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The total cost of a first DUI, layer by layer
Ask "how much does a DUI cost?" and most answers quote the fine. The fine is real — but it is one of seven layers, and usually not the biggest. This guide walks the full stack in the order you actually pay it, with the verified state figures in one table at the end.
Verified fine, court, reinstatement and program figures for your state, plus your own interlock, towing and insurance numbers — one total.
Open the DUI cost calculatorLayer 1 — The fine
The statute sets a range and the judge sentences inside it. First-offense maximums on the official schedules we read run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. The fine is the only layer that is fully published in advance — every other layer is set by a court schedule, a program, a vendor, or an insurer.
Layer 2 — Court costs & fees
On top of the fine, the court adds its own costs: docket and filing fees, surcharges that fund court technology, victim funds, trauma or EMS funds, and testing fees. Some states publish a single statewide number; in many, the total is set by the county or the individual court and cannot be known until the judgment is entered.
Layer 3 — License suspension & reinstatement
A first conviction suspends your license — the length varies by state and by whether you refused a chemical test. Getting it back costs a reinstatement fee paid to the driver-licensing agency, verified on this site from $20 to $680 across the states that publish one. The reinstatement guide has the full table.
Layer 4 — The DUI program
Courts order an alcohol/drug education or treatment program, and you pay the program. Where the state publishes the fee, we print it (see the table); where the program sets its own price, we say so. Programs are also a reinstatement condition in most states — no certificate, no license. Fees and program names are in the DUI classes guide.
Layer 5 — Ignition interlock
An interlock is a breath tester wired to your ignition. The state orders it; a private vendor installs and leases it to you — an installation fee, a monthly lease, calibration visits, and a removal fee. No statute prices it, because the state doesn't sell it. The interlock guide explains the pricing structure and which states require it for every first offender.
Layer 6 — Towing & storage
From the night of the arrest: a tow, then daily storage until the vehicle is released. Rates are set by the tow operator and local rules; some states cap them by statute or ordinance, most don't publish a number we can cite. Enter your actual charge in the calculator.
Layer 7 — Insurance & the SR-22
Most states require an SR-22 — a form your insurer files proving you carry the required liability coverage — kept on file for about three years. During those years you are priced as a high-risk driver. This is typically the largest layer of the seven and the only one no official source can price: it depends on your insurer, your record, and your state. We describe it; we never invent a premium figure. Details in the SR-22 guide.
What this guide is not: nothing here is legal advice or a defense strategy, and no total on this page predicts what any individual case will cost — judges sentence within ranges, courts add local costs, and programs and insurers set their own prices. The figures below are the state-set layers an official source publishes, researched October 2026.
The verified state-set layers — all 50 states
| State | Statutory fine | Court costs (verified) | Reinstatement fee | DUI program fee (verified) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Unverified | — | $275 | — |
| Alaska | From $1,500 (statutory minimum — no maximum stated) | — | — | — |
| Arizona | From $250 (statutory minimum — no maximum stated) | — | — | — |
| Arkansas | Unverified | — | $150 | — |
| California | $390–$1,000 | — | — | — |
| Colorado | $600–$1,000 | — | — | — |
| Connecticut | Unverified | — | $175 | — |
| Delaware | $500–$1,500 | — | $200 | $400 |
| Florida | $500–$1,000 | — | — | — |
| Georgia | $300–$1,000 | — | $210 | $360 |
| Hawaii | $250–$1,000 | — | — | — |
| Idaho | Up to $1,000 | — | $285 | — |
| Illinois | Unverified | — | $250 | — |
| Indiana | Unverified | — | — | — |
| Iowa | $1,250 | — | $20 | — |
| Kansas | $750–$1,000 | — | — | — |
| Kentucky | $200–$500 | — | $40 | — |
| Louisiana | $300–$1,000 | — | $100 | — |
| Maine | $500–$2,000 | — | — | — |
| Maryland | Up to $1,200 | — | — | — |
| Massachusetts | $500–$5,000 | — | — | — |
| Michigan | $100–$500 | — | $125 | — |
| Minnesota | Up to $1,000 | — | $680 | — |
| Mississippi | $250–$1,000 | — | $175 | — |
| Missouri | Up to $1,000 | — | $45 | — |
| Montana | $600–$1,000 | — | $200 | — |
| Nebraska | $500 | — | $125 | — |
| Nevada | $400–$1,000 | — | $121 | $150 |
| New Hampshire | $500–$1,200 | — | — | — |
| New Jersey | $250–$500 | — | $100 | — |
| New Mexico | Unverified | — | $102 | — |
| New York | $500–$1,000 | — | $100 | $75 |
| North Carolina | Up to $1,000 | — | $167.75 | — |
| North Dakota | $500–$750 | — | — | — |
| Ohio | $565–$1,075 | — | $315 | — |
| Oklahoma | Up to $1,000 | — | — | — |
| Oregon | From $1,000 (statutory minimum — no maximum stated) | — | — | $150 |
| Pennsylvania | $300 | — | — | — |
| Rhode Island | $100–$300 | — | $353.50 | $405 |
| South Carolina | $400 | — | $100 | $500 |
| South Dakota | Up to $2,000 | — | — | — |
| Tennessee | $350–$1,500 | — | $100 | — |
| Texas | Unverified | — | $125 | — |
| Utah | From $700 (statutory minimum — no maximum stated) | — | $85 | — |
| Vermont | Up to $750 | — | — | — |
| Virginia | $250–$2,500 | — | $105 | — |
| Washington | $350–$5,000 | — | $170 | — |
| West Virginia | $100–$500 | — | — | — |
| Wisconsin | $150–$300 | — | $200 | — |
| Wyoming | Unverified | — | $50 | — |
A dash means that layer has no verified statewide figure — not that it costs nothing. The state guides explain each dash.