The cost of alcohol-impaired driving varies by state and, at best, is a huge financial hit. With DUI's grabbing statewide headlines recently, we broke it down.

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Bail, court costs, higher insurance premiums, fines, and getting your driving privileges back. Normally, you are not allowed to drive after being charged. In some states, a DWI conviction results in a 30-day civil loss of your driving privileges.

You will need to spend a minimum of $100 in order to get them back. In the event that your driving privileges are not restored, you will have to depend on friends and/or family for transportation or pay regular fees for cabs, ridesharing services like Lyft, and public transportation.

Let us examine the variety of penalties associated with driving under the influence in order to better understand how DUI cost statistics are computed.

How much are the fees and fines?

If you are caught driving while intoxicated and found guilty, the severity of the penalties you face will mostly depend on how severe the DUI statutes are in your state.

The legal limit on blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08% in all 50 states. Nevertheless, the national average is skewed because the fines you incur in South Dakota—the least expensive state—are much different from those in Alaska, the most expensive.

How much does a DUI cost in each state?

StateCost of DUI
Alabama
$3,907
Alaska
$5,793
Arizona
$5,509
Arkansas
$4,387
California
$5,418
Colorado
$4,568
Connecticut
$4,675
Delaware
$3,426
Florida
$4,010
Georgia
$5,543
Hawaii
$4,158
Idaho
$3,100
Illinois
$3,482
Indiana
$3,281
Iowa
$4,083
Kansas
$4,044
Kentucky
$3,690
Louisiana
$4,291
Maine
$3,422
Maryland
$3,600
Massachusetts
$5,194
Michigan
$3,869
Minnesota
$3,086
Mississippi
$2,309
Missouri
$2,691
Montana
$3,601
Nebraska
$4,058
Nevada
$3,498
New Hampshire
$4,038
New Jersey
$3,284
New Mexico
$2,767
New York
$3,351
North Carolina
$4,431
North Dakota
$2,930
Ohio
$2,562
Oklahoma
$5,289
Oregon
$4,500
Pennsylvania
$3,235
Rhode Island
$4,605
South Carolina
$3,518
South Dakota
$1,391
Tennessee
$3,704
Texas
$3,965
Utah
$5,628
Vermont
$2,612
Virginia
$3,067
Washington
$4,355
Washington, DC
$4,355
West Virginia
$3,048
Wisconsin
$3,537
Wyoming
$3,200

The average cost of $4,100 across the US doesn’t tell the whole story. This includes states that impose much lower fees and fines than the others. Compare the minimum average costs of a DUI for each state.

Here are the minimum fines for each state:

State1st conviction2nd conviction
Alabama
$600
$1,100
Alaska
$1,500
$3,000
Arizona
$1,250
$3,000
Arkansas
$150
$400
California
$390
$390
Colorado
$600
$600
Connecticut
$500
$1,000
Delaware
$500
$750
Florida
$500
$1,000
Georgia
$300
$600
Hawaii
$250
$1,000
Idaho
$0
$0
Illinois
$0
$0
Indiana
$0
$0
Iowa
$625
$1,875
Kansas
$0
$0
Kentucky
$200
$350
Louisiana
$300
$750
Maine
$500
$700
Maryland
$0
$0
Massachusetts
$500
$600
Michigan
$100
$200
Minnesota
$0
$0
Mississippi
$250
$600
Missouri
$0
$0
Montana
$600
$1,200
Nebraska
$500
$500
Nevada
$400
$750
New Hampshire
$500
$750
New Jersey
$250
$500
New Mexico
$0
$500
New York
$300
$500
North Carolina
$200
$500
North Dakota
$500
$1,500
Ohio
$375
$525
Oklahoma
$0
$0
Oregon
$1,000
$1,500
Pennsylvania
$300
$300
Rhode Island
$100
$400
South Carolina
$400
$2,100
South Dakota
$0
$0
Tennessee
$350
$600
Texas
$0
$0
Utah
$1,310
$1,560
Vermont
$0
$0
Virginia
$250
$500
Washington
$350
$500
West Virginia
$100
$1,000
Wisconsin
$150
$350
Wyoming
$0
$200

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