time of your need.

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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