Tennessee · DUI

Tennessee DUI laws and penalties

Tennessee's legal BAC limit is 0.08%. For a first offense, Tennessee's statute provides jail of 48 hours to 11 months and 29 days, a fine of $350 to $1,500, and a license suspension of 1 year. The license hearing, the ignition interlock rule and the statute behind every figure are below.

Figures read from official pages on Oct 26, 2026.

Tennessee · county map

No county of this state has a page yet; they are added as data is published.

Legal BAC limit: 0.08%; Standard US limit
Enhanced penalty BAC: 0.15%; Where the penalties step up
Zero tolerance (under 21): 0.02%; Limit for drivers under 21
Lookback period: 10 years; Prior DUI offenses that count

License hearing: no fixed request deadline

Tennessee has no administrative license hearing after a DUI arrest; the court orders the loss of license on conviction, and a test refusal is also handled by the court.

Ignition interlock required after a first conviction

Higher BAC level. At 0.15 or more a first offender serves at least seven consecutive days in jail instead of 48 hours.

Ignition interlock. The court must order an interlock for at least 365 days (or the whole revocation if longer) when the BAC was 0.08 or more, drugs were involved, a minor under 18 was in the car, the DUI caused a crash, or there was a prior DUI within 10 years; it can excuse it only on written findings that none of these applies.

A first offense with a BAC of 0.15 or more carries a seven-day minimum jail term instead of 48 hours (Public Chapter 1011, in effect since July 1, 2024; the threshold was 0.20). A child under 18 in the vehicle adds 30 days; a fourth offense is a felony. The fines and second-offense terms are read from a county court's notice of DUI punishment (revised 11/24) and agree with the 2013 enacted text.

01Penalties

Tennessee DUI penalties

Statutory ranges for standard DUI convictions (no accident, no minor in vehicle).

Tennessee statutory DUI penalties, first and second offense
Penalty	1st offense	2nd offense
Jail (minimum)	48 hours	45 days
Jail (maximum)	11 months and 29 days	11 months and 29 days
Fine (minimum)	$350	$600
Fine (maximum)	$1,500	$3,500
License suspension	1 year	2 years

Statutory ranges only. Actual outcomes vary by county, judge, and attorney. Does not include court fees, surcharges, or program costs.

02Compare

How Tennessee compares

Of the 49 states with a confirmed BAC limit, 48 (Tennessee 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. Tennessee requires one after every first conviction.

Tennessee and the states that border it, first-offense figures side by side
State	BAC limit	Hearing request	Interlock, first offense	Jail, first offense	Fine, first offense	License, first offense
Alabama	0.08%	10 days	In some cases	Up to 1 year	$600 to $2,100	90 days
Arkansas	0.08%	7 days	Required	24 hours to 1 year	$150 to $1,000	6 months
Georgia	0.08%	30 days	Not required	10 days to 12 months	$300 to $1,000	12 months
Kentucky	0.08%	No fixed deadline	In some cases	48 hours to 30 days	$200 to $500	6 months suspension
Mississippi	0.08%	30 days	At the judge's discretion	Up to 48 hours	$250 to $1,000	120 days
Missouri	0.08%	15 days	In some cases	Up to 6 months	Up to $1,000	30 days suspension, then 60 days restricted driving privilege
North Carolina	0.08%	10 days	In some cases	48 hours to 120 days	Up to $500	1 year
Tennessee (this page)	0.08%	No fixed deadline	Required	48 hours to 11 months and 29 days	$350 to $1,500	1 year
Virginia	0.08%	7 days	In some cases	Up to 12 months	$250 to $2,500	1 year

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 Tennessee

The typical sequence, in general terms. Timing and details differ by county and by case.

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
Tennessee has no administrative license hearing after a DUI arrest; the court orders the loss of license on conviction, and a test refusal is also handled by the court.
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, Tennessee's statute provides jail of 48 hours to 11 months and 29 days, a fine of $350 to $1,500, and a license suspension of 1 year. See the penalties table above.

04Sources

Where Tennessee's figures come from

Each figure was read on the official page linked here on Oct 26, 2026, and the quoted words were checked against the page the day it was read. The exact words are below so you can check them. Found a mistake? Write to hello@duiarrested.com with the state and the figure.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401(a) (capitol.tn.gov)Main statute
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401(2) (capitol.tn.gov)BAC limit, age 21 and over
2024 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 1011 (SB 1055 / HB 587), amending Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-402(a)(1)(B) (capitol.tn.gov)Higher BAC level
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-415(a)(2), as rewritten by Pub. Ch. 1 (Second Extraordinary Session, 2016) (capitol.tn.gov)BAC limit under 21
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-405(a) (montgomerytn.gov)Lookback period · First offense: fine, minimum · First offense: fine, maximum · Second offense: fine, minimum · Second offense: fine, maximum
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-407(a)(1); § 55-10-404(a) (dui.tndagc.org)License hearing request
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-409(b)(2)(B)(i) and § 55-10-425(b) (as applied in State Form SF-0680, Rev. 12/24) (montgomerytn.gov)Ignition interlock, first offense
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-402(a)(1)(A) (restated by 2016 Pub. Ch. 876, § 14) (capitol.tn.gov)First offense: jail, minimum · First offense: jail, maximum
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-404(a)(1); Department of Safety revocation periods (safetysupport.tn.gov)First offense: license · Second offense: license
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-402(a)(2)(A) (capitol.tn.gov)Second offense: jail, minimum · Second offense: jail, maximum

