Minnesota Requirements

Minnesota DUI Laws

Administrative:

Minnesota Ignition Interlock laws require drivers with any first-time alcohol offense with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level under 0.16 to lose their ability to drive for 90 days. There are three options if this applies to you.

You can install an ignition interlock (in-car breathalyzer) and receive an ignition interlock restricted license will full driving privileges; After 15 days without driving, you can apply for a limited license that will allow you to drive to and from work, school, treatment, abstinence support groups meetings, court, and probation. You are limited to driving 60 hours and no more than six days per week with this type of license. You cannot drive for the full 90 days.

Judicial:

If it is your 1^st alcohol offense but you had a BAC of 0.16 or greater, you cannot drive for one year, but you have two options. You can install an ignition interlock and you will be able to drive just as you did before or go without driving for one year.

If you refused to take an alcohol test at the time of your arrest, you will not be able to drive for one year, but you can install an ignition interlock, wait 15 days and apply for a limited license with restrictions on where you can drive and how much driving you can do.

If this is a 2^nd offense in 10 years or a 3^rd offense on record (revoked status) with a BAC under 0.16, there is a one-year suspension. The only way to continue driving is to install an ignition interlock device. If your BAC was over 0.16 or if you refused to take a BAC test at the time of your arrest, you will not be able to drive for two years unless you install an ignition interlock.

If your License is “Canceled and Denied as Inimical to Public Safety,” your 3^rd offense within 10 years or 4^th offense on record results in three years minimum loss of driving privileges. A 4^th offense within 10 years results in four years minimum loss of driving privileges. And a 5^th or subsequent offense results in six years minimum loss of driving privileges.

In addition to these administrative sanctions, if you are convicted by a court or plead guilty, you face additional penalties. For a 1^st conviction, the criminal sanctions are up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine of $1,000. A full chart of the administrative and criminal consequences of DWI in Minnesota is available here.