Passionate, Aggressive,
& Experienced
& Experienced
California Driver’s-License Suspensions After A DUI
If you’ve been arrested for DUI in Modesto, Stanislaus County, or anywhere in California, the DMV can pull your license before you ever see a judge. Under the Administrative-Per-Se (APS) law, you have only 10 days from the date of arrest or citation to demand a DMV hearing or your driving privilege is automatically suspended. Even after the APS hearing at DMV, a court conviction can retrigger or extend a license suspension.
A first offender faces an automatic four-month APS suspension and an additional six-month court suspension unless fast action is taken. Second and third arrests trigger one-year APS hits and two- or three-year court revocations, but you can now drive immediately with an ignition-interlock device (IID) once you file an SR-22, enrol in the required DUI class and pay the reinstatement fee. Refuse the chemical test and you’re looking at a hard one-, two- or three-year suspension with zero IID relief. Under-21 drivers or anyone on DUI probation who blows 0.01 % faces a one-year hard suspension with each repeat adding another year.
The chart below shows the hard numbers—four-month first-offender suspensions, one-year APS hits for repeat arrests, multi-year revocations for chemical-test refusals—and explains how a same-day ignition-interlock device (IID) can keep you driving on first, second or even third DUIs. Review the table to compare DMV suspensions with court-ordered revocations and to choose the fastest path to a restricted or IID license.
Need to stay on the road? Call Certified Criminal Law Specialist Tai C. Bogan at 209-565-3425 before the DMV deadline expires.
| DMV Admin Per-Se (APS) | DUI Conviction – Suspension | |
| 1st DUI BAC ≥ 0.08 | 4-month suspension | 6-month suspension |
| 2nd DUI | 1-year suspension | 2-year suspension |
| 3rd DUI | 1-year suspension | 3-year revocation |
| 4th + (Felony) DUI | 1-year suspension | 4-year revocation |
| Chemical-Test Refusal | 1st – 1 Year 2nd – 2 Years 3rd – 3 Years Hard suspension (No Driving) No Restricted License or IID Option Available | Refusal revocation runs concurrently with conviction suspension; refusal makes you ineligible for early IID |
| Under-21 / DUI-Probation 0.01 BAC | 1 yr (1st) • 2–3 yrs (repeat) hard suspension – IID not available | Court adds regular DUI suspension if convicted |
Restricted License Is Available Unless
- Class A Licenses
- Refusal Suspensions
- Under 21 Suspension
Getting Your License Back and/or Avoiding Suspension
- File SR-22 Insurance Certificate
- Sign up for DUI Class
- Wait out all, some, or none of the suspension or revocation
- 1st time DUI
- Wait 30 days – hard suspension no driving – then get restricted license for work purposes (or)
- Install IID immediately and avoid any hard suspension period (or)
- Wait out the entire suspension period.
- 2nd or subsequent DUI
- Wait 90 days – hard suspension no driving – then get restricted license for work purposes (or)
- Install IID immediately and avoid any hard suspension period (or)
- Wait out the entire suspension period.
- 1st time DUI
- Go to DMV and pay reinstatement fee of about $125.00
| DUI Level | Option A – Hard-Suspension + Work-Restricted | Option B – IID-Restricted License (Fastest) | Option C – Sit Out the Whole Suspension |
| 1st-Time DUI | • Serve 30 days of no driving. • Apply for a work-only restricted license (drive to work, school, DUI class, medical care). | • Install an ignition-interlock device (IID) immediately. • File SR-22 + DUI-class proof. • Drive anywhere with IID—no hard suspension at all. | Do nothing and remain completely off the road for the full 4- or 6-month suspension. |
| 2nd DUI (or more) | • Serve 90 days of no driving. • Apply for a work-only restricted License. | • Install IID immediately. • File SR-22 + DUI-class proof. • Drive anywhere with IID—no hard suspension. | Sit out the entire 1-year APS or 2 or 3-year court revocation. |
Tip: The IID-fast-track (Option B) is almost always the quickest way back on the road and the one most clients choose.
Key takeaways
- DMV now grants same-day IID-restricted driving privileges on second and third DUIs if you:
- Install a certified ignition-interlock device.
- File an SR-22 insurance certificate.
- Enroll in the required DUI education program.
- A refusal automatically triggers a hard suspension—no IID relief is available.
- APS and court actions run at the same time; win either one and total suspension time drops.
Need to keep driving? Call 209-565-3425 within 10 days of arrest. We’ll request your DMV hearing, guide you through the IID paperwork, and fight the criminal case to protect your record.