DUI Penalties in Ohio

DUI Conviction #1 Within a Six Year Period

  • If offender refuses to take blood alcohol test, Administrative License Suspension (ALS) of one year;
  • If offender tests above the legal limit, ALS is for 90 days;
  • Three mandatory days in jail or three days in a driver intervention program;
  • Court costs plus fines of $375 to $1,075;
  • Six month license suspension up to three years as ordered by the court;
  • Probation of up to five years;
  • At the discretion of the judge, offender must install an Ignition Interlock Device;
  • Issuance of restricted license plates and a mandatory six days in jail with a high tier blood alcohol test result.

DUI Conviction #2 Within a Six Year Period

  • If offender refuses to take blood alcohol test, Administrative License Suspension (ALS) of two years;
  • If offender tests above the legal limit, ALS is for one year;
  • Ten mandatory days in jail or five mandatory days in jail coupled with electronic monitored house arrest of 18 consecutive days to six months;
  • Court costs plus fines of $525 to $1,625;
  • Enrollment in a driver intervention program, as ordered by the court, at the judge’s discretion;
  • Vehicle of offender immobilized for 90 days;
  • License suspension of one to five years as ordered by the court;
  • Probation of up to five years;
  • Offender will have an Ignition Interlock Device installed and be issued restricted license plates.

DUI Conviction #3 Within a Six Year Period

  • If offender refuses to take blood alcohol test, Administrative License Suspension (ALS) of three years;
  • If offender tests above the legal limit, ALS is for two years;
  • 55 days to one year of electronic monitored house arrest after 30 consecutive days up to one year in jail – jail sentence minimums double in the cases of high tier test results;
  • Court costs plus fines of $525 to $2,750;
  • Enrollment in a state-approved alcohol treatment program, costs covered by the offender;
  • Vehicle forfeiture if vehicle is registered to the offender;
  • License suspension of two to ten years, as ordered by the court;
  • Probation of up to five years;
  • Offender will have an Ignition Interlock Device installed and be issued restricted license plates.

DUI Conviction #4 Within a Six Year Period or DUI Conviction #6 Within a Twenty Year Period

  • If offender refuses to take blood alcohol test, Administrative License Suspension (ALS) of five years;
  • If offender tests above the legal limit, ALS is for three years;
  • 60 days to one year of in jail – sentence minimums double in the cases of high tier test results;
  • Court costs plus fines of $1,350 to $10,500;
  • Enrollment in a state-approved alcohol treatment program, costs covered by the offender;
  • Vehicle forfeiture if vehicle is registered to the offender;
  • License suspension of three years, minimum and with possible Permanent Revocation which includes no driving privileges for three years;
  • Potential of up to five years of probation;
  • Offender will have an Ignition Interlock Device installed and be issued restricted license plates.

After a DUI conviction, the ALS is terminated and the time served goes toward the license suspension ordered by the court. If there is a not guilty finding, the ALS will not automatically end.

A DUI conviction in the last 20 years in combination with a test refusal will produce the same sentence as a high tier test result conviction.