Second Offense DWI in Minnesota

If you are charged with a second DUI in Minnesota within 10 years of your previous conviction, you face some severe penalties. These include fines, jail time, and license suspension, to name the most common consequences. Before you get a lawyer to try to reduce the punishments due to this misdemeanor, you should become aware of what to expect.

Administrative Penalties for Your Second DUI in Minnesota

Like most other states, Minnesota courts require that your driver's license be revoked for a certain period of time. If your blood alcohol level was less than .20, your license will be suspended for 180 days. However, if it was over .20, you cannot legally drive for 1 year. Note that you can get a limited license that allows you to drive to work or school, but you typically have to wait 90 days to apply. In most cases, you will need to pay to install a vehicle ignition interlock device in your car before you can use your limited license during the suspension period.

Once you are allowed to reinstate your license, you will have to pay about $700. When you go to the department of motor vehicles, you will have to bring proof of an SR22 insurance policy for Minnesota. You should also expect to have your license plate impounded for a year, after which you will be given a plate with codes on it to show that you have had a second DUI in Minnesota.

Criminal Penalties

Aside from the high costs of license reinstatement and ignition interlock device installation, you will have additional fines. In fact, you can expect to pay up to about $3000 for a second DUI in Minnesota, in addition to any court costs. In some cases, you can serve extra jail time to reduce your fines.

Of course, you will have to spend some time in jail whether or not you pay all of your fines. You may be issued anywhere from 60 days to 1 year in jail. You might be able to reduce your sentence by taking an alcohol treatment class, or being put on probation, but this usually requires lots of help from a lawyer.

Obtain Legal Assistance

Your lawyer may be able to help plea bargain a less severe charge that carries fewer penalties. However, you should be aware that if you are accused of a DUI again in the future, it will be treated as a third offense, even if you plea bargain to a lesser charge this time. You and your attorney may also decide to plea nolo contendere, which is neither a guilty nor not guilty plea. These are just a few of your options for dealing with a second DUI in Minnesota; contact a lawyer to learn more.