Which states enacted Real ID refusal protections between 2020 and 2025?

1. Federal deadline tightened, not state carve‑outs

The federal timeline drove attention: DHS/TSA announced card‑based enforcement would begin May 7, 2025, and published a final rule in January 2025 that allowed phased enforcement through May 2027 ^{[1] [7]}. That federal action focused on which state IDs federal agencies will accept — it did not itself create or catalogue state laws “refusing” REAL ID; states continued to control issuance practice ^{[2] [7]}.

2. States still issue non‑REAL‑ID standard licenses — but not always as legal rejection

Multiple state motor vehicle agencies made clear they would continue to offer standard (non‑REAL‑ID) driver licenses or ID cards for in‑state use even after enforcement began; Washington’s Department of Licensing publicly said it would continue to offer standard licenses, though those would not be accepted for boarding flights as of May 7, 2025 ^[4]. That policy is operational (what the DMV offers), not necessarily a statutory “refusal” to comply with REAL ID federal certification ^{[4] [3]}.

3. Historical legal refusals: more common earlier than 2020

Opposition to REAL ID has been documented for years. Advocacy groups and some state officials historically pursued laws and resolutions opposing REAL ID; reporting and advocacy materials argue dozens of states enacted statutes or resolutions contesting implementation in the 2000s and 2010s (for example, claims that 25 states passed prohibitions and 12 passed resolutions) ^{[6] [5]}. Available sources do not list new state statutory refusals enacted specifically in the 2020–2025 window; the public debate reported in 2025 centers on enforcement timing and state issuance practices rather than fresh blanket refusal statutes ^{[1] [5] [6]}.

4. Practical outcomes for residents and travelers

Federal guidance and TSA advisories made the practical effect clear: beginning May 7, 2025, federal agencies and TSA checkpoints would treat non‑REAL‑ID state cards as unacceptable for boarding domestic commercial flights unless travelers present another acceptable ID (passport, military ID, etc.) or qualify for alternative screening procedures ^{[2] [3] [8]}. States offering standard cards did so to preserve in‑state access and privacy/rights protections, but those cards did not prevent federal nonacceptance ^{[4] [3]}.

5. Competing narratives and agendas

There are two clear competing perspectives in the available sources. Federal agencies and security advocates frame REAL ID enforcement as a national security and fraud‑prevention measure with phased flexibility to avoid disruption ^{[7] [2]}. Civil liberties advocates and some state actors framed REAL ID historically as an unfunded federal mandate that infringes on privacy and states’ rights and pushed statutory resistance earlier in the law’s history ^{[5] [6]}. Reporting in 2025 showed more emphasis on compliance deadlines and operational rollout than on new state refusals ^{[1] [8]}.

6. What reporting does not say (important limits)

Available sources do not provide a definitive list of states that enacted new legal “REAL ID refusal protections” specifically between 2020 and 2025. Sources document: (a) historical state resistance and laws from earlier years, (b) states continuing to offer standard (non‑REAL‑ID) cards as of 2025, and (c) federal certification and enforcement deadlines — but they do not identify which states passed new refusal statutes in that 2020–2025 interval ^{[6] [4] [1]}.

7. How to get a definitive answer

To produce a legally precise list of states that enacted refusal statutes in 2020–2025 you must consult state legislative records or a comprehensive legal tracking database for that period; current reporting and federal pages focus on compliance status and enforcement timelines rather than compiling state statutory changes from 2020–2025 ^{[1] [9]}. Available sources recommend checking state DMV pages and state legislative databases for specific statutes and enactment dates ^{[4] [9]}.