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Indiana OWI penalties breakdown: every component, line by line

Our Indiana DUI costs page gives the state overview. This page does the narrower job: Indiana grades a first OWI by concentration and endangerment, so this page prices each component of IC 9-30-5 for both grades, the felony step that arrives at the second offence, the BMV suspension and reinstatement fee ladder — with no added-up total.

Two grades of first offence: Class C below 0.15, Class A at 0.15 or endangerment

Operating a vehicle with a concentration of 0.08 to below 0.15, or while intoxicated without endangerment, is a Class C misdemeanour under IC 9-30-5-2: up to sixty days in jail and a fine of up to $500. The grade rises to a Class A misdemeanour — up to one year and a fine of up to $5,000 — where the concentration was 0.15 or higher, or where the driver operated in a manner that endangered another person. The court may suspend the license for up to two years on a first conviction, and in practice frequently suspends much of the jail term and places the driver on probation with an alcohol evaluation and any recommended education or treatment, billed by the provider rather than priced in the statute.

Indiana's escalation is steeper than most states: a second OWI with a prior conviction inside the lookback period is not a higher misdemeanour but a Level 6 felony, carrying a mandatory minimum of five days, a sentence range running to two and a half years under the felony schedule, a fine of up to $10,000, and a license suspension of at least 180 days and up to two years. A driver with a prior felony OWI, or one whose driving causes serious bodily injury with a qualifying prior, faces higher felony levels again. Specialized driving privileges may be available during a suspension, and where the court grants them an ignition interlock condition is commonly attached; the device itself is leased from a vendor at the vendor's rates.

The BMV side: administrative suspension, refusal, and the reinstatement fee ladder

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles acts on the test result independently of the court: a failed chemical test brings an administrative suspension of 180 days, and refusing the test brings a one-year suspension under IC 9-30-6-9, imposed whether or not the criminal case ends in conviction. Those administrative periods can overlap the court's suspension, and credit rules in the statute govern how the two fit together in an individual case. Our refusal page covers the one-year refusal term in context.

Indiana prices reinstatement on a ladder, and it is one of the clearest published schedules in this series: IC 9-25-6-15 sets the reinstatement fee at $250 for a first suspension, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for a third or subsequent suspension. Reinstatement also requires an SR-22 financial-responsibility filing maintained for three years — the insurer makes the filing, and the premium consequence belongs to the insurer rather than the state, as our SR-22 page explains. Our reinstatement page compares the Indiana ladder with the flat fees most states charge.

Sources: Indiana Code §§ 9-30-5-2, 9-30-5-4, 9-30-6-9, 9-25-6-15; Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles reinstatement schedule; Indiana Criminal Justice Institute impaired-driving summary. Last verified: October 2026.

What this state does not publish as a single figure

Indiana court costs are assessed by the convicting court and vary by county — state summaries put them above $300 in a typical OWI case, but no single statewide figure is published, so none is printed as one here. The alcohol evaluation, education and treatment ordered from it are billed by the provider, and probation supervision is charged under the supervising county's schedule. This page therefore prints the statutory fine ceilings, the suspension periods and the IC 9-25-6-15 reinstatement ladder, and describes the rest as requirements.

There is no published Indiana figure for the effect of an OWI on the price of insuring a car, and none is estimated here; the state's interest in insurance is the SR-22 filing discussed above. Felony OWI ranges are stated as classifications rather than blended into the first-offence misdemeanour figures, because a felony sentence turns on the advisory range and the driver's record in a way a single figure would misstate.

Common questions

Why does the Indiana fine ceiling jump from $500 to $5,000?

Because the offence grade changes: below 0.15 without endangerment a first OWI is a Class C misdemeanour (fine up to $500); at 0.15 or higher, or with endangerment, it is a Class A misdemeanour (fine up to $5,000).

When does an Indiana OWI become a felony?

At the second offence with a prior conviction inside the statutory lookback — a Level 6 felony with a five-day mandatory minimum and a fine of up to $10,000 — rather than at the third or fourth offence as in most states.

What does the BMV charge to reinstate?

A ladder fixed by IC 9-25-6-15: $250 after a first suspension, $500 after a second, and $1,000 after a third or subsequent suspension, plus a three-year SR-22 filing.

Sources: Indiana Code §§ 9-30-5-2, 9-30-5-4, 9-30-6-9, 9-25-6-15; Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles reinstatement schedule; Indiana Criminal Justice Institute impaired-driving summary. 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.