A first DUI in South Carolina: what it can result in

South Carolina builds three tiers into the first offense itself. Below 0.10 it is a $400 fine or 48 hours to 30 days; from 0.10 to under 0.16 it is $500 or 72 hours; at 0.16 or more it is $1,000 or 30 to 90 days. Public service employment may be substituted for the minimum — but the statute is explicit that the court cannot compel it, and that the hours must fall outside your working time.

Start from what the statute forces and what it leaves to the judge. The floor here is 48 hours to 30 days, or 72 hours or 30 days at higher readings, and it moves on the facts: a reading of 0.10 or 0.16 means three separate sets of numbers inside one offense. Everything above that floor is argued, and the same conviction can end up served in custody, on work release or as a condition of probation depending on the county and the judge. What no one can promise you is a sentence below the statutory minimum — that is not a question of persuasion.

Misdemeanor under § 56-5-2930: 48 hours to 30 days, or 72 hours or 30 days at higher readings, and a fine of $400, $500 or $1,000 depending on the reading. The range is set by S.C. Code § 56-5-2930(A)(1), and the figures on this page come from the statute rather than from a summary of it.

A reading of 0.10 or 0.16 — three separate sets of numbers inside one offense.

Since the All Offender Law took effect on 19 May 2024, every DUI conviction in South Carolina means a device if you want to drive at all. Drivers convicted of a first DUI below 0.15% whose offense predates that day may still choose. Decline to enroll and the suspension runs indefinitely — there is no waiting it out. The device requirement and the criminal penalty are separate tracks: one is handled by the court, the other by SC Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, with SCDMV holding the record.