St. Paul License Suspension Lawyers
After the implied consent law is invoked, you will face license suspension, also know as license revocation, and you will receive paperwork from the officers advising you when the revocation period begins. The duration of the revocation is entirely dependent upon the circumstances – namely, your alcohol concentration level, your age, and the number of qualified prior driving incidents on your record within the previous twenty years.
Revocation Periods
To give you some guidance in trying to figure out the duration of your revocation, the following is a general overview of the revocation periods. For purposes of this exercise, we are assuming there was no accident, injury, or death involved in the underlying DWI crime:
License Consequences for First Offense DWI
- Alcohol level between 0.08 and 0.159 – 90 days. If you plead guilty to a 4th Degree DWI, this will administratively drop to 30 days, so long as there was no child endangerment or any prior qualified impaired driving incidents, regardless of how far back it goes.
- If you are under 21 years of age, the revocation period is 180 days.
- 0.16+ – 1 year.
- Refusal – 1 year. If you plead to the refusal, it will be reduced to 90 days. And if you plead to a 4th Degree DWI charge, it will be reduced to 30 days. Same caveats about child endangerment and any qualified priors apply, as explained above.
License Consequences for Multiple DWI Offenses
- Second DWI Offense within 20 years – 2 years revocation period
- Third DWI Offense in a lifetime – 6 year cancellation
- Fourth DWI Offense in a lifetime – 10 year cancellation
The only option to drive during these revocation or cancellation periods is to enroll in the ignition interlock program for a full 2-, 6-, or 10-year period – not matter when you start it. It is mandatory and you will be required to complete a chemical dependency treatment or rehabilitation program as well.
Understanding the revocation period and your obligations thereafter is nuanced and challenging. There is also a lot at stake if you do it wrong – an extension of your revocation period and even possible criminal charges. Given all of this, it is critical to get a knowledgeable DWI attorney from North Star Criminal Defense to guide you.
As stated previously, this is intended merely as a guide and in no way should be used to determine your actual revocation period. The best way to do that is to contact a Minnesota DWI attorney for a consultation or to contact DVS.