What is a Lieu of Bail Hold?

A lieu of bail hold is placed on your license by the Missouri Department of Revenue when you fail to either appear in court or pay the fine on a traffic ticket. It is not a suspension, but it will keep you from getting a new license when it is time to renew. 

Can You Drive While a Lieu of Bail Hold is Active?

Yes, with qualifications. The hold itself does not prevent you from driving so long as your license is otherwise valid. The problem is, a court can also issue a warrant along with the hold. A warrant does not prevent you from driving, but the easiest and most common way to get picked up on a traffic warrant is to get stopped for another driving offense. So, if you know you have a lieu of bail hold, you need to make sure you don't also have a warrant. 

How Do You Fix a Missouri Lieu of Bail Hold?

The first step is to identify and fix the original traffic violation. Different courts have different procedures, but you can usually pay the fine either in person or online. This will put points on your driving record. You may trigger a license suspension if you have multiple violations or already have points on your record. 

The next step is to provide “compliance” to the Department of Revenue. This is proof that the traffic violation has been resolved, usually in the form of a receipt. You can do this yourself, or let the court handle it. This process sometimes does not go as smoothly as one would hope. 

The last step is to monitor to make sure the hold is lifted. If you are lucky enough to have caught the problem before you need to renew your license, great; check back in a couple of weeks to make sure everything is ok. If your license has expired or is close to expiring, you need to be proactive to avoid driving with an expired license. You can monitor the situation by calling the Department of Revenue regularly or checking your driving record. 

Do You Need a Lawyer to Get a Missouri Lieu of Bail Hold Released?

Technically, no. You can do all of the steps above on your own. If it sounds like a lot of aggravation, that's because it is, especially for someone new to the process. Here at Beerup Law, we fix lieu of bail holds every week. Give us a call at 636-940-1111 and let us help you. 

We can check your driving record and Missouri Casenet to review the original traffic violations and make sure there is no warrant. Instead of paying the fine and getting points on your record, our attorney can arrange for the charge(s) to be amended to a non-moving violation. The court will notify the Department of Revenue of your compliance when it sees that you have hired a lawyer (we will file paperwork to that effect just to make sure). We can then monitor the situation and help move it along if necessary. In the end, we will provide you with paperwork to pay the fine by mail in a way that doesn't damage your driving record and release the lieu of bail hold.