Charged with a DUI? Start with the deadline, not the lawyer

You were charged

You need a defense attorney. The license deadline is the urgent part — in some states seven days — and it runs separately from the court case.

Do you actually need one? →

You were injured

After a drunk driving accident you need a personal injury attorney, not a defense one. Your claim has its own deadline and can expire while the criminal case is still running.

What a crash claim involves →

First-offense DUI

The most common case, and the one where the license side usually matters more than the criminal one. A first offense rarely ends in jail, but it does trigger the interlock requirement and the fees that come with it.

Repeat and felony DUI

A second or third charge moves the case into a different bracket, and most states turn it into a felony at some point — often on the third offense, sooner if there was an injury or a child in the car. Mandatory minimums start here.

Underage and zero-tolerance

Drivers under 21 are held to a much lower threshold than 0.08% — in most states any detectable alcohol is enough. The charge, the court and the license consequences can all differ from the adult version.

Drug-impaired driving

Cannabis and prescription medication are prosecuted under the same statute as alcohol in most states, but there is no breath test for them. These cases turn on blood results and the officer's observations, which is a different fight.

Refusing the test

Refusal is its own violation under implied-consent law and normally carries an automatic suspension, sometimes longer than the one for failing. Refusing does not make the case go away — it changes what the state has to prove.

Challenging the evidence

Breath machines need calibration records, blood draws need chain of custody, and the stop itself needs a lawful reason. These are the technical grounds a defense is normally built on, and they are why the paperwork matters.

The administrative clock starts immediately

Separate from any criminal charge, the licensing agency in most states starts its own process to suspend your license. You normally have a short window — in some states as little as seven days — to request a hearing. Miss it and the suspension proceeds regardless of what happens in court. This deadline is the single most common thing people lose by waiting.

Your first court appearance

The arraignment is where the charge is read and a plea is entered. It is usually short. What matters is what has been prepared before it — whether the stop, the testing procedure and the calibration records have been examined.

Evidence and negotiation

Breath and blood testing depends on equipment being maintained and procedures being followed. Records of both are obtainable. Most cases resolve at this stage rather than at trial.

Resolution and what follows

Beyond any fine or jail exposure, a conviction usually brings an interlock requirement, higher insurance through an SR-22 filing, and a record that follows you. The license side and the criminal side are resolved separately, and finishing one does not finish the other.