What are the California DUI penalties?
Califonia DUI penalties and drunk driving laws can change rapidly but this should give you a good idea of what to expect. California DUI penalties can also change from county to county and city to city and can be reduced with proper legal representation.
If you have had 3 or more DUIs, your DUI involves an injury or occurred within 10 years of a previous DUI you need help now. A first DUI offense can be costly, scary and confusing. Contact us Today.
- California DUI first offense:
- If convicted for a first DUI offense a person in California can expect dui penalties of 3-5 years of informal probation, a fine of between $1400 and $1800, a six month loss of a drivers license. There is also a mandatory 48 hours of jail time with a DUI first offense though this may be converted to work service. Depending on a person’s blood alcohol content, they may also have to attend DUI school for 12 – 45 hours.
- California DUI second offense:
- If convicted for a second DUI offense a person in California can expect dui penalties of 3-5 years of informal probation, a fine of $1800 to $2800 and a loss of driver’s license for up to 2 years. Eighteen months of DUI school can be expected and there is a 96 hour mandatory jail time for a second DUI in California. It is possible to have this jail time served in an alternative fashion.
- California DUI third offense:
- If convicted for a third DUI offense, a person in California can expect DUI penalties of 3-5 years of formal or informal probation, fines of between $1800 and $2800, a loss of a driver’s license of up to three years, 18 months of DUI School and a mandatory jail term of 120 days. It is possible to have this time served in an alternative fashion but some counties require up a year in jail.
With four or more DUI offenses a person can expect to be charged with felony dui (link) and can result in up to three years in state prison, permanent loss of a drivers license and additional penalties.
What is the history of drunk driving laws?
Over the years U.S. and California DUI law has clamped down on drunk driving more and more. The first state to enact drunk driving laws was New York in 1910 with California following shortly thereafter.
At first, legal DUI penalties were given only if a person was found to driving while intoxicated. This required the state to prove intoxication and there was no specific defninition of intoxication. The first generally accepted legal limit for blood alcohol concentration was .15%.
From the 1970s to through the 1990s drunk driving laws and DUI penalties were greatly enhanced. This was mostly due to increased pressure from groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD).