California Driving Record: How to Get Your MVR

What Is a California Driving Record (MVR)?

Your Motor Vehicle Report is the DMV’s official history of your driving privilege.

Your California driving record — also called an MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) — is the official document the DMV keeps on every licensed driver. It lists your license status, traffic convictions, departmental actions (suspensions, revocations, restrictions), and reported accidents.

This is the record on the driver, not the record on the car. If you need the DMV’s file on a vehicle — its title, brands, lienholder, and registration history — see our California vehicle records guide.

Four groups pull this record regularly:

• You — to check your points, confirm a suspension is cleared, or review what’s visible before a job application.
• Insurers — to set your premiums. Tickets and at-fault accidents typically raise rates for 3 years.
• Employers — especially for driving jobs. Most accept the $2 uncertified copy; some require certified.
• Courts — always require the certified $5 copy.

What’s On Your Record

Three categories of information, each kept for a set number of years.

Retention rules of thumb: standard 1-point violations (speeding, red light) stay 3 years. Major 2-point violations (DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run, 100+ mph) stay 10 years. At-fault accidents stay 3 years.

3 Ways to Get Your Record — Compared

Pick the method that fits your deadline and who’s asking for it.

How to Get It Online — Step by Step

The $2 instant method. Have your printer ready before you start.

1. Create or sign in to MyDMV. Go to dmv.ca.gov and sign in to your free MyDMV account (one-time identity verification required).
2. Select “Driver’s Record Request.” Find it under Online Services.
3. Enter your details. Driver’s license number and identifying information.
4. Pay $2. Credit/debit card (+1.95% fee) or bank account (no fee).
5. PRINT IMMEDIATELY. The system shows your record once — download or print it right away.

How to Get It by Mail (INF 1125)

The $5 certified method when you can wait 2–4 weeks.

1. Get form INF 1125 — “Request for Your Own Driver License/ID or Vehicle/Vessel Registration Information Record.” Download it from dmv.ca.gov or pick one up at any field office.
2. Fill it out completely. Include your driver’s license number and current address.
3. Write “Certified Driver Record” at the top so it’s processed as an official copy.
4. Enclose $5 — check or money order payable to “DMV.” Write your driver’s license number on the check.
5. Mail to:
   Department of Motor Vehicles
   Information Release Unit G199
   P.O. Box 944247
   Sacramento, CA 94244-2470

How to Get It In Person

Same-day certified copy at any field office.

Bring a completed INF 1125 and photo ID to any DMV field office. Pay $5 (cash or debit accepted) and a clerk prints your certified record on the spot. This is the fastest way to get an official copy — useful when a job or court needs it today.

Certified vs Uncertified — Which Do You Need?

Match the copy type to who’s asking.

How to Read Your Record

What the codes and sections actually mean.

Your record is organized into sections. Here’s what to look for:

• License status — valid, suspended, revoked, or expired, with effective dates.
• Convictions — each lists the violation code, date, court, and point count (1 or 2 points). A child-restraint conviction, for example, adds 1 point — see our California car seat law 2027 guide for the fines and the five-step test.
• Departmental actions — suspensions or restrictions with start/end dates and the reason.
• Accidents — date and fault determination where reported.

A “dismissed” ticket generally won’t appear as a conviction — but the arrest or citation itself may appear in other contexts. If something looks wrong, see the error-correction section below. For a full field-by-field walkthrough of every section, code, and abbreviation on the document, see our guide on how to read your California driving record.

Points & NOTS Thresholds

California’s Negligent Operator Treatment System in 30 seconds.

The DMV tracks points over rolling windows. Hit a threshold and the DMV acts:

1-point violations (speeding, running a red light, improper lane change) stay on your record 3 years. 2-point violations (DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run, 100+ mph) stay 10 years.

Can You Get Someone Else’s Record?

Short answer: no — not freely.

California driving records are protected. You can only obtain your own record with the methods above. Getting someone else’s record requires a permissible purpose under the law (employers with consent, insurers, courts, law enforcement) using form INF 70 — and misuse carries civil and misdemeanor liability.

For Employers

Hiring drivers? Here’s the compliant path.

Employers may check an applicant’s record with the applicant’s consent. California also runs the EPN (Employer Pull Notice) program, which automatically notifies enrolled employers of new convictions, suspensions, or accidents for their drivers. If you’re a job applicant: the $2 online copy is usually enough for initial background checks, but confirm with the employer whether they need certified.

Fixing Errors on Your Record

Wrong ticket? Wrong dates? Here’s how to dispute.

• DL 207 — Report of Incorrect Record (general errors).
• DL 207A — traffic-collision version for accident errors.
• DL 157 — Abstract/Document Error Form, completed by the court or law enforcement that reported the item.

File the appropriate form with supporting documents. If a court dismissed your ticket but it still shows, the court must submit the correction — the DMV can only update what the reporting agency confirms.

California Driving Record: FAQs

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