How much does a DUI cost? The fine is the small part
People search for this with a suspicion already formed — often literally as “over ten years” — and the suspicion is right. What makes this expensive is not the one-off payment but the lines that repeat: the policy, the device, the fees that arrive with each step of getting your license back.
What appears on the bill
Each figure below is anchored to something an agency publishes. Where nothing is published, we say so instead of inventing a range.
| Line | Scale | What it is anchored to |
|---|---|---|
| The fine | $300 to $10,000 | Pennsylvania grades it: an ungraded misdemeanor starts at $300, a second-degree misdemeanor runs $500 to $5,000, and a third-degree felony reaches $15,000. Florida sets $500 to $1,000 for a first conviction and doubles the range when the reading was 0.15% or a child was in the car. Texas caps a first offense at $2,000 and a third at $10,000. PennDOT, DUI penalties card · checked 2026-08-30 |
| The device | Installation plus a monthly fee | The national reference points are roughly $70 to $90 to fit and about $70 a month, plus a calibration visit every 30 to 60 days. A few states cap what a provider may charge and a few forbid charging for removal at all; most publish nothing, and then the quote is the price. NHTSA, ignition interlock reference · checked 2026-08-30 |
| The insurance filing | Two to three years of higher premiums | The filing itself costs a few dollars. What costs money is the coverage behind it: Florida requires $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 after a DUI instead of the ordinary $10,000/$20,000/$10,000, and that larger policy runs for three years. FLHSMV, financial responsibility requirements · checked 2026-08-30 |
| The classes | Set by the licensed provider | Texas may order a 12-hour alcohol education program; California requires a state-licensed program that runs for months. Prices come from the provider, but the list of providers comes from the state — and a cheaper course that is not on the list buys you nothing. California DHCS, DUI programs · checked 2026-08-30 |
| Fees to get the license back | $100 and up, per step | Texas charges a $100 reinstatement fee on top of everything else, and adds another after a missed class. West Virginia charges a non-refundable $100 just to apply for the interlock program. These are the line items people forget when adding it up. Texas DPS, Alcohol Related Laws (DL-20) · checked 2026-08-30 |
There is no average worth quoting
Round numbers circulate — ten thousand, fifteen thousand — and none of them survive contact with a specific case. The fine alone spans an order of magnitude between states and offense levels, the insurance side depends on what your carrier decides, and the device runs for a term your state sets. What can be said honestly is which lines appear on the bill, and roughly what each one is anchored to.
The useful exercise is not finding an average but working out which of these lines apply to you: your state’s fine range, whether it caps the device price, whether it wants an SR-22 or an FR-44, and how long your term runs.
The two lines that keep running
Insurance and the device are monthly, not one-off, and both run on terms set by the state rather than by you. That is why the ten-year framing in the search box is more accurate than the fine printed on the order.
Cost questions
How much does a DUI cost?
There is no honest single number, and anyone quoting one is guessing on your behalf. The fine alone runs from a few hundred dollars to five figures depending on the state and the offense level, and the fine is usually the smaller half: the device, the insurance filing, the mandated classes and the reinstatement fees all sit on top of it.
How much does a DUI cost over 10 years?
The parts that stretch that far are the insurance and the record. Florida requires triple-limit coverage for three years after a DUI, California reports the conviction on a driving record for ten years and on a commercial record for fifty-five. Insurers price from what they see, so the long tail of the cost is the record rather than any court order.
What is the biggest expense after a DUI?
For most people it is insurance, because it repeats. A fine is paid once; a larger policy is paid every month for years. The device is the second recurring line, and it runs for a term your state sets rather than one you negotiate.
Are there costs people forget?
Reinstatement fees, calibration visits every 30 to 60 days, and the program fee before the program even starts — West Virginia charges a non-refundable $100 just to apply. Missing a required class in Texas adds another suspension and another fee, which is how a manageable bill becomes a long one.
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.