Home › Illinois DUI penalties breakdown
Illinois DUI penalties breakdown: every component, line by line
Our Illinois DUI costs page gives the state overview. This page does the narrower job: each separate component of an Illinois DUI — the fine under 625 ILCS 5/11-501, the separate $750 statutory assessment, the summary suspension that starts before the criminal case ends, and the Secretary of State reinstatement fees — with the statute that sets each one, and no added-up total.
The criminal fine: a Class A misdemeanour with mandatory minimums layered on top
A first DUI under 625 ILCS 5/11-501(a) is a Class A misdemeanour: imprisonment of up to 364 days and a fine of up to $2,500. The statute then layers mandatory minimums onto that frame for the facts that most often appear in a first case. A first offender whose alcohol concentration was 0.16 or more is subject, in addition to any other penalty, to a mandatory minimum of 100 hours of community service and a mandatory minimum fine of $500 under § 11-501(c)(4). A driver who was transporting a person under 16 faces an additional mandatory minimum fine of $1,000 and 25 days of community service in a program benefiting children, on top of the court's other sentencing options under § 11-501(c)(3).
A second conviction carries a mandatory minimum of either five days of imprisonment or 240 hours of community service; at 0.16 or more, a second conviction adds a mandatory minimum of two days of imprisonment and a mandatory minimum fine of $1,250. Beyond the fine, § 11-501.01 imposes a separate assessment on anyone found guilty of, or placed on court supervision for, a § 11-501 violation: $750 for a first disposition — $350 distributed to the arresting law-enforcement agency and $400 to the State Treasurer for the General Revenue Fund — rising to $1,000 where the person has a prior conviction. That assessment is not part of the fine, is collected by the circuit clerk, and is one reason a single "total fine" figure for Illinois is never an official number.
Two license tracks: summary suspension first, revocation on conviction
Illinois runs the license on two tracks. Under the statutory summary suspension in § 11-501.1, the suspension takes effect on the 46th day after arrest, before any conviction: six months for a first offender who fails a chemical test, twelve months for a first offender who refuses. A second failure within five years brings one year, and a second refusal within five years brings three years. A first offender may be able to drive during the suspension on a Monitoring Device Driving Permit with a breath alcohol ignition interlock device installed; repeat offenders are not eligible for that permit and must seek relief through the Secretary of State hearing process instead.
A conviction adds the second track: the Secretary of State revokes driving privileges under § 6-205, and reinstatement requires a hearing, an alcohol and drug evaluation, and completion of any recommended treatment. The reinstatement fees are set by § 6-118 and published by the Secretary of State: $250 to reinstate after a first statutory summary suspension, and $500 to reinstate after a revocation or a subsequent summary suspension — and where both a summary suspension and a revocation sit on the same record, each carries its own fee. For a second or subsequent offender ordered onto interlock, § 11-501.01 also requires a monthly payment to the Secretary of State DUI Administration Fund, capped by statute at $30 for each month the device is used; the device itself is leased from a certified provider at the provider's price. See our reinstatement page and evaluation and treatment page for those steps in full.
| DUI component | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Fine — first conviction (§ 11-501, Class A misdemeanour) | Up to $2,500; up to 364 days |
| Mandatory minimum — first conviction at 0.16+ (§ 11-501(c)(4)) | Minimum $500 fine plus 100 hours of community service |
| Mandatory minimum — child under 16 transported, first (§ 11-501(c)(3)) | Additional minimum $1,000 fine plus 25 days of community service benefiting children |
| Second conviction (§ 11-501(c)) | Mandatory minimum 5 days imprisonment or 240 hours of community service; at 0.16+, minimum 2 additional days and $1,250 minimum fine |
| Statutory assessment (§ 11-501.01) | $750 first disposition ($350 agency / $400 General Revenue Fund); $1,000 with a prior conviction |
| Summary suspension (§ 11-501.1) | First: 6 months (failed test) / 12 months (refusal); second refusal within 5 years: 3 years |
| Secretary of State reinstatement fees (§ 6-118) | $250 first summary suspension; $500 revocation or subsequent summary suspension |
| Interlock fund fee, repeat offenders (§ 11-501.01) | Up to $30 per month of device use, paid to the DUI Administration Fund; device leased from provider |
Sources: 625 ILCS 5/11-501, 5/11-501.01, 5/11-501.1, 5/6-118, 5/6-205; Illinois Secretary of State reinstatement-fee schedule. Last verified: October 2026.
The fine is one line in a longer stack — court costs, program fees, interlock, supervision and reinstatement all bill separately. Price the layers that apply to your case in the calculator.
Open the DUI cost calculatorWhat this state does not publish as a single figure
Illinois court costs are the clearest example of a real charge with no statewide figure: they are set at county level, so two first offenders in different counties pay different cost bills on identical fines, and this page does not present any county's schedule as the state's. The alcohol evaluation and any treatment program are likewise priced by the licensed provider the court or the Secretary of State accepts. And there is no published figure for what a DUI does to an Illinois insurance premium; where financial-responsibility filing is required, the filing is the state-regulated act and the premium is the insurer's — our SR-22 page covers the filing requirement only.
Bail, towing and impound charges in an Illinois DUI are real but sit outside the statutes priced here; our bail page and towing and impound page treat them on their own terms rather than folding them into a state total that no Illinois source publishes.
Common questions
- What is the $750 assessment on top of the fine?
- Section 11-501.01 assesses $750 on a first DUI disposition — including court supervision — split $350 to the arresting agency and $400 to the General Revenue Fund. With a prior conviction the assessment is $1,000.
- Can both the $250 and $500 reinstatement fees apply to one case?
- Yes. The $250 fee clears a first summary suspension and the $500 fee clears a revocation; a record carrying both actions owes both fees.
- When does the summary suspension start?
- On the 46th day after the arrest notice, under § 11-501.1 — before the criminal case is decided. Our restricted license page covers the permit options during it.
Related cost guides: Illinois DUI costs overview, license reinstatement fees, evaluation and treatment costs, second-offense DUI costs.
Sources: 625 ILCS 5/11-501, 5/11-501.01, 5/11-501.1, 5/6-118, 5/6-205; Illinois Secretary of State reinstatement-fee schedule. Last verified: October 2026. This page is educational information about costs only — not legal advice. Laws and fees change; confirm current figures with your court and your state's driver-licensing agency.