The criminal case
DUI penalties in Colorado
The offense, qualifying priors and statutory conditions matter—not just an arrest count.
DUI penalties in Colorado depend on the charged offense and its statutory conditions. Prior convictions, their dates, and aggravating factors may change the applicable rule. An arrest count alone does not establish the offense tier, and a minimum sentence is not the complete sentencing range. The cited rules below are not predictions of a particular case’s outcome.
The lookback period
- How far back priors count
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.This varies widely between states — from a few years to a lifetime — so it is not safe to assume a national figure.
Penalty rules by offense number
- First offense
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.
- Second offense
- Second DUI, DUI per se or DWAI with a qualifying prior: 10 consecutive days to 1 year in jail; $600–$1,500 fine; 48–120 hours of public service; and at least 2 years probation.
- The statute permits suspension of the fine and specifies sentencing-alternative limits, including stricter limits when the new violation is within five years of the prior. A one-year suspended jail sentence and treatment conditions also apply as specified.
- Third offense
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.
Driving privileges, ignition interlock and insurance requirements need separate review under their own rules. A commercial-driving restriction may have different triggers from a restriction on an ordinary licence. No consequence is assumed merely because it appears in this list.
- Ignition interlock, first offense
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.
The two legal questions
The criminal charge and driving privileges can involve different proceedings. The notice, order and cited rule identify the applicable process.
Driving privileges
The licence case
- Forum
- The agency or court identified by the applicable licence proceeding
- Clock
- Check the applicable notice or order for the deadline and its starting event
- Deadline to request a hearing
- The department must receive the written hearing request within 7 days after the day you receive the revocation notice, or are deemed to have received it by mail.
- This is the administrative revocation procedure under C.R.S. § 42-2-126. A mailed notice is deemed received three days after mailing; the deadline is tied to notice, not simply the arrest date.
- A late request must include a verified explanation. The department must grant it if the statutory grounds—lack of actual notice or physical incapacity such as hospitalization or incarceration—are established. That late-hearing procedure does not stay the revocation.
- Suspension under the cited rule
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.
Criminal charge
The criminal case
- Forum
- A criminal court
- Clock
- Check court notices and orders; no case duration is predicted here
- Alcohol-concentration threshold
- 0.08%
- First-offense penalty rule
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.The cited rule may describe a range or a minimum with conditions, not a predicted sentence.