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Underage DUI costs: small fines, expensive consequences
For drivers under 21, every state runs a second, stricter system on top of the regular DUI law: a near-zero alcohol limit, license penalties that start immediately, and fines that look small next to the real costs — losing the license, the mandatory programs, and a record that counts against you for a decade.
The two-track system
Federal law (23 U.S.C. § 163) pushed every state to make it illegal for a driver under 21 to drive with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.02 or higher — most states set the per-se limit at 0.00 to 0.02. A young driver can therefore be penalized at a BAC that would be legal for an adult. Reach 0.08, and the regular adult DUI statute applies as well, with its adult fines and jail exposure — the two tracks stack.
What the underage statutes themselves charge
| State | Underage statute | Fine | License & program consequences |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Vehicle Code § 23136 (BAC 0.01%+) — civil offense; § 23140 (BAC 0.05%+) — infraction | $100 (§ 23140, first offense) | 1-year license suspension under either section; drivers 18 and over must complete an alcohol education program of at least 3 months. |
| Texas | DUI by a minor, Alcoholic Beverage Code § 106.071 — Class C misdemeanor | Up to $500 | 60-day license suspension on a first offense; 20–40 hours of community service; a mandatory alcohol awareness course. |
Sources: California Vehicle Code §§ 23136, 23140; Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code § 106.071; 23 U.S.C. § 163 (national under-21 per-se limit policy). Checked October 2026. At 0.08 or above, the adult statutes in each state guide set the penalties instead.
Why the real bill is bigger than the fine
The license goes first and comes back last. A one-year suspension at 19 usually costs more in lost work, rides and schooling than the $100 or $500 fine — and reinstatement runs through the same fees and, where required, the same SR-22 filing as an adult reinstatement.
The program is mandatory and billed. California's under-21 offenders 18 and over owe a licensed alcohol program of at least three months; Texas orders an alcohol awareness course. Program pricing is in our DUI classes guide.
The record counts forward. In California, DUI-related convictions remain priorable for 10 years: an underage offense at 19 can enhance the fines and jail exposure of a DUI at 27 into the second-offense ranges. That decade-long shadow, not the infraction fine, is the true price of the underage charge.
If the charge was filed under the regular DUI statute, the fines and fees are the adult ones. Run your state's numbers in the calculator to see the full stack.
Open the DUI cost calculatorParents ask: is this a criminal record?
It depends on the track. California's § 23136 zero-tolerance violation is a civil offense handled by the DMV, while its § 23140 violation is a criminal infraction; Texas treats a minor's DUI as a Class C misdemeanor. Either way the driving record carries it, and questions about sealing a juvenile or underage record are answered in our record-relief guide — where the honest headline is that DUI convictions are among the hardest records to clear.
Cost information only. School discipline, college admissions and immigration consequences of an underage DUI are real but are not costs this site can price, and nothing here is legal advice for a minor's case.