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Michigan OWI penalties breakdown: every component, line by line

Our Michigan DUI costs page gives the state overview. This page does the narrower job: Michigan splits impaired driving into OWI, the lesser OWVI, and a high-BAC tier at 0.17, so this page prices each component of MCL 257.625 for all three, the suspension and revocation periods, and the Secretary of State reinstatement fee — with no added-up total.

OWI, OWVI and the 0.17 high-BAC tier: § 257.625 prices them separately

A first OWI under MCL 257.625 with a concentration below 0.17 is a misdemeanour carrying a fine of $100 to $500, up to 93 days in jail, up to 360 hours of community service, or a combination, plus six points on the driving record. The license consequence under § 257.319 is a 180-day suspension, structured as thirty days with no driving followed by 150 days on a restricted license. A first offender at 0.17 or higher falls in the high-BAC tier: the fine rises to $200 to $700, jail exposure rises to 180 days, completion of an alcohol treatment programme is mandatory, and the suspension runs a full year — forty-five days with no driving, then a restricted license only with an ignition interlock installed.

The lesser charge, operating while visibly impaired (OWVI), carries a fine of up to $300, the same 93-day jail ceiling and 360-hour service ceiling, four points instead of six, and a ninety-day restricted license rather than a suspension on a first offence — which is why the distinction between the two charges matters in dollars as well as on the record. A second OWI or OWVI within seven years carries a fine of $200 to $1,000, five days to one year in jail with a mandatory minimum in that range, thirty to ninety days of community service, and a license revocation of at least one year with no restricted license — restoration requires a hearing before the Secretary of State. A third offence at any point in the driving history is a felony, with a fine of $500 to $5,000 and one to five years in prison, or probation with thirty days to one year in the county jail.

Refusal, interlock and the $125 reinstatement fee

Michigan's implied-consent law runs separately from the criminal case: a first refusal of a chemical test brings a one-year license suspension imposed by the Secretary of State, and a second refusal within seven years brings two years. The interlock appears in two places — as the condition of a restricted license for high-BAC first offenders after the forty-five-day hard suspension, and as a mandatory condition of any restricted license granted after a revocation. The device is supplied by a state-approved vendor, and its installation and monthly charges are set by the vendor's contract, not by the Vehicle Code.

Reinstatement after a suspension is a Secretary of State transaction priced in the Code: MCL 257.320e sets the reinstatement fee at $125, payable when the suspension period has run and the court's fines, costs and programme conditions are satisfied. A revoked driver cannot simply pay the fee — restoration after a revocation requires an administrative hearing and proof of rehabilitation, and the fee is due when privileges are granted. Michigan also requires proof of financial responsibility after an OWI; how that filing works is covered on our SR-22 page, and the hearing and restoration route is covered on our reinstatement page. Our refusal page covers the implied-consent suspensions in context.

Sources: Michigan Compiled Laws §§ 257.625, 257.319, 257.320e; Michigan Secretary of State impaired-driving and reinstatement schedules. Last verified: October 2026.

What this state does not publish as a single figure

Michigan court costs are assessed by the convicting court and differ between district courts, and the substance-abuse evaluation and any treatment programme are billed by the provider the court approves — which is why this page prints the § 257.625 fine ranges and the $125 reinstatement fee fixed by § 257.320e, and describes evaluation, treatment and interlock as requirements instead of pricing them as state charges. Older Michigan guides also quote a driver responsibility fee; that fee was repealed and is not charged on current convictions, so it does not appear in the table.

There is no published Michigan 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 financial-responsibility proof discussed on our SR-22 page. A third Michigan OWI is a felony however long ago the earlier convictions were, and is deliberately not blended into the misdemeanour figures above.

Common questions

What is the difference between OWI and OWVI in dollars?

On a first offence, up to $200 of fine ($500 maximum against $300), two points, and — the larger practical difference — a 180-day suspension with thirty hard days for OWI against a ninety-day restricted license for OWVI.

When does the interlock become mandatory in Michigan?

On a first offence, where the concentration was 0.17 or higher: after forty-five days of hard suspension the driver may drive only on a restricted license with an interlock. It is also mandatory on restricted licenses granted after a revocation.

What does reinstatement cost with the Secretary of State?

$125 under MCL 257.320e, once the suspension has run and court conditions are met. A revocation is different: it requires a hearing and a restoration order before the fee is paid.

Sources: Michigan Compiled Laws §§ 257.625, 257.319, 257.320e; Michigan Secretary of State impaired-driving and reinstatement schedules. 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.