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North Carolina DWI penalties breakdown: every component, line by line
Our North Carolina DUI costs page gives the state overview. This page does the narrower job: North Carolina does not sentence DWI by first, second and third offence — G.S. 20-179 assigns every conviction to one of six punishment levels — so this page prices each level, the revocation that applies across all of them, and the assessment required before restoration, with no added-up total.
The six levels: G.S. 20-179 prices the fine by aggravation, not by offence count
After a DWI conviction under G.S. 20-138.1, the judge holds a sentencing hearing under G.S. 20-179 and weighs grossly aggravating, aggravating and mitigating factors. Three or more grossly aggravating factors produce Aggravated Level 1: imprisonment of 12 to 36 months and a fine of up to $10,000, and even a suspended sentence requires at least 120 days of active imprisonment and 120 days of continuous alcohol monitoring. Two grossly aggravating factors — or one, where it is a child or a person with a disability in the vehicle — produce Level 1: 30 days to 24 months and a fine of up to $4,000. One grossly aggravating factor produces Level 2: seven days to twelve months and a fine of up to $2,000.
Where no grossly aggravating factor applies, the balance of the remaining factors sets the level. Level 3, where aggravating factors substantially outweigh mitigating ones, carries 72 hours to six months and a fine of up to $1,000. Level 4, where the factors are in balance, carries 48 hours to 120 days and a fine of up to $500. Level 5, where mitigating factors substantially outweigh aggravating ones, carries 24 hours to 60 days and a fine of up to $200. At Levels 3 through 5 a suspended sentence can be structured around the matching minimum of community service — 72, 48 or 24 hours respectively — instead of the same period in jail, which is why a first offender with a clean record and no grossly aggravating factor most often leaves with a Level 5 fine of at most $200 plus court costs, and why quoting one 'North Carolina DWI fine' without the level is meaningless.
Revocation, assessment and restoration: the same frame at every level
Whatever the level, a DWI conviction revokes the license under G.S. 20-17: one year for a first conviction. Restoration is governed by G.S. 20-19 and is not automatic — before the Division of Motor Vehicles restores a license revoked for impaired driving, the driver must obtain a substance abuse assessment from an authorised agency and complete any recommended treatment or alcohol and drug education traffic school. The assessment fee is fixed at $100 under North Carolina's substance-abuse assessment framework in G.S. 122C-142.1; the price of any treatment the assessment recommends is set by the provider and is not a state figure.
Two restoration conditions catch drivers out. A first offender's license is restored with an alcohol restriction — driving with a concentration of 0.04 or more is prohibited — for three years after restoration. And where the driver's concentration was 0.15 or more, or other statutory conditions apply, G.S. 20-17.8 requires an ignition interlock as a condition of restoration, for one year from restoration in the standard case; the device is leased from an approved vendor at the vendor's rates. A limited driving privilege may be available during the revocation for eligible first offenders, as our restricted license page explains. Court costs are assessed under the Administrative Office of the Courts' schedule and appear on the judgment; they vary with the court and the dispositions, so no single cost figure is printed in the table.
| DUI component | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Aggravated Level 1 (§ 20-179(f3)) | Fine up to $10,000; 12–36 months; suspended sentence requires at least 120 days active and 120 days continuous alcohol monitoring |
| Level 1 (§ 20-179(g)) | Fine up to $4,000; 30 days–24 months |
| Level 2 (§ 20-179(h)) | Fine up to $2,000; 7 days–12 months |
| Level 3 (§ 20-179(i)) | Fine up to $1,000; 72 hours–6 months; suspended sentence: 72 hours jail and/or 72 hours community service |
| Level 4 (§ 20-179(j)) | Fine up to $500; 48 hours–120 days; suspended sentence: 48 hours jail and/or 48 hours community service |
| Level 5 (§ 20-179(k)) | Fine up to $200; 24 hours–60 days; suspended sentence: 24 hours jail and/or 24 hours community service |
| License revocation (§§ 20-17, 20-19) | 1 year on a first conviction, at every level; 0.04 alcohol restriction for 3 years after restoration |
| Substance abuse assessment (G.S. 122C-142.1) | $100 assessment fee; treatment, if recommended, priced by the provider; interlock on restoration where § 20-17.8 applies |
Sources: North Carolina General Statutes §§ 20-138.1, 20-179, 20-17, 20-19, 20-17.8, 122C-142.1; UNC School of Government DWI sentencing materials; North Carolina DMV restoration guidance. 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
North Carolina court costs are real and are usually larger than a Level 5 fine, but they are assembled from the Administrative Office of the Courts' schedule of fees and assessments that attach to the particular judgment, so this page does not print one cost figure as the state's. Treatment charges after the $100 assessment, continuous alcohol monitoring charges at the top levels, and interlock lease charges are all provider prices, identified here as requirements rather than state fees.
There is no published North Carolina figure for the effect of a DWI on the price of insuring a car, and this site does not estimate one; the insurance discussion on our SR-22 page is confined to filing requirements in the states that impose them. The components in the table are the ones G.S. 20-179 and the restoration statutes publish, which is the standard this page prices to.
Common questions
- Why is there no single North Carolina DWI fine?
- Because G.S. 20-179 sets six fine ceilings — from $200 at Level 5 to $10,000 at Aggravated Level 1 — and the judge assigns the level from the aggravating and mitigating factors proved at the sentencing hearing.
- Does a prior DWI automatically raise the level?
- A prior DWI within seven years is itself a grossly aggravating factor, which moves the case to Level 2 or higher; an older prior counts as an ordinary aggravating factor.
- What must happen before the license comes back?
- The one-year revocation must run, the $100 substance abuse assessment must be completed and any recommended education or treatment finished; a 0.04 alcohol restriction then applies for three years, and interlock is required on restoration where § 20-17.8 applies.
Related cost guides: North Carolina DUI costs overview, evaluation and treatment costs, restricted license costs, ignition interlock costs.
Sources: North Carolina General Statutes §§ 20-138.1, 20-179, 20-17, 20-19, 20-17.8, 122C-142.1; UNC School of Government DWI sentencing materials; North Carolina DMV restoration guidance. 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.