What an ignition interlock really costs
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Nationally it runs about $70–$90 to fit the device and around $70 a month to keep it, roughly $3–$4 a day (NHTSA). Over a twelve-month term that is about $910–$930 before removal. 14 states publish their own figures or cap what a provider may charge, and where that exists it beats any phone quote — the table below has all 51 jurisdictions.
Three charges, not one: fitting the device, keeping it in the car, and taking it out. The monthly fee is the bulk of it, which is why the cheapest installation deal is often the most expensive program.
Estimate your interlock cost
Takes 20 seconds — no account, no phone number
- Installation$65
- Monthly x 12$1,140
- Removal$0
State-capped maximum — a provider may not charge more · law.lis.virginia.gov
What states allow providers to charge
Some states cap interlock fees by regulation, and some publish the price list each provider filed with them. Where that exists it beats any phone quote: a provider cannot legally charge above a cap. Below are all 51 jurisdictions — the 14 that publish a figure, and the rest, where the quote is the price.
| State | Installation | Monthly | Removal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Alaska | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Arizona | Not published | Not published | Not published | State guidance figure |
| Arkansas | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| California | set by income | set by income | set by income | Share of the cost set by law against the driver’s income |
| Colorado | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Connecticut | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Delaware | $100 | $75 | No charge | State-capped maximum — a provider may not charge more |
| District of Columbia | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Florida | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Georgia | $75 | $75 | $75 | State-capped maximum — a provider may not charge more |
| Hawaii | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Idaho | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Illinois | $85 | $110 | $150 | State guidance figure |
| Indiana | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Iowa | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Kansas | Not published | Not published | Not published | State guidance figure |
| Kentucky | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Louisiana | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Maine | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Maryland | $70–$150 | $70–$100 | Not published | State guidance figure |
| Massachusetts | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Michigan | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Minnesota | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Mississippi | Not published | Not published | Not published | State guidance figure |
| Missouri | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Montana | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Nebraska | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Nevada | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| New Hampshire | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| New Jersey | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| New Mexico | $0–$150 | $60–$80 | Not published | State guidance figure |
| New York | $200 | $100 | No charge | State guidance figure |
| North Carolina | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| North Dakota | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Ohio | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Oklahoma · smart-start | $150–$350 | $99.99–$114.99 | $89–$150 | Filed price schedule |
| Oregon | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Pennsylvania | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Rhode Island | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| South Carolina | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| South Dakota | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Tennessee | $225 | $125 | $75 | State-capped maximum — a provider may not charge more |
| Texas | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Utah | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Vermont | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Virginia | $65 | $95 | No charge | State-capped maximum — a provider may not charge more |
| Washington | $250 | $150–$191 | $100 | State guidance figure |
| West Virginia | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Wisconsin | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
| Wyoming | $70–$90 | ~$70 | — | not published · national guide |
The same 51 jurisdictions with terms, thresholds and agencies →
Where a state publishes nothing, the row shows the national reference from NHTSA and says so: the price is then whatever the provider quotes. Every state figure carries the regulation or filed schedule it came from and the date we checked it — the link is on the state page.
What each provider charges
| Provider | Certified centers | |
|---|---|---|
| Intoxalock | 5,927 | Details |
| Smart Start | 2,604 | Details |
| LifeSafer | 2,203 | Details |
| Low Cost Interlock | 1,250 | Details |
| RoadGuard Interlock | 799 | Details |
| ADS Interlock | 502 | Details |
| Guardian Interlock | 207 | Details |
| Alcolock USA | 195 | — |
We publish a fee only when we can say where it came from and when we checked it. Our data policy.
The device is one line on a longer bill. Fines, the insurance filing, the mandated classes and the reinstatement fees sit alongside it — what a DUI costs in total.
The three charges explained
Installation
A one-off fee for wiring the device into your ignition, usually done in an hour or two at a certified center. Some providers discount it heavily to win the contract and recover it later.
Monthly lease and monitoring
Charged for every month the device is in the car, and it covers the lease, the data reporting to your monitoring agency, and usually the scheduled calibration. Multiply it by your court-ordered term before you compare anything else.
Removal
Charged at the end to uninstall the device and restore the wiring. Ask about it up front — it is the fee most often left out of a phone quote.
What else lands on the bill
- State program or monitoring fees, where your state charges them.
- Missed or late calibration appointments.
- Lockout resets after failed or skipped tests.
- SR-22 insurance, which usually runs alongside the interlock requirement.
Costs where you live
Program fees and approved providers change at the state line.
What states do for drivers who cannot pay
The device is not optional, so several states wrote the answer into the rules rather than leaving it to the provider. None of it is automatic: you apply, usually through the agency that runs the programme, and you apply before the device goes in.
| State | Who qualifies | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| California | Income at or below 100% of the federal poverty level | driver pays 10% |
| California | Income at 101–200% of the federal poverty level | driver pays 25% |
| California | Income at 201–300% of the federal poverty level, or receiving CalFresh | driver pays 50% |
| California | Income at 301–400% of the federal poverty level | driver pays 90% |
| Oklahoma | Missed appointment | $55 (waived with 24 hours notice) |
| Maryland | Program enrollment fee | $47 (waivable on medical or food assistance) |
| Washington | Financial assistance for low-income drivers | up to about $1,400 reimbursed; the $21 monthly fee is waived |
| Washington | Device transfer to another vehicle | assistance up to $100 a year |
| New Mexico | Indigent assistance — installation | up to $50 paid by the state |
| New Mexico | Indigent assistance — monthly | up to $30 for verified active use |
| New Mexico | Indigent assistance — removal | up to $50 |
Each line comes from the state’s own regulation or fee schedule, linked on the state page with the date we checked it.
