Under Oregon law, hardship permits allow driving for:

• Occupational (work) and employment purposes including driving to and from work;

• Occupational training or education that is required by your employer;

• Transportation to and from an alcohol or drug treatment or rehabilitation program;

• To look for work (for up to 120 days);

• To participate in gambling addiction treatment;

• To obtain medical treatment on a regular basis for you or a member of the your immediate family;

• To grocery shop one day each week (8 a.m to noon or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.);

• To care for elderly family members two days each week unless you can demonstrate the need for more frequent care (8 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.);

• To drive yourself or your children to school.

See OAR 735-064-0005 et seq and House Bill 3214 (2019) (effective January 1, 2020).  A hardship permit will not be issued for more than 12 hours of driving on any one day, except for transportation to and from an alcohol or drug treatment program. 

In order to obtain an Oregon hardship permit you must, among other things, obtain an SR-22 certificate of liability insurance which will likely have negative implications for your insurance rates or insurability.  If you choose to enter the diversion program on your DUII charge, you probably will not have to file an SR-22 to get your license reinstated unless you apply for a hardship permit.  However, if you are convicted of an Oregon DUII you will have to file an SR-22 to reinstate your license regardless of whether you apply for a hardship permit. 

If you are convicted of an Oregon DUII or are in the diversion program you will also have to install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle in order to obtain a hardship permit.

Note:  You may not qualify for a hardship permit if you have a previous DUII arrest in the past five years before your current DUII arrest.

Oregon hardship laws can be found at ORS 807.240 et seq.