Connecticut · DUI
Connecticut DUI laws and penalties
Connecticut's legal BAC limit is 0.08%. For a first offense, Connecticut's statute provides jail of 48 hours to 6 months, a fine of $500 to $1,000, and a license suspension of 45 days. The license hearing, the ignition interlock rule and the statute behind every figure are below.
Figures read from official pages on .
Connecticut DUI laws at a glance
- Legal BAC limit
- 0.08%
- Standard US limit
- Enhanced penalty BAC
- None
- No higher tier in the law
- Zero tolerance (under 21)
- 0.02%
- Limit for drivers under 21
- Lookback period
- 10 years
- Prior DUI offenses that count
License hearing: ask within 7 days
Contact the DMV to schedule the hearing within 7 days of the date the suspension notice is mailed. Count the days with the license-hearing window calculator.Higher BAC level. No high-BAC tier: penalties depend on prior convictions within ten years.
Ignition interlock. A condition of restoring the license after every first conviction (one year).
01Penalties
Connecticut DUI penalties
| Penalty | 1st offense | 2nd offense |
|---|---|---|
| Jail (minimum) | 48 hours | 120 days |
| Jail (maximum) | 6 months | 2 years |
| Fine (minimum) | $500 | $1,000 |
| Fine (maximum) | $1,000 | $4,000 |
| License suspension | 45 days | 45 days |
Statutory ranges only. Actual outcomes vary by county, judge, and attorney. Does not include court fees, surcharges, or program costs.
02Compare
How Connecticut compares
Of the 49 states with a confirmed BAC limit, 48 (Connecticut among them) use 0.08%; Utah has 0.05%.
On this site's reading of the statutes, of the 49 states with a confirmed rule, 21 require an ignition interlock after every first conviction, 18 in some cases and 8 leave it to the judge; 2 do not require one. Connecticut requires one after every first conviction.
The 40 states with a fixed deadline give from 6 to 90 days to ask for a license hearing (the middle one is 10); Connecticut gives 7.
| State | BAC limit | Hearing request | Interlock, first offense | Jail, first offense | Fine, first offense | License, first offense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut (this page) | 0.08% | 7 days | Required | 48 hours to 6 months | $500 to $1,000 | 45 days |
| Massachusetts | 0.08% | 15 days | In some cases | Up to 2.5 years | $500 to $5,000 | 1 year |
| New York | 0.08% | No fixed deadline | Required | Up to 1 year | $500 to $1,000 | 6 months minimum revocation |
| Rhode Island | 0.08% | No fixed deadline | At the judge's discretion | Up to 1 year | $100 to $300 | 30 days to 180 days |
Every figure is the statute's own, read from the same kind of page. See DUI laws and penalties for all 50 states.
03The process
How a DUI case moves through the system in Connecticut
Arrest and booking
Police arrest a driver on suspicion of DUI and take the person to the local jail, where booking records the arrest, the charge and the times.
Release
A person is released after posting bail, on their own recognizance, or after a hold. Amounts and timing differ by county.
License action
Contact the DMV to schedule the hearing within 7 days of the date the suspension notice is mailed.
Arraignment
The first court appearance, where the charge is read and a plea (guilty, not guilty or no contest) is entered.
Pretrial resolution
A case can end in a plea to a reduced charge, in a diversion or deferred program where the state has one, in a trial, or in a dismissal, depending on the state and the facts.
Sentencing or trial
For a first offense, Connecticut's statute provides jail of 48 hours to 6 months, a fine of $500 to $1,000, and a license suspension of 45 days. See the penalties table above.
04Sources
Where Connecticut's figures come from
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(a) (cga.ct.gov)Main statute · BAC limit, age 21 and over · Higher BAC level · Lookback period · License hearing request · Ignition interlock, first offense · First offense: jail, minimum · First offense: jail, maximum · First offense: fine, minimum · First offense: fine, maximum · First offense: license · Second offense: jail, minimum · Second offense: jail, maximum · Second offense: fine, minimum · Second offense: fine, maximum · Second offense: license
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227g(a) (cga.ct.gov)BAC limit under 21
Show the exact words behind each figureHide the exact words
- Main statute
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(a)
Sec. 14-227a. Operation while under the influence of liquor or drug or while having an elevated blood alcohol content.
- BAC limit, age 21 and over
0.08%
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(a)
means a ratio of alcohol in the blood of such person that is eight-hundredths of one per cent or more of alcohol, by weight
- Higher BAC level
None set by the law
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a
(g) Penalties for operation while under the influence. Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall: (1) For conviction of a first violation, (A) be fined not less than five hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars, (B) be (i) imprisoned not more than six months, forty-eight consecutive hours of which may not be suspended or reduced in any manner ... (2) For conviction of a second violation within ten years after a prior conviction for the same offense, (A) be fined not less than one thousand dollars or more than four thousand dollars
- BAC limit under 21
0.02%
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227g(a)
No person who is less than twenty-one years of age shall operate a motor vehicle while the ratio of alcohol in the blood of such person is two-hundredths of one per cent or more of alcohol, by weight.
- Lookback period
10 years
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(2)
For conviction of a second violation within ten years after a prior conviction for the same offense
- License hearing request
7 days
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227b(e)(1)
may schedule such hearing by contacting the Department of Motor Vehicles not later than seven days after the date of mailing of such suspension notice.
- Ignition interlock, first offense
Required after a first conviction
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(1)(C)(i)
as a condition for the restoration of such license, be required to install an ignition interlock device on each motor vehicle owned or operated by such person and, upon such restoration, be prohibited for the one-year period following such restoration from operating a motor vehicle unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a functioning, approved ignition interlock device
- First offense: jail, minimum
48 hours
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(1)(B)(i)
imprisoned not more than six months, forty-eight consecutive hours of which may not be suspended or reduced in any manner
- First offense: jail, maximum
6 months
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(1)(B)
Same passage as above.
- First offense: fine, minimum
$500
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(1)(A)
be fined not less than five hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars
- First offense: fine, maximum
$1,000
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(1)(A)
Same passage as above.
- First offense: license
45 days
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(1)(C)(i)
suspended for forty-five days and, as a condition for the restoration of such license, be required to install an ignition interlock device on each motor vehicle owned or operated by such person and, upon such restoration, be prohibited for the one-year period
- Second offense: jail, minimum
120 days
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(2)(B)
be imprisoned not more than two years, one hundred twenty consecutive days of which may not be suspended or reduced in any manner
- Second offense: jail, maximum
2 years
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(2)(B)
Same passage as above.
- Second offense: fine, minimum
$1,000
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(2)(A)
be fined not less than one thousand dollars or more than four thousand dollars
- Second offense: fine, maximum
$4,000
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(2)(A)
Same passage as above.
- Second offense: license
45 days
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-227a(g)(2)(C)(i)
suspended for forty-five days and, as a condition for the restoration of such license, be required to install an ignition interlock device on each motor vehicle owned or operated by such person and, upon such restoration, be prohibited for the three-year period
05Related
Related pages
- CalculatorDUI License-Hearing WindowThe hearing request window listed for each state, counted from a date you enter.
Note: This page summarizes state statutes and published figures. It is general information, not legal advice, and it may be out of date or incomplete. Penalty ranges are statutory ranges; actual outcomes depend on the case. See the Disclaimer.