DUI in Alabama: the law, the limits and the device
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Alabama calls it DUI — driving under the influence, and you will see drunk driving used for the same offense. What follows is what this state sets, taken from its own published rules rather than from a national summary.
What Alabama law actually requires
Alabama makes the interlock a way to stay on the road rather than an extra punishment: on a first conviction below 0.15%, ALEA states the entire 90-day suspension is stayed if you voluntarily elect and install the device. At 0.15% or above it becomes mandatory for a year, with the suspension stayed on proof of installation.
- First offense: 90 days below 0.15% BAC (which cancels the 90-day suspension); 1 year at 0.15% or above, on a refusal, with a child under 14 in the car, or where someone was injured
- Lockout threshold: Set by the approved device; ALEA lists the added time that applies when a passenger under 14, a refusal, an injury crash or a reading of 0.15% is involved
- Program run by: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, on the convicting court order
Source: www.alea.gov, checked 2026-08-23
DUI vs DUI in Alabama
In Alabama there is one offense and one label. If you have seen DWI, OWI or OVI used elsewhere, that is another state’s vocabulary for the same conduct — nothing about the seriousness changes when you cross a state line, only the letters on the paperwork.
Whatever it is called, the licensing consequence is the same shape: a suspension, then the device as the condition of driving again. All six abbreviations, side by side →
Can you get a DUI on a bike or a horse in Alabama?
It turns on one word in the statute. Where the law says “vehicle”, no engine is required and the charge can reach a bicycle, a horse or a mobility scooter. Where it says “motor vehicle”, the analysis is different. This is decided by your state’s own wording, not by national custom, and it is the first thing to check before assuming a bike ride home is safe.
Where this state departs from the national picture
Most of what people read about drunk driving is written for the country as a whole. These are the points where Alabama does something of its own.
SR-22 for 3 years
Alabama releases the requirement three years from the date proof was first required, but only where the director has received no record of a conviction or bail forfeiture in that period that would itself permit a suspension. ALEA fills the end date onto the reinstatement requirements letter, and asks that the fee and the filing be submitted only after every citation is settled and any hearing is complete.
How often this happens in Alabama
Federal crash records show the scale the state is legislating against, and how it compares with the country.
Cases are heard where the stop happened, and volume shapes local practice. These AL counties record the most:
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2020–2022. Counts crashes where police recorded that a driver had been drinking, which is narrower than the federal 0.08 measure and therefore understates the real figure. Alabama runs at or below the national share.
What it costs to get driving again in Alabama
Alabama does not publish a price cap we could verify, so the quote is the number and your only leverage is a competitor nearby. The national reference points are installation and a monthly fee, with calibration visits every 30 to 60 days.
The two clocks in Alabama
The court case and the licensing case run separately. The licensing side moves first, and in the strictest states the window to request a hearing is measured in days — it runs whether or not you have hired anyone.
Alabama cities
The county that hears your case is set by where the stop happened, and local practice differs across the state.
DUI questions in Alabama
Is it called DUI or DUI in Alabama?
Alabama uses DUI — driving under the influence. You will also see drunk driving used for the same thing. The label follows the state, not the seriousness of what happened, so paperwork from elsewhere may say something different about identical conduct.
What is the legal limit in Alabama?
0.08% for drivers 21 and over, as in every state except Utah, which sits at 0.05%. Below the limit you can still be charged if an officer documents impairment. The reading that triggers the interlock here is a separate number: Set by the approved device; ALEA lists the added time that applies when a passenger under 14, a refusal, an injury crash or a reading of 0.15% is involved
How long does the interlock stay on after a first offense in Alabama?
90 days below 0.15% BAC (which cancels the 90-day suspension); 1 year at 0.15% or above, on a refusal, with a child under 14 in the car, or where someone was injured The program is run by Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, on the convicting court order.
Can you get a DUI on a horse or a bicycle in Alabama?
The answer is in whether the statute says “vehicle” or “motor vehicle”. Where it says vehicle, no engine is needed and the charge can reach a bike or a horse; where it says motor vehicle, it cannot. This is one of the most searched questions in the whole subject and one of the most confidently answered wrongly — the wording of your own state decides it.
A first DUI here →When a DUI is a felony in Alabama →A second DUI here →
When a charge becomes a felony → The test and the refusal → Alabama SR-22 rules →
Attorney advertising. InterlockDeviceNearMe is not a law firm, does not practice law, and does not give legal advice. Nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. Requesting a consultation connects you with an independent attorney or a legal referral service, who decide separately whether to take your case. Case outcomes depend on facts we do not know, and no result is ever promised. Deadlines in DUI cases are short and vary by state — speak to a licensed attorney in your state before relying on anything you read here.