DWI classes in Missouri: sATOP — screening first, then one of four programmes
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Missouri calls it the Substance Awareness Traffic Offender Program (SATOP). It is administered by Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Behavioral Health.
Missouri does not run a single DUI class. Everyone starts at an Offender Management Unit, is screened by a qualified professional and is then assigned to one of four levels by risk, from a ten-hour education course to a 75-hour treatment programme. The assessment itself costs $375 before any programme fee, and financial assistance under the Department’s Standard Means Test is available for the three treatment levels but not for the screening.
| Level | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Offender Education Program (Level I) | 10 hours of education for lower-risk participants — $200 |
| Weekend Intervention Program (Level II) | 20 hours of intensive education and counselling over a structured weekend — $474.46 plus $6.70 for materials |
| Clinical Intervention Program (Level III) | 50 hours over about five weeks, of which 10 focus on drinking and driving — $1,083.43 |
| Serious and Repeat Offender Program (Level IV) | At least 75 hours over no fewer than 90 days, including at least 35 hours of counselling — $1,522.50 |
Does an online course count in Missouri?
Only in limited circumstances. The level is not yours to choose: an Offender Management Unit screens you and assigns it. There are about 200 screening locations statewide.
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.
What it costs in Missouri
Published figures, not estimates:
- $375 — a $126 screening fee plus the $249 supplemental fee — Assessment screening
- The $249 supplemental fee is still owed to the Department — Comparable programme completed elsewhere
Where it sits in the process
The agency sends the completion form electronically to the Department of Revenue; without it the licence stays suspended.
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 Missouri rule that catches people
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.
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 Missouri
The programme is one of three or four separate obligations that arrive together. Missouri Department of Revenue, Driver License Bureau runs the interlock side, and a first offence here carries 90 days on an immediate restricted privilege with the device (request within 15 days of the notice), against a 30-day suspension plus 60-day restricted privilege without it None of them substitutes for another, and each is reported separately to the agency that holds your licence.
Missouri DWI law in full → · Insurance filing rules in Missouri → · What the interlock costs in Missouri → · How the classes work everywhere →
Questions about Missouri programmes
Are online DWI classes accepted in Missouri?
Only in limited circumstances. The level is not yours to choose: an Offender Management Unit screens you and assigns it. There are about 200 screening locations statewide. Check with the agency or the court before paying for anything advertised as an online DWI class.
How many hours is the DWI class in Missouri?
There is no single answer, because Missouri runs tiers rather than one course: Offender Education Program (Level I) — 10 hours of education for lower-risk participants — $200; Weekend Intervention Program (Level II) — 20 hours of intensive education and counselling over a structured weekend — $474.46 plus $6.70 for materials; Clinical Intervention Program (Level III) — 50 hours over about five weeks, of which 10 focus on drinking and driving — $1,083.43; Serious and Repeat Offender Program (Level IV) — at least 75 hours over no fewer than 90 days, including at least 35 hours of counselling — $1,522.50. Which one you get is decided by a screening or by the court, not chosen.
What does the DWI class cost in Missouri?
Assessment screening — $375 — a $126 screening fee plus the $249 supplemental fee; Comparable programme completed elsewhere — The $249 supplemental fee is still owed to the Department. Those are the published figures rather than a quote, which is the point of checking them: where a state sets the price in its own rules, a provider asking for more is not charging a market rate.
What happens if I do not finish it in Missouri?
The agency sends the completion form electronically to the Department of Revenue; without it the licence stays suspended. 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 Missouri?
No. They are separate requirements with separate providers, and the interlock side is run by Missouri Department of Revenue, Driver License Bureau. 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.