The Device Stays Until the DMV Processes Your Provider's Paperwork
You finished every requirement: the Safety and Treatment Program, the full monitoring period with no violations, monthly calibrations on schedule. The interlock provider told you your monitoring period is complete. The device is still in your vehicle, and you have no removal date. This is the procedural gap that traps most West Virginia drivers at the end of the Test and Lock program.
West Virginia does not automatically remove interlock requirements when your monitoring period ends. The DMV Interlock Section must receive completion documentation from your provider, review it, and issue removal authorization before any device can be uninstalled. That paperwork submission is the provider's responsibility, not yours—but the timeline from submission to authorization averages 20 business days, and many drivers don't realize the clock hasn't started yet.
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20 business days
The DMV Interlock Section processes removal authorization requests within approximately 20 business days after receiving complete documentation from the provider. This window does not include the time between your monitoring period ending and the provider submitting paperwork.
West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles Interlock Section processing standards
What the Provider Must Submit to Trigger Removal
Your interlock provider must submit a completion report to the WV DMV Interlock Section documenting your full compliance with the monitoring period. That report includes calibration records, violation history (or lack thereof), total monitored days, and confirmation that you met all program terms. The DMV will not begin removal review until this report arrives.
Most providers submit within 5 to 10 business days after your monitoring period ends, but this is not automatic. Some wait for you to request the submission. Others batch submissions weekly. If your provider has not confirmed submission within 10 days of your monitoring period ending, contact them directly and ask for the submission date. You cannot submit this paperwork yourself—it must come from the provider's office to the DMV.
Once the DMV receives the report, the 20-day processing window begins. The Interlock Section reviews compliance, cross-references your DUI case file, and verifies that no additional holds exist on your driving record. If everything clears, they issue removal authorization to the provider. The provider then schedules your uninstall appointment.
The device cannot be removed until the DMV Interlock Section issues written authorization to your provider. Removing it early voids your compliance and restarts your revocation.
The Three-Stage Removal Timeline
Stage one: provider submission. Your monitoring period ends, and the provider prepares the completion report. This stage typically takes 5 to 10 business days but can stretch to 15 if the provider batches submissions or if you don't follow up. You control this stage by confirming submission happened—call the provider's compliance department and ask for the date they sent your completion report to the DMV Interlock Section.
Stage two: DMV review and authorization. The Interlock Section receives the report and processes removal authorization. This stage takes approximately 20 business days from the date the DMV receives the report, not from the date your monitoring period ended. The DMV does not notify you directly when authorization is issued—they send it to the provider. Stage three: device removal. The provider receives DMV authorization and schedules your uninstall appointment. Most providers schedule within 3 to 5 business days of receiving authorization. You pay the uninstall fee (typically $50 to $100, set by the provider) at the appointment.
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What Blocks Removal Authorization
The DMV Interlock Section will not issue removal authorization if your driving record shows additional holds unrelated to the DUI that triggered the interlock requirement. Common blockers: unpaid reinstatement fees from the original DUI revocation, outstanding traffic fines in any West Virginia jurisdiction, child support arrears reported to the DMV, or a separate suspension triggered after you enrolled in Test and Lock.
If your removal authorization is delayed beyond 30 business days after your provider confirms submission, contact the DMV Interlock Section directly at 304-926-0496. Ask whether your file shows any holds blocking removal. The DMV will not volunteer this information—you must ask. If a hold exists, resolve it immediately. The removal clock does not restart once the hold clears; authorization processes within days once the block is lifted.
Violation history during your monitoring period also blocks removal. Any failed breath test, missed calibration, or tampering alert recorded by the device extends your monitoring period automatically. The provider will notify you of the extension, but many drivers miss this notification and assume their original end date still applies. If you had any violations, confirm your actual completion date with the provider before expecting removal authorization.
WV License Reinstatement Cost
$50 reinstatement fee
After the interlock device is removed and the DMV processes your full compliance, you pay a $50 reinstatement fee to restore your standard West Virginia driver's license. This fee is separate from the device uninstall cost and must be paid at a DMV regional office or online.
West Virginia Code §17B-2-2
Getting Your Standard License Back
Interlock removal and license reinstatement are separate processes. Once the device is uninstalled, you still hold a restricted Test and Lock license. To convert to a standard unrestricted license, visit any WV DMV regional office with proof of device removal (the provider gives you a removal certificate at the uninstall appointment), proof of current West Virginia liability insurance, and the $50 reinstatement fee.
The DMV processes standard license reinstatement the same day if your record is clear. You walk out with a temporary paper license valid for 30 days; the permanent card arrives by mail within 15 business days. If you do not complete reinstatement within 90 days of device removal, your Test and Lock authorization expires and you revert to fully revoked status.
What to Do Right Now
If your monitoring period ended within the last 10 days, call your interlock provider's compliance department and confirm they submitted your completion report to the DMV Interlock Section. Get the submission date in writing or via email. If they have not submitted yet, ask when they will and follow up the day after that date to verify.
If your monitoring period ended more than 30 days ago and you have not received removal authorization, call the DMV Interlock Section at 304-926-0496. Ask whether your file shows any holds blocking removal authorization. If a hold exists, resolve it immediately—most holds clear within 48 hours once you pay the underlying fine or fee. Once your device is removed, visit a DMV regional office within 30 days to complete standard license reinstatement. Bring your removal certificate, current proof of West Virginia liability insurance meeting the state's 25/50/25 minimums, and the $50 reinstatement fee. West Virginia does not require an SR-22 or any multi-year filing certificate after DUI reinstatement—current proof of insurance is sufficient.