California lets some drivers who face a mandatory ignition interlock device (IID) ask the DMV for an exemption. There are three grounds: you have no vehicle, a medical condition keeps you from blowing hard enough, or you live out of state after finishing a California DUI program. You apply with form DL 4062 or DL 4063, and the no-vehicle and medical requests have a 30-day clock. An exemption does not restore your license, and that surprises most people.
This guide explains each ground, the paperwork, the deadline, and what you can and cannot drive if the DMV says yes.
TL;DR
- The DMV recognizes three exemptions: no vehicle, a medical condition limiting breath strength, and out-of-state residency after completing a California DUI program.
- It applies to people subject to mandatory IID installation for a violation on or after January 1, 2019.
- Use DL 4062 for no-vehicle or out-of-state requests and DL 4063 for medical requests. No-vehicle and medical requests are due within 30 days of the suspension or revocation notice.
- If granted, your driving privilege stays suspended or revoked for the full term. You may be able to apply for an IID-restricted license during the exemption period.
- A DUI lawyer can check your deadline and which ground fits before you file anything.
Table of Contents
- What an IID exemption actually does
- Who is eligible to ask
- The no-vehicle exemption
- The medical exemption
- The out-of-state exemption
- Forms, email address and the 30-day deadline
- What you can drive while you wait, and after approval
- Is an exemption the right choice for you?
- Perspective
- Get help with the DUI case behind the IID order
- FAQ
- Sources
What an IID exemption actually does
An exemption excuses you from installing the device. It does not shorten or cancel the suspension or revocation. The DMV's own program page says that if an exemption is granted, you must serve your full suspension or revocation term and complete your DUI treatment program.
That is the trade. Without an exemption, an IID lets many drivers get a restricted license and keep driving to work and treatment. With one, you skip the device but you stay off the road legally until the full term ends. For some people that is the right call. For others, the restricted license is worth far more than the exemption. Weigh that before you file.
The exemption rules sit inside California's mandatory IID program, which rests on Vehicle Code section 23575.3. For the broader rules on who must install a device and for how long, see our guide to California IID requirements.
Who is eligible to ask
The exemption path is only open if you are subject to mandatory IID installation for a violation that happened on or after January 1, 2019. The DMV's exemption page then lists the three grounds below. You must fit one of them squarely. Being inconvenienced by the device, disliking the cost or driving a work car is not a ground.
| Ground | Core requirement | Form |
|---|---|---|
| No vehicle | No vehicle owned, none accessible at your residence, no access to the arrest vehicle | DL 4062 |
| Medical | A condition prevents you from breathing hard enough to activate the device | DL 4063 |
| Out of state | You live outside California, completed a California DUI program, and have not completed the IID restriction | DL 4062 |
The no-vehicle exemption
This is the most common request and the one most often misunderstood. The DMV says you may request it if you do not own a vehicle, do not have access to one at your residence, and no longer have access to the vehicle you were driving when you were arrested.
All three parts must be true at once. Think through each:
- Ownership. The DMV states that owning a vehicle disqualifies you, including a vehicle in Planned Non-Operation (PNO) status or one that does not run. A parked project car in the garage counts against you.
- Access at home. If a spouse, roommate or family member keeps a car at your address, the DMV may treat that as access. Look honestly at who lives where and who owns what.
- The arrest vehicle. If you sold it, it was totaled, or it was returned to a lessor, that helps. If you can still use it, it does not.
People sometimes assume that promising not to drive is enough. It is not. The test is about vehicles and access, not intentions.
A realistic example
Say you were arrested in a friend's car, you rent a room in a house where nobody else keeps a vehicle at the address, and you own nothing. That fact pattern points toward the no-vehicle ground. Now change one fact: you share an apartment with a partner whose car is parked outside every night. The "access at your residence" prong is now in doubt, and the application should not be filed without thinking hard about it. Statements on these forms go to the DMV, so they need to be accurate.
The medical exemption
If a medical condition keeps you from breathing with enough strength to start the device, you may request an exemption on form DL 4063. According to the DMV's exemption instructions, you and your medical provider each complete the required sections of the form.
A few practical points:
- Give your provider the form early. Medical offices are slow, and the 30-day clock runs from the notice, not from your appointment.
- The question on the form is about breath strength specifically. A diagnosis alone is not the point. Ask your provider to address how the condition affects your ability to blow into the device.
- Do not fill in the medical sections yourself. Your provider completes theirs.
What counts medically is for your doctor and the DMV to decide. We can help you organize the filing, but we do not diagnose or tell you what your condition qualifies for.
The out-of-state exemption
California drivers move. If you were cited here and now live elsewhere, you may qualify for this exemption. The DMV's exemption page lists these conditions:
- Your California violation occurred on or after January 1, 2019.
- You are subject to mandatory IID installation.
- You reside out of state.
- You completed a California DUI program.
- You have not completed the mandatory IID restriction.
You file DL 4062 and include proof of out-of-state residency. The DMV gives examples such as a utility bill, a lease agreement or a tax return.
Two cautions. First, completing the California DUI program is a precondition, so a move before you finish enrollment can leave you without this option. Second, your home state may have its own rules for a California conviction, including its own license consequences. Ask about that before relocating mid-case.
