DUI classes: the cheap online course may not count at all
Most searches here end with “near me” or “online”, and the second one is where money gets wasted. Courts accept a certificate only from a provider their state licenses, and at least one state licenses no internet program whatsoever.
Only a state-licensed program counts
In California the Department of Health Care Services licenses every DUI program and monitors compliance, and it states plainly that it does not license internet DUI programs — classes offered over the internet do not meet the state requirement. Los Angeles County repeats the warning on its own list: online programs are not licensed and will not be accepted by the DMV for reinstatement of driving privileges.
Sources: California DHCS, Driving Under the Influence programs and Los Angeles County Public Health, approved DUI programs, checked 2026-08-30
Not every state takes that position, and some do accept remote delivery under their own rules. The point is that the answer belongs to your state’s licensing body, and a course advertising itself as “court approved” is describing itself rather than quoting anyone.
The program, by state
| State | What is required | Detail and source |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | SATOP — screening first, then one of four programmes | The supplemental fee of $249 is charged to everyone entering SATOP by statute, and it is charged even if you completed a comparable programme in another state — you mail the comparable-completion form and the $249 to the Department of Mental Health. The same fund pays the sliding scale that reduces the WIP, CIP and youth programme fees for people who cannot afford them, which is why nobody is exempt from it. Missouri DMH, Substance Awareness Traffic Offender Program · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Mississippi | MASEP, and you cannot enrol before conviction | Enrolment is impossible before the conviction or the start of non-adjudication — the court order carries the class location and dates. And missing the first session forfeits the fee outright: there is no refund and no re-entry for a missed session 1. MASEP, Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Colorado | Level I or Level II, and Level II means education plus therapy | Level I is not appropriate for anyone with more than one impaired-driving offence, or with one offence at a high BAC or a refusal — the track is assigned by an evaluator, not chosen. Colorado also requires DUI programmes to teach interlock use and to offer interlock counselling, so the class and the device are formally linked here in a way they are not elsewhere. Colorado BHA, Information for people with a DUI or DWAI · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Georgia | Risk Reduction Program: an assessment and a 20-hour course | The assessment expires. Fail to start the intervention component within a year of it and you pay for another assessment, and any new conviction inside that year requires another one too. Transferring results to a different school can cost up to $25 more. Georgia DDS, DUI FAQs · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Arizona | Screening first, then 16 hours of education and often 20 of treatment | Two rules protect you and almost nobody uses them. The screening provider must give you the names of three education or treatment providers, at least two of which it has no ownership or affiliation with; and Alcoholics Anonymous or any other self-help group does not count toward the required hours, however many meetings you attend. Arizona Administrative Code § R9-20-108, Requirements for DUI screening · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Kentucky | A 90-day programme built on the Prime For Life curriculum | The assessment is not a formality: it is the Kentucky DUI Assessment Instrument plus a clinical interview, and it decides whether you take the twenty-hour education course or are referred into treatment. Only assessors certified by the division may administer it, and only inside a certified programme. Kentucky CHFS, Driving Under the Influence Program · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Nevada | DUI school of at least 12 hours, plus a victim impact panel | The requirement grew. Nevada raised the minimum from eight hours to twelve in early 2024, so an older list of “8-hour DUI schools” is out of date. A DUI school also does not satisfy a demerit-point or traffic-school requirement — those are separate courses. Nevada DMV, DUI Schools · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Illinois | An evaluation that classifies you, then at least 10 hours of risk education | The evaluation goes stale. It must have been completed within six months of the hearing, and an update can normally be done only by an in-person interview at the same agency that did the original. The course itself is at least ten hours split into four or more sessions on different days, no session longer than three hours, and you must score at least 75 per cent on the post-test. Illinois Administrative Code tit. 77 § 2060.505, DUI Risk Education · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Nebraska | No standard class — a presentence assessment, then whatever the judge orders | There is no fixed number of hours to shop for in Nebraska, so an “online Nebraska DUI class” certificate satisfies nothing by itself. What binds is the counsellor’s recommendation once the judge adopts it — and you pay for both the assessment and whatever follows. Nebraska Revised Statute § 60-6,197.08 · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Arkansas | DASEP: a presentence screening, then 12 to 15 hours of education | The screening happens before sentencing and shapes the sentence. The report contains your driving record, an alcohol problem assessment scored on the state’s approved instrument and, where applicable, a victim impact statement, and the judge weighs the recommendation that comes with it. Arkansas DHS, Drug & Alcohol Safety Education Program · checked 2026-09-06 |