Only two providers publish a number at all
We checked the cost pages of the six brands approved in most states on 2026-09-06. Two publish a figure. The others either have no cost page or answer the question with “it depends on your state” and a phone number. That is the whole reason this search ends up in forums and on law-firm blogs.
| Provider | What they advertise | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Intoxalock | Monthly lease, from: $54.99 · Base lease rate, per day: $1.96 · Calibration visit: about $20 source | 2026-09-06 |
| LifeSafer | Installation: $70–$150 source | 2026-09-06 |
No published figure on the day we checked: Smart Start, Guardian, RoadGuard, Low Cost Interlock. An advertised “from” rate is also not the bill: calibration visits, and in some states a state fee, sit on top of it.
“Low cost interlock” is two different searches
Low Cost Interlock is the name of a company, not a description of a price tier. If that is who you are looking for, its coverage, approvals and published rates are on our page about the brand.
If you meant the cheapest way to get through the requirement, the brand is close to irrelevant. What decides the total is the length of your term and whether your state caps the fee or hands you part of it back — a twelve-month program at a capped monthly rate beats a discounted installation on a three-year one, every time. Where your paperwork already names a manufacturer, there is no choice to make at all.
Cost questions
How much does an ignition interlock device cost per month?
You pay for an interlock in three parts: a one-time installation fee, a recurring monthly fee that covers the device lease and monitoring, and a removal fee at the end of your term. The monthly fee is the part most people underestimate, because it is charged for every month the device stays in the car.
Monthly pricing is set by the provider and varies by state, so the only honest answer is a state-level one. See our state cost breakdown for the range where you live.
What is the cheapest ignition interlock device?
The question has no brand answer, because the price is set by your state and your term rather than by the badge on the handset. Thirteen states publish a cap or a schedule that every approved provider must stay inside, and where a state does not, the providers converge anyway. What actually moves the total is length: the same device costs three times more on a three-year requirement than on a twelve-month one. If money is the problem, look for relief rather than for a cheaper vendor — North Carolina makes an authorized vendor waive installation and removal entirely and halve the monthly rate for drivers at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line, and Pennsylvania cuts the number of vehicles you must equip rather than the price.
Can I buy my own ignition interlock device?
No, and buying one would not help. A device only counts if it is a model your state has certified and if an authorized provider installed it and reports on it — Arizona says plainly that an MVD-authorized company must do the installation, California requires a certified provider and a Verification of Installation form filed with the department, and North Carolina requires a type approved by the Commissioner. A unit bought privately produces no compliance reports, and the reports are the entire point: the state is not monitoring the car, it is monitoring the record.
Is there an alternative to an ignition interlock device?
Sometimes, and it is usually stricter rather than easier. The common substitute is continuous alcohol monitoring — a transdermal ankle bracelet that watches the person instead of the car, all day rather than at the ignition. North Carolina writes the trade directly into sentencing: 120 days of monitored abstinence can cut a 30-day minimum to ten, and 90 days can replace a seven-day term. The other alternative is not driving at all, which some states allow you to serve out instead, and which costs you the license for the whole period rather than the device.
Do I have to own the vehicle the interlock goes in?
No. Your name does not have to be on the registration — Arizona’s MVD answers that question with a flat no — but the owner has to agree, and in practice that means paperwork. New York courts tell drivers who do not own the car to bring a notarized statement from the owner permitting the installation, and several providers require written authorization from every registered owner before they will touch the vehicle. What matters to the state is not whose car it is: it is that every vehicle you operate has a device.
Do the police know if you have an interlock device?
Yes, before they reach your window. The restriction sits on your driving record and, in several states, on the license itself: New York prints “interlock device” on the back of the document, and the restriction is added to the record even while the license is revoked. Driving a vehicle without the device while restricted is its own offense — a class 1 misdemeanor in Arizona, and grounds to extend the requirement by a further year.
What if you cannot afford an interlock?
Several states answer this in the statute rather than leaving it to the provider, and the help is larger than most people expect. North Carolina makes an authorized vendor waive installation and removal entirely and halve the monthly rate for drivers at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line. Kansas and Maryland cut the bill in half for drivers who qualify. Washington reimburses part of the cost from a state fund. California does not cap the price at all — it caps your share of it, from 10 percent at or below the federal poverty level up to 90 percent at four times that. New Mexico pays the provider directly for indigent drivers. None of this is automatic: you apply, usually through the agency that runs the program, and you apply before the device goes in rather than after.
How much does it cost to have an ignition interlock device installed?
Nationally the fitting runs about $70 to $90 by the NHTSA reference, and LifeSafer publishes $70 to $150 depending on the vehicle and the state. Where a state publishes its own figure it is usually lower and it is binding: Virginia caps installation at $65 and Colorado at $100. The number that decides the total is not this one, though — it is the monthly fee multiplied by the length of your term, and a cheap installation deal is often attached to a dearer month.
How do you hide an interlock device from a car?
We do not publish that, and the honest answer is that it does not work. The reporting runs through the vendor and the manufacturer rather than through you: Arizona requires the manufacturer to notify the department electronically the moment a provider removes a device, and gives you 72 hours to prove reinstallation before the restricted license is suspended. Washington counts removal by anyone other than a technician certified by the State Patrol as one of the five events that break the clean 180 days you need for release. Illinois goes further and rejects your written explanation automatically if the camera images show the lens was obscured. What people are really asking is how to end the term early, and that has a real answer on our page about removal and waivers.