Forms, email address and the 30-day deadline
The process is short, which is exactly why mistakes are costly. Per the DMV:
- Pick the form: DL 4062 for no-vehicle or out-of-state, DL 4063 for medical.
- Complete it fully. For a medical request, get your provider's sections done. For an out-of-state request, attach residency proof.
- Email it to DMVOPSIIDEXEMPTIONS@dmv.ca.gov.
- Make sure no-vehicle and medical requests arrive within 30 days of the suspension or revocation notice.
The DMV's Mandatory Actions Unit can be reached at (916) 657-6525 for questions about your specific situation, according to the DMV program page. Save a copy of everything you send, along with the sent email.
Check the DMV page for the current form versions before you fill anything out, because forms get revised.
Do not confuse this with the 10-day DMV hearing deadline
After a DUI arrest there is a separate, much shorter clock for requesting a DMV hearing to contest the administrative suspension. That deadline is not the same as the exemption deadline. Read about it in our guide to saving your license in 10 days. Missing it can cost you options you cannot get back, whatever you later do on the exemption.
What you can drive while you wait, and after approval
The exemption request does not itself give you a license. The DMV's restriction options sheet explains that if an exemption is granted, your driving privilege remains suspended or revoked for the full term, and during the exemption period you may apply for an IID-restricted license.
That last part sounds contradictory at first, so it deserves a plain reading. The restricted license is a different route from the exemption, and its requirements are separate. The DMV says proof of IID installation (form DL 920) and enrollment in a DUI program are typically required to obtain that license. Because a device is part of what the restricted license normally needs, how the two interact in your case is worth confirming with the DMV or an attorney before you decide you are better off with the exemption.
If you want the full walk-through of that license, we cover it in how to get a restricted license after a DUI.
Until the DMV tells you otherwise, assume you may not drive. Driving on a suspended or revoked license creates a new problem on top of the first.
Is an exemption the right choice for you?
Ask yourself these questions before you file:
- Do I need to drive? If a job, school, or caregiving depends on it, a restricted license with a device may serve you better than months or years off the road.
- How long is my term? A short suspension makes sitting it out easier. A long revocation does not.
- Do I truly meet a ground? A wrongly supported request wastes the 30 days.
- What else rides on this case? Insurance filings, the court case and any probation terms all interact. Our overview of SR-22 after a DUI covers the insurance side.
- What does the court order say? The IID is tied to a conviction or an administrative action. Knowing which one applies to you shapes everything else.
For how a DUI case can end and what each outcome means for your license, see California DUI penalties.
Perspective
The exemption is a paperwork process that sits on top of a criminal case, and people treat it as an afterthought. In our experience that is backwards. The facts that decide an exemption, such as who owns which car, where you live and what the DUI program record shows, are the same facts that get tested in the case itself.
We spend our time in Los Angeles County courtrooms, so we see how the court order, the DMV action and the treatment program fit together. Our approach is to start with the case: challenge the stop, the testing and the evidence where there are grounds, and use diversion or alternative sentencing where the case allows it. Then we decide, with you, whether to seek an exemption, a restricted license or neither.
What we want you to avoid is filing the wrong form, missing a deadline, or signing a statement on a DMV form without understanding how it reads next to your police report. A short conversation early is cheaper than a repair later.
Jake
Get help with the DUI case behind the IID order
An IID order comes from a DUI arrest or conviction, and the best exemption is sometimes a better result in the case itself. Rubin Law, P.C. handles DUI defense and DMV hearings for clients in Los Angeles County. We look at the stop, the testing, the evidence and the deadlines together, so you are not guessing which ones matter.
If you are facing an ignition interlock requirement, see our criminal defense services and reach out soon. Our guides on DUI evidence in California and signs that a DUI case is weak explain what we look at first.
FAQ
Can I get an IID exemption because I only drive a work vehicle?
Not on that basis. The DMV's three grounds are no vehicle, a medical condition limiting breath strength, and out-of-state residency after completing a California DUI program. A work vehicle you can access does not fit the no-vehicle ground. Talk to an attorney about other routes, such as a restricted license.
What if I own a car that is not registered or does not run?
It still counts. The DMV says that owning a vehicle disqualifies you from the no-vehicle exemption, including one in Planned Non-Operation status or one that does not run. If that is your situation, the exemption is not likely to be available on this ground.
Where do I send the exemption form?
Email the completed DL 4062 or DL 4063 to DMVOPSIIDEXEMPTIONS@dmv.ca.gov, per the DMV's exemption page. Include residency proof for an out-of-state request, and have your provider complete their part for a medical request. Keep copies of everything you send.
How long do I have to apply?
No-vehicle and medical requests are due within 30 days of the suspension or revocation notice. Start as soon as you get the notice, since medical sections and residency documents take time to gather. For current instructions, check the DMV's exemption page.
Will an exemption let me drive again?
No. Your driving privilege remains suspended or revoked for the full term. You may be able to apply for an IID-restricted license during the exemption period, which generally requires proof of IID installation and DUI program enrollment.
Sources
- Exemption Requests, California DMV
- Statewide Ignition Interlock Device Pilot Program, California DMV
- DUI Repeat Offenders, Alcohol Involved, 21 and Older, California DMV