How much does a DWI cost in New Jersey?

By the DUI Cost Guide Editorial Team · Last updated: October 22, 2026

A first DWI in New Jersey carries a statutory fine of $250–$500. This guide stacks every cost layer an official New Jersey source prices — the fine, court costs, the license reinstatement fee, the DWI program, ignition interlock, and the SR-22 insurance filing — and says plainly which layers no official source prices at all.

New Jersey DWI costs at a glance	Figure
Statutory fine — first DWI	First-offense fines are tiered by blood alcohol concentration: $250 to $400 at 0.08 percent to under 0.10 percent, and $300 to $500 at 0.10 percent or higher. In addition, the statute requires a $100 fee payable to the Alcohol Education, Rehabilitation and Enforcement Fund, and the Motor Vehicle Commission separately bills a surcharge of $1,000 per year for three years.
Statutory fine — second DWI	The statute separates a second offense: $500–$1,000. Second offenses also carry longer suspensions and program requirements — see the sections below.
Court costs & fees	Municipal court costs are assessed in the individual case, and no single statewide figure is published in the official New Jersey sources reviewed.
License suspension — first offense	For a first alcohol offense, the court forfeits the right to drive until an ignition interlock device is installed in the driver's vehicle. At a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent or higher, the forfeiture runs for four to six months following installation; a first drug-based DWI carries a forfeiture of seven months to one year.
License reinstatement fee	The Motor Vehicle Commission charges a $100 driver license restoration fee. Restoration also requires payment of at least five percent of any outstanding surcharge balance.
Ignition interlock	Required for all first offenders — Every first offender must install an ignition interlock device in the one motor vehicle the person owns, leases, or principally operates, and the license forfeiture lasts until installation (longer at 0.15 percent or higher). Installation and lease costs are charged by licensed installers; no official price is published.
DWI education / treatment program	A first offense includes 12 to 48 hours of detainment served at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC), and convicted drivers must satisfy the screening, evaluation, referral, program and fee requirements of the Intoxicated Driving Program Unit and the IDRC. No official program fee was published on the official pages opened, so no amount is recorded.
SR-22 insurance filing	No SR-22 filing requirement appears in the official New Jersey sources reviewed, so it is recorded as unverified. New Jersey's post-DWI insurance-related charge is instead the Motor Vehicle Commission surcharge described in the fine and extra-cost notes.

The fine

First-offense fines are tiered by blood alcohol concentration: $250 to $400 at 0.08 percent to under 0.10 percent, and $300 to $500 at 0.10 percent or higher. In addition, the statute requires a $100 fee payable to the Alcohol Education, Rehabilitation and Enforcement Fund, and the Motor Vehicle Commission separately bills a surcharge of $1,000 per year for three years.

Court costs & fees

Municipal court costs are assessed in the individual case, and no single statewide figure is published in the official New Jersey sources reviewed.

License suspension & reinstatement

For a first alcohol offense, the court forfeits the right to drive until an ignition interlock device is installed in the driver's vehicle. At a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent or higher, the forfeiture runs for four to six months following installation; a first drug-based DWI carries a forfeiture of seven months to one year.

The Motor Vehicle Commission charges a $100 driver license restoration fee. Restoration also requires payment of at least five percent of any outstanding surcharge balance.

The national picture — which states charge the most to reinstate — is in our license reinstatement guide.

Ignition interlock

Every first offender must install an ignition interlock device in the one motor vehicle the person owns, leases, or principally operates, and the license forfeiture lasts until installation (longer at 0.15 percent or higher). Installation and lease costs are charged by licensed installers; no official price is published.

How interlock pricing works (installation, monthly lease, calibration, removal) is in our ignition interlock cost guide.

DWI education & treatment program

A first offense includes 12 to 48 hours of detainment served at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC), and convicted drivers must satisfy the screening, evaluation, referral, program and fee requirements of the Intoxicated Driving Program Unit and the IDRC. No official program fee was published on the official pages opened, so no amount is recorded.

SR-22 & insurance

No SR-22 filing requirement appears in the official New Jersey sources reviewed, so it is recorded as unverified. New Jersey's post-DWI insurance-related charge is instead the Motor Vehicle Commission surcharge described in the fine and extra-cost notes.

What an SR-22 is, which states charge a filing fee, and how long it must be carried: SR-22 cost guide.

Towing, impound & other charges

The Motor Vehicle Commission bills a surcharge of $1,000 per year for three years ($3,000 total) for a first and for a second DWI, and the same $1,000-per-year surcharge applies to a test refusal. Unpaid surcharges can lead to collection action and block license restoration.

Worked total: the verified charges stacked

Item	Cost
Statutory fine	$250–$500
License reinstatement fee	$100
Total of the verified state-set charges above	$350–$600

That total is deliberately incomplete: it leaves out everything no official New Jersey source prices statewide — court costs where they are set county by county, interlock lease payments to a private vendor, towing and storage, and the insurance increase that follows an SR-22. Add your own figures for those in the cost calculator.

Sources: New Jersey Courts Directive #25-19, with attached codification of N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 (L. 2019, c. 248), via the New Jersey State Library repository · New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission — Surcharges. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court and the driver-licensing agency.

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