California DUI Help Center

Keep the paperwork the officer gave you. If you want a DMV hearing, call the Driver Safety Office on that paperwork within 10 days. Talk to a DUI attorney about your court case. Then get your SR-22 lined up, because you’ll need it for a restricted license or to get your license back. The step-by-step guide on this page walks you through all of it.

Not to learn the steps. Everything on this page is free. You’ll still pay the DMV’s fees, your DUI program and your insurance, and for your court case a DUI attorney is worth talking to (we can refer you). But you don’t need to pay anyone just to tell you what to do next.

You have 10 days from the day you receive the suspension order, which is usually the pink temporary license the officer gives you. Call the Driver Safety Office listed on your paperwork to request it.

Usually for 30 days. The officer’s Order of Suspension and Temporary License lets you drive for 30 days from the date on it, as long as your license was valid and not suspended for something else.

It depends on which test. The handheld roadside test before an arrest is generally optional if you’re 21 or older and not on DUI probation. Refusing the breath or blood test after an arrest means a 1-year suspension for a first offense, a 2-year revocation for a second within 10 years, and a 3-year revocation for a third.

The DMV hearing is only about your license. The court case decides the criminal charge. Winning one doesn’t automatically win the other, so many people have an attorney handle both.

We’re an insurance agency, not a law firm, so we can’t give legal advice. A DUI attorney can explain your options and handle the DMV hearing. See our list of California DUI attorneys.

The DMV’s suspension for a first DUI with a test of 0.08% or higher is 4 months, and refusing the test makes it 1 year. A conviction in court carries its own suspension (6 months for a standard first offense). Many first offenders can drive sooner with a restricted license, so ask your attorney how the two line up in your case.

Possibly, with a restricted license. After a first DUI, you may be able to apply for a restricted license, either with an interlock device installed or one limited to driving to and from work. You can’t request it at the DMV hearing itself.

For a first DUI where nobody was hurt, it’s generally optional, and installing one can get you a restricted license and back on the road sooner. Repeat DUIs, or DUIs where someone was hurt, generally require one for 1 to 4 years.

12 hours for a wet reckless, 3 months (30 hours) for a first DUI, 9 months (60 hours) for a first DUI with a BAC of 0.20% or higher, 18 months for a second or later DUI, and 30 months for a third or later DUI in counties that offer it.

No. California doesn’t accept online-only DUI classes. Your program has to be licensed by the state Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).

The DMV’s reissue fee after a DUI suspension is $125. For the under-21 zero tolerance suspension, it’s $100. Fees can change, so check the notice the DMV sends you.

California has zero tolerance for drivers under 21: a test of 0.01% or higher, or refusing a test, means a 1-year suspension. Drivers under 21 also have to take the roadside breath test. The reissue fee is $100.

It can affect both your license and your insurance. Our guide walks through it: out-of-state DUI and your California license.

No. A DUI changes which companies will take you and what you’ll pay, but you can still get insured. We have a market for drivers with a DUI, and we compare dozens of insurance companies to find you the best rate we can.

Don’t wait for the policy to end. Some companies drop or don’t renew drivers after a DUI, but others specialize in DUI drivers, and we work with them. Get your new policy started before the old one ends so there’s no gap, and if you need an SR-22, we’ll file it with the DMV the same day. See insurance after being dropped.

It depends a lot on the company. A DUI is one of the violations that raises car insurance the most, and companies price it very differently, so the same driver can get very different quotes. That’s why we compare dozens of companies for you. More here: how much insurance goes up after a DUI.

Most likely, yes. Companies see a DUI and at-fault accidents as higher risk, and each one can add to the price. How much depends on the company, which is why comparing matters. We have markets for drivers with a DUI and accidents. See insurance with tickets or accidents.

Usually, yes. A DUI on any driver listed on the policy can raise the whole family’s rate, and some companies won’t renew the policy. Often the cheaper move is for the driver with the DUI to get their own policy, with an SR-22 if needed, and be excluded from the family policy. If you go that route, the family policy won’t cover them, so they shouldn’t drive the family’s cars. Call us and we’ll price both ways so you can compare.

Your current company will usually see it when it checks your driving record, often at renewal. If you’re applying for a new policy, answer the questions honestly: companies check your record, and leaving a DUI off the application can get the policy canceled.

Yes. You can choose liability only or full coverage. If your car is financed or leased, the lender will usually require full coverage.

California counts DUIs within 10 years when it decides repeat-offense penalties, and insurance companies look at your record when they price your policy. How long it affects your rate depends on the company. See how long a DUI stays on your insurance.

Yes, we can usually get you insured either way. If your license is suspended, buying a policy with an SR-22 is usually the first step to getting it back, because the DMV wants proof of insurance on file before it reinstates you. See car insurance without a license.

Yes. To get your license back after a DUI suspension, the DMV requires proof of insurance on file, and that’s the SR-22. We can file yours electronically the same day.

No. An SR-22 is a form your insurance company files with the DMV to show you’re insured. You still need the car insurance policy behind it, and the SR-22 stays valid only as long as that policy is active.

Yes. You can buy online and get your SR-22 certificate right away, or call us and an agent can usually start your policy the same day. Either way, we file the SR-22 electronically with the DMV the same day. See how fast you can get an SR-22.

At MIS, SR-22 insurance in California starts as low as $10 a month. Prices vary with your record, your car and the coverage you choose. We compare dozens of insurance companies to find you the best rate we can.

In most cases, 3 years. Keep it active the whole time: if the policy cancels, the DMV is notified and your license can be suspended again. More here: how long you carry an SR-22.

No. A non-owner policy covers you when you drive a car you don’t own, and it can carry your SR-22, so you can get your license back without owning a car. See California non-owner SR-22.

Often, yes. If the DMV suspended your license after the arrest, that suspension stays even when the charge is reduced to reckless driving, and you’ll need an SR-22 to get your license back. More here: SR-22 after a wet reckless.