| Delaware | One screening, three possible outcomes | Completing the hours is not completing the programme. A certificate for education also requires attendance at a mutual-help group meeting and a DUI avoidance plan approved by an instructor — and every new DUI, probable-cause or alcohol-related reckless driving charge after your first screening requires a whole new screening. Delaware DSAMH, DUI Rehabilitation Programs · checked 2026-09-06 |
| New York | The Impaired Driver Program — seven weeks, and the conditional licence rides on it | Being dropped costs more than the fee. The conditional licence is revoked, the original suspension or revocation comes back in full, and a conditional licence can be re-issued only once. Stay dropped for more than ninety days and the entire seven-week course starts again, paid for again. New York DMV, Impaired Driver Program (IDP) · checked 2026-09-06 |
| California | A licensed program, in person | The county, not the state, decides which programmes exist: the board of supervisors and the county alcohol and drug administrator recommend applicants for licensure, and DHCS approves the participant fees. There are about 472 licensed programmes across the 58 counties, so what is available near you is a local question with a state answer. California DHCS · checked 2026-08-30 |
| Florida | Substance abuse course with evaluation | Level II is where most people are referred into treatment, and treatment from a provider licensed by the Department of Children and Families is often used alongside the class rather than instead of it. Florida Statutes § 316.193(5) · checked 2026-08-30 |
| Texas | 12-hour alcohol education program | Every participant is screened with an approved instrument before the first module, and a score indicating a possible substance problem brings a referral list with it. Failing to finish the course is not a quiet omission: it adds a further 180-day suspension and another reinstatement fee. Texas DPS, Alcohol Related Laws (DL-20) · checked 2026-08-30 |
| West Virginia | Safety and Treatment Program | Enrollment in the state Safety and Treatment Program within 60 days is a condition of the interlock program itself, and withdrawing from it or failing to progress removes you from the interlock program along with the driving privileges it restored. WV DMV, Alcohol and Drug Test and Lock Program · checked 2026-08-30 |
One pattern runs through all of them: enrolling is your responsibility, and not enrolling is reported. The suspension does not wait for you to get around to it.
A victim impact panel is not a class
It is a session where people injured in impaired-driving crashes, or the families of people killed in them, describe what happened to them. There is no test and nothing to pass; attendance is what is recorded. Courts order it alongside education rather than instead of it, and it is usually a single evening rather than a course.
People search for it expecting coursework and find something else entirely. There is nothing to revise and no way to fail it, which is exactly why courts use it: the point is not instruction.
What the class does not do
Completing it does not shorten the interlock term, clear the record or end the insurance filing. It removes one condition of reinstatement, and the others carry on independently.
Questions about DUI classes
Are online DUI classes accepted?
Not everywhere, and California is the clearest no: the state licensing body does not license internet DUI programs at all, and classes taken over the internet do not meet the requirement. Los Angeles County prints the same warning on its official list — online programs will not be accepted by the DMV for reinstatement. Before paying for any course, check it against your own state’s list of licensed providers.
How long are DUI classes?
It depends on the offense and the state. Texas may order a 12-hour alcohol education program; California programs run for months and are tied to the level of the offense; several states attach longer programs to repeat convictions. The length is set by the order, not by the school.
What is a victim impact panel?
A session where people injured in impaired-driving crashes, or families of people killed in them, describe what happened. There is no exam and nothing to pass — attendance is what gets recorded. It is usually a single evening, ordered alongside the education program rather than instead of it.
What happens if you do not complete DUI classes?
The suspension stays or gets longer. Texas adds a further 180-day suspension and a reinstatement fee for failing to complete the class. In West Virginia, withdrawing from the Safety and Treatment Program removes you from the interlock program that restored your driving in the first place.
How do I find court approved DUI classes near me?
Through the agency that licenses them in your state, not through a search result. California publishes a directory of licensed providers by county; other states keep their own. Courts and licensing agencies accept a certificate only from a provider on that list, so the list is the starting point rather than price.
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.