The Insurance Suspension
G.L. c. 90, § 34J — a fine, a payment to the insurance plan, and sixty days without a license
The offense. Whoever operates, permits to be operated, or permits to remain on a public or private way a motor vehicle without the required liability policy, bond or deposit is punished by a fine of not less than five hundred nor more than five thousand dollars, or imprisonment for not more than one year in a house of correction, or both.
A first offense. A person not previously convicted or found responsible, and with no prior finding of delinquency or of sufficient facts, is punished on such a complaint by a fine of not more than $500.
Sixty days, then one year. On a conviction or plea of guilty, the registrar suspends the person's license or right to operate for sixty days. For a second or subsequent conviction or plea within a six year period, the suspension is one year.
A payment to the plan. The person also becomes liable to the state's insurance plan for the greater of five hundred dollars or one year's premium for compulsory insurance in the highest rated territory and class.
The registrar's certificate. A written certification that the registry has no record of a policy, bond or deposit raises a rebuttable presumption that none was in effect, which evidence of coverage at the time may overcome.
How much coverage the law requires, and anything more that reinstatement takes, are set out in other sections that are not on this page. Whether a particular charge applies is a question for a licensed Massachusetts attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.L. c. 90, § 34J — Operating without a motor vehicle liability policy
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Massachusetts attorney.