Show the exact words behind each figure

Main statute

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401(a)

It is unlawful for any person to drive or to be in physical control of any automobile or other motor driven vehicle on any of the public roads and highways of the state

BAC limit, age 21 and over

0.08%

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401(2)

it is an offense to operate a motor vehicle if the person's bac level is 0.08 percent or more

Higher BAC level

0.15%

2024 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 1011 (SB 1055 / HB 587), amending Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-402(a)(1)(B)

SB1055 1011 Effective date(s) ... 07/01/2024 ... As enacted, lowers the threshold for enhancing the minimum sentence of a person convicted of driving under the influence of an intoxicant, from a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20 percent or more to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent or more.

BAC limit under 21

0.02%

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-415(a)(2), as rewritten by Pub. Ch. 1 (Second Extraordinary Session, 2016)

(a) A person under twenty-one (21) years of age shall not drive or be in physical control of an automobile or other motor-driven vehicle while: ... (2) The alcohol concentration in the person's blood or breath is two-hundredths of one percent (0.02%) or more.

Lookback period

10 years

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-405(a)

(j) In determining whether a conviction is a second or subsequent offense, all prior convictions within the past 10 years from the current conviction shall be considered. If the person's current conviction is within 10 years of the previous conviction, the person shall be considered a multiple offender.

License hearing request

No fixed deadline

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-407(a)(1); § 55-10-404(a)

If a driver violates § 55-10-406(d) (Refuses an Implied Consent request), the court shall revoke the license of the driver for One (1) year and six (6) months, if the person does not have a prior conviction.

Ignition interlock, first offense

Required after a first conviction

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-409(b)(2)(B)(i) and § 55-10-425(b) (as applied in State Form SF-0680, Rev. 12/24)

YES, IGNITION INTERLOCK REQUIRED (mark all that apply) YES, DUI BAC .08% OR HIGHER TCA 55-10-409(b)(2)(B)(i) ... DUI BAC IS NOT .08% OR ABOVE AND NO DRUGS

First offense: jail, minimum

48 hours

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-402(a)(1)(A) (restated by 2016 Pub. Ch. 876, § 14)

(A) Any person violating § 55-10-401, shall, upon conviction for the first offense, be sentenced to serve in the county jail or workhouse not less than forty-eight (48) consecutive hours nor more than eleven (11) months and twenty-nine (29) days.

First offense: jail, maximum

11 months and 29 days

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-402(a)(1)(A) (restated by 2016 Pub. Ch. 876, § 14)

Same passage as above.

First offense: fine, minimum

$350

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-403(a)(1)

(a) Any person who is convicted of a FIRST OFFENSE shall be fined not less than $350 nor more than $1,500; shall be confined in the county jail or workhouse not less than 48 hours nor more than 11 months and 29 days; and shall be prohibited from driving in Tennessee for 1 year;

First offense: fine, maximum

$1,500

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-403(a)(1)

Same passage as above.

First offense: license

1 year

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-404(a)(1); Department of Safety revocation periods

Depending on the type of DUI, the revocation length may be longer: DUI 1st – 1-year revocation (365 days) DUI 2nd - 2-year revocation (730 days)

Second offense: jail, minimum

45 days

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-402(a)(2)(A)

Present law requires a person convicted of DUI for a second offense to be sentenced to incarceration for at least 45 consecutive days but not more than 11 months and 29 days.

Second offense: jail, maximum

11 months and 29 days

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-402(a)(2)(A)

Same passage as above.

Second offense: fine, minimum

$600

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-403(a)(2)

(b) Any person who is convicted of a SECOND OFFENSE shall be fined not less than $600 nor more than $3,500; shall be confined in the county jail or workhouse not less than 45 days nor more than 11 months and 29 days; and shall be prohibited from driving in Tennessee for 2 years.

Second offense: fine, maximum

$3,500

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-403(a)(2)

Same passage as above.

Second offense: license

2 years

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-404(a)(2); Department of Safety revocation periods

Depending on the type of DUI, the revocation length may be longer: DUI 1st – 1-year revocation (365 days) DUI 2nd - 2-year revocation (730 days)

05Related

MapUS DUI Arrest Rate MapEvery state as one tile, colored by DUI arrests per 100,000 residents.
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.

Tennessee DUI laws at a glance