Is a DUI a felony in Alabama?
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On a fourth — or on any prior felony DUI, whenever it was. A fourth conviction is a Class C felony, and so is any conviction where the driver already has a felony DUI on the record regardless of when. The sentence must include at least a year and a day, of which ten days are mandatory in the county jail; the rest may be suspended only if the defendant enrols in and completes a state-certified chemical dependency program. The license is revoked for five years and the device runs for four.
Written any number of ways — a 3rd DUI, a DUI 3rd, a felony DUI, or simply a DUI in AL — and the paperwork will use none of them. Alabama charges it under a section number, and that is what decides the range below.
Grade. Class C felony
Confinement. 1 year and 1 day to 10 years, with 10 days mandatory
Fine. $4,100 to $10,100
Code of Alabama § 32-5A-191 · Ala. Code § 32-5A-191(h) · checked 2026-09-04
The device is a separate track
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.
In Alabama the interlock term runs 90 days and is administered by Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, on the convicting court order — which is why a plea that settles the criminal case does not settle the device. What counts as a violation on it, and what an agency adds to the term, is its own arithmetic: violations and lockouts. Getting it off at the end is a procedure of its own too — removal and waivers.
Source: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, on the convicting court order
Alabama DUI questions
Is a DUI a felony in Alabama?
On a fourth — or on any prior felony DUI, whenever it was. A fourth conviction is a Class C felony, and so is any conviction where the driver already has a felony DUI on the record regardless of when. The sentence must include at least a year and a day, of which ten days are mandatory in the county jail; the rest may be suspended only if the defendant enrols in and completes a state-certified chemical dependency program. The license is revoked for five years and the device runs for four.
What does a 3rd DUI in Alabama carry?
Class C felony: 1 year and 1 day to 10 years, with 10 days mandatory, and a fine of $4,100 to $10,100. The range is set by Ala. Code § 32-5A-191(h), and the figures on this page come from the statute rather than from a summary of it.
Does an interlock come with it in Alabama?
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. The device requirement and the criminal penalty are separate tracks: one is handled by the court, the other by Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, on the convicting court order.
Other steps in Alabama: first offense penalties and second offense penalties.
All Alabama DUI rules →Penalties across the states →Alabama DUI lawyers →Getting the license back →
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