California DUI Penalties: Your License, Insurance and Criminal Record

The California DUI penalties that will be imposed on a convicted operator depend on how many times that operator has been caught operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  Each successive DUI violation for which an operator is convicted will result in the court imposing a successively more severe penalty on that operator.  The operator can expect that his license will be taken away for a minimum of six months, the DUI conviction will be reported to his automobile insurance company putting him at risk for policy cancellation and he will have a formal criminal record for violating California DUI laws.

First Offense - Probation

If the court allows probation for the individual being punished for DUI then in addition to the period of probation that individual must be confined in a county jail for at least five days but not more than one year and must pay a fine of at least three hundred ninety dollars but not more than one thousand dollars.  That person’s license to operate a motor vehicle would be suspended and they would be required to surrender their driver’s license at the penalty imposition proceedings.  As a condition of the grant of probation as a penalty the individual may be required to enroll in and successfully complete an alcohol and other drug education and counseling program in the individual’s county of residence or employment.

First Offense - Jail Time

An individual convicted of a first DUI violation can be punished by imprisonment in a California State prison, or in a county jail, for not less than ninety days but not more than one year and by a fine of not less than three hundred ninety dollars but not more than one thousand dollars and that person’s privilege to operate a motor vehicle in the State of California will be suspended by the Department of Motor Vehicles. 

Getting Legal Help

If you or a member of your family is dealing with California DUI penalties imposed by a court due to a conviction for operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol it would be important to contact a criminal lawyer in order to access assistance in protecting your rights and interests.