As of August 2024, more than 213,000 drivers in Kansas have suspended driver’s licenses, with about half of them in Wichita and Sedgwick County.
The reasons licenses are suspended vary, but no matter the reason, the city’s new Wichita Area Restoration Program (WARP) has been launched to provide individuals with suspended licenses hands-on, personal assistance that will help get them on the path to reinstatement.
Court staff cannot offer legal services or advice but will provide information and clerical assistance to lower barriers toward achieving a resident’s driver’s license reinstatement. This service is ideal for those with simple cases that do not include administrative suspensions or revocations.
WARP offers three services to help individuals get their licenses reinstated back to legal good standing:
1. Court clerical staff will pull a resident’s public driving record and highlight the barrier to reinstatement.
2. More than likely, the individual will owe fines and/or fees. If it will be difficult for them to pay the amount they owe, the court staff can assist them with filing a fee, fine and cost forgiveness motion. Once the motion is filed, based on the information submitted, a judge can rule to dismiss a portion or most of what an individual owes.
If they like, the applicant can choose to appear before the judge to “make an argument in person” or they can allow the judge to make a decision based on the submitted documents.
3. If the suspensions are in Wichita Municipal Court, staff will file the motion immediately upon completion. If the motion is in Sedgwick County Traffic Court, the individual will need to go across the street to the Sedgwick County Courthouse, 525 N. Main to file the motion.
More Difficult Cases
Staff members will also help residents file and application for a hardship license, which allows them to drive with restrictions, while they work to get their licenses reinstated.
“Some people have license problems that are bigger than what clerical, informational assistance can help and those folks get referred to Driver Control or Legal Aide organizations,” said Nathan Emmorey, Wichita Municipal Court Administrator. “But we try to provide the best information possible for them to be successful.”
Appointments Not Needed
Individuals wanting to take advantage of WARP don’t need an appointment, they can just walk-in to the Wichita Municipal Court offices on the third floor of Wichita City Hal, 455 N. Main, between 8:30 a.m.–noon and 1-4 p.m.To learn more, visit www.wichita.gov/warp.
