Is a DUI a felony in Connecticut?
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The statute never says felony — it says three years and a licence gone for good. Connecticut does not grade its DUI offence the way most states do. Section 14-227a never uses the word felony at all; it sets three penalty steps by violation count, and the third step is the severe one. A third and subsequent violation within ten years after a prior conviction for the same offence carries a fine of $2,000 to $8,000 and imprisonment of not more than three years, of which one full year may not be suspended or reduced in any manner — the non-suspendable core rises from forty-eight hours on a first, to 120 consecutive days on a second, to a year here. Probation follows with 100 hours of community service, an assessment of the degree of alcohol or drug abuse through the Court Support Services Division, and treatment if ordered. The lasting part is the licence: permanent revocation on the third offence, with one narrow way back — if the revocation is reversed or reduced under § 14-111(i), the driver may operate only a vehicle fitted with an approved ignition interlock for the period that provision prescribes. A safe boating certificate goes the same way under § 15-133.
Written any number of ways — a 3rd DUI, a DUI 3rd, a felony DUI, or simply a DUI in CT — and the paperwork will use none of them. Connecticut charges it under a section number, and that is what decides the range below.
Grade. Third and subsequent violation under § 14-227a(g)(3)
Confinement. Up to three years, one year of which may not be suspended or reduced
Fine. $2,000 to $8,000
Connecticut General Statutes § 14-227a · Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(3); § 14-111(i); § 14-227j · checked 2026-09-06
The facts that make a DUI a felony here
Each line below is a separate provision with its own punishment range. They stack with the arithmetic of prior convictions rather than replacing it.
| The fact | What it makes it | Detail and source |
|---|---|---|
| A third and subsequent violation within ten years of a prior conviction | Up to three years, one year of which may not be suspended | The non-suspendable core rises from forty-eight hours on a first violation, to 120 consecutive days on a second, to a full year here, with a fine of $2,000 to $8,000 and probation carrying 100 hours of community service, an assessment and treatment if ordered. Connecticut General Statutes § 14-227a · Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(3) · checked 2026-09-06 |
| The permanent revocation that comes with it | Licence revoked for life, with one narrow way back | On a third offence the operator’s licence or nonresident operating privilege is permanently revoked. If that revocation is later reversed or reduced under § 14-111(i), the person may drive only a vehicle fitted with a functioning approved ignition interlock for the period that provision prescribes. A safe boating certificate goes the same way. Connecticut General Statutes § 14-227a · Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(3)(C); § 14-111(i); § 14-227j · checked 2026-09-06 |
The device is a separate track
Connecticut requires the device before it will restore your license at all — after failing or refusing a test, an OUI, vehicular manslaughter or vehicular assault. One detail costs people months: the DMV states plainly that the requirement starts the date your license is restored, not the date the device is fitted.
In Connecticut the interlock term runs Length of restriction and is administered by Connecticut DMV — 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: Connecticut DMV
Connecticut DUI questions
Is a DUI a felony in Connecticut?
The statute never says felony — it says three years and a licence gone for good. Connecticut does not grade its DUI offence the way most states do. Section 14-227a never uses the word felony at all; it sets three penalty steps by violation count, and the third step is the severe one. A third and subsequent violation within ten years after a prior conviction for the same offence carries a fine of $2,000 to $8,000 and imprisonment of not more than three years, of which one full year may not be suspended or reduced in any manner — the non-suspendable core rises from forty-eight hours on a first, to 120 consecutive days on a second, to a year here. Probation follows with 100 hours of community service, an assessment of the degree of alcohol or drug abuse through the Court Support Services Division, and treatment if ordered. The lasting part is the licence: permanent revocation on the third offence, with one narrow way back — if the revocation is reversed or reduced under § 14-111(i), the driver may operate only a vehicle fitted with an approved ignition interlock for the period that provision prescribes. A safe boating certificate goes the same way under § 15-133. A third and subsequent violation within ten years of a prior conviction: up to three years, one year of which may not be suspended. The permanent revocation that comes with it: licence revoked for life, with one narrow way back.
What does a 3rd DUI in Connecticut carry?
Third and subsequent violation under § 14-227a(g)(3): up to three years, one year of which may not be suspended or reduced, and a fine of $2,000 to $8,000. The range is set by Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(3); § 14-111(i); § 14-227j, and the figures on this page come from the statute rather than from a summary of it.
What makes it worse in Connecticut?
A third and subsequent violation within ten years of a prior conviction — up to three years, one year of which may not be suspended. The permanent revocation that comes with it — licence revoked for life, with one narrow way back.
Does an interlock come with it in Connecticut?
Connecticut requires the device before it will restore your license at all — after failing or refusing a test, an OUI, vehicular manslaughter or vehicular assault. One detail costs people months: the DMV states plainly that the requirement starts the date your license is restored, not the date the device is fitted. The device requirement and the criminal penalty are separate tracks: one is handled by the court, the other by Connecticut DMV.
Other steps in Connecticut: second offense penalties and first offense penalties.
All Connecticut DUI rules →Penalties across the states →Connecticut DUI lawyers →Getting the license back →
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