DUI classes in Illinois: an evaluation that classifies you, then at least 10 hours of risk education
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Illinois calls it the Alcohol and drug evaluation (Uniform Report) and DUI risk education. It is administered by Illinois Secretary of State; providers are licensed by the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery.
Illinois does not sort people by offence count but by an evaluator’s classification, and the classification decides everything that follows. The Secretary of State will not consider reinstatement without the Uniform Report, and the risk education requirement cannot be waived at any classification level.
| Level | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Minimal Risk | A 10-hour risk education course, which cannot be waived |
| Moderate Risk | The course plus early intervention and any additional treatment the evaluator recommends |
| Significant Risk | The course plus the treatment the evaluator recommends |
| High Risk | Treatment, documented abstinence and an ongoing support or recovery programme |
Does an online course count in Illinois?
Only in limited circumstances. The evaluation and the risk education course must come from an agency licensed in Illinois. Treatment obtained out of state can count if that state properly licensed the provider, but the evaluation and the course cannot.
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
Both are required before reinstatement or a restricted driving permit, and both must be completed after the date of the most recent arrest.
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 Illinois rule that catches people
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.
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 Illinois
The programme is one of three or four separate obligations that arrive together. Illinois Secretary of State, BAIID Division runs the interlock side, and a first offence here carries for the length of the statutory summary suspension; the Secretary of State downloads the device data every 30 to 60 days and asks you to explain any violation it finds None of them substitutes for another, and each is reported separately to the agency that holds your licence.
Illinois DUI law in full → · Insurance filing rules in Illinois → · What the interlock costs in Illinois → · How the classes work everywhere →
Questions about Illinois programmes
Are online DUI classes accepted in Illinois?
Only in limited circumstances. The evaluation and the risk education course must come from an agency licensed in Illinois. Treatment obtained out of state can count if that state properly licensed the provider, but the evaluation and the course cannot. 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 Illinois?
There is no single answer, because Illinois runs tiers rather than one course: Minimal Risk — a 10-hour risk education course, which cannot be waived; Moderate Risk — the course plus early intervention and any additional treatment the evaluator recommends; Significant Risk — the course plus the treatment the evaluator recommends; High Risk — treatment, documented abstinence and an ongoing support or recovery programme. Which one you get is decided by a screening or by the court, not chosen.
What happens if I do not finish it in Illinois?
Both are required before reinstatement or a restricted driving permit, and both must be completed after the date of the most recent arrest. 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 Illinois?
No. They are separate requirements with separate providers, and the interlock side is run by Illinois Secretary of State, BAIID Division. 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.