DUI classes in Colorado: level I or Level II, and Level II means education plus therapy
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Colorado calls it the DUI/DWAI education and treatment, licensed by the Behavioral Health Administration. It is administered by Colorado Behavioral Health Administration; the DMV sets its own parallel requirement.
Colorado grades the requirement rather than issuing one course. Level I is a 12-hour education block for the lowest-risk cases. Level II starts at 24 hours of education spread over at least twelve weeks and is followed by therapy on one of four tracks running from 42 to 86 hours over five to ten months. Court requirements and DMV requirements are set separately and do not always match.
| Level | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Level I Education | 12 hours over at least three days, no more than four hours in a day, in a group |
| Level II Education | 24 hours over at least 12 weeks, no more than two hours a week, groups capped at 12 |
| Level II Therapy, Track A | One offence, BAC below the persistent-drunk-driver level: at least 42 hours over 21 or more weeks |
| Level II Therapy, Track B | One offence at or above that level, or a refusal: at least 52 hours over 26 or more weeks |
| Level II Therapy, Track C | Two or more offences below the level: at least 68 hours over 34 or more weeks |
| Level II Therapy, Track D | Two or more offences at or above the level, or a refusal: at least 86 hours over 43 or more weeks |
Does an online course count in Colorado?
Only in limited circumstances. Level II treatment hours may be delivered by telehealth or in person under the rules; the education levels are group work.
Georgia, Kentucky, California and Florida reject online courses outright. Half the searches in this branch carry the word “online”, and that is the single most expensive assumption people make after a conviction.
Where it sits in the process
The DMV requirement for Level II is both the education and the therapy, and education must begin after the date of the most recent violation.
That order matters more than the course does. People lose months not because the programme was hard but because they took it at the wrong point, or from a provider the state does not recognise, and had to take it again.
The part of the Colorado rule that catches people
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.
Why the licence matters more than the price
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.
California DHCS, Driving Under the Influence programs · checked 2026-08-30
And the 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.
What else has to be satisfied in Colorado
The programme is one of three or four separate obligations that arrive together. Colorado DMV (Department of Revenue) runs the interlock side, and a first offence here carries 9 months for a first offense below 0.149% (running alongside the revocation); 2 years at 0.15% or higher, and 2 years automatically for refusing the test None of them substitutes for another, and each is reported separately to the agency that holds your licence.
Colorado DUI law in full → · Insurance filing rules in Colorado → · What the interlock costs in Colorado → · How the classes work everywhere →
Questions about Colorado programmes
Are online DUI classes accepted in Colorado?
Only in limited circumstances. Level II treatment hours may be delivered by telehealth or in person under the rules; the education levels are group work. Check with the agency or the court before paying for anything advertised as an online DUI class.
How many hours is the DUI class in Colorado?
There is no single answer, because Colorado runs tiers rather than one course: Level I Education — 12 hours over at least three days, no more than four hours in a day, in a group; Level II Education — 24 hours over at least 12 weeks, no more than two hours a week, groups capped at 12; Level II Therapy, Track A — one offence, BAC below the persistent-drunk-driver level: at least 42 hours over 21 or more weeks; Level II Therapy, Track B — one offence at or above that level, or a refusal: at least 52 hours over 26 or more weeks; Level II Therapy, Track C — two or more offences below the level: at least 68 hours over 34 or more weeks; Level II Therapy, Track D — two or more offences at or above the level, or a refusal: at least 86 hours over 43 or more weeks. Which one you get is decided by a screening or by the court, not chosen.
What happens if I do not finish it in Colorado?
The DMV requirement for Level II is both the education and the therapy, and education must begin after the date of the most recent violation. Non-completion is reported rather than ignored, and in most states it is the single most common reason a licence stays suspended long after the court case has ended.
Is the class the same as the ignition interlock in Colorado?
No. They are separate requirements with separate providers, and the interlock side is run by Colorado DMV (Department of Revenue). Completing the programme does nothing for the device and the device does nothing for the programme; both usually have to be satisfied before the licence comes back.
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.