Colorado DUI Penalties
Implied Consent Laws
Laws call for drivers suspected of driving under the influence to admit to breath, blood, or urine testing for alcohol content are known as "implied consent laws." Refusal carries penalties that can include obligatory suspension of a driving license for up to a year.
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Blood-Alcohol Concentration
In Colorado, any driver with a blood-alcohol absorption - or BAC - above .08 percent is considered “per se intoxicated” under the law. Under this statute, this verification is all that is necessary for a driver to be convicted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).
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Zero Tolerance Blood-Alcohol Concentration
In all states, “zero tolerance laws” focus on drivers not of legal drinking age. In Colorado, persons under the age of 21 operating a vehicle with a .02 percent blood-alcohol level or over are subject to DUI penalties.
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Enhanced Penalty Blood-Alcohol Concentration
In some states there is a more difficult punishment for those convicted of DUI with a predominantly high blood-alcohol content at the moment of arrest; this is ordinarily .15 to .20 percent above the legal limit. Enhanced penalty laws are not utilized in Colorado.
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Administrative License Suspension/Revocation Penalties
These penalties are minimum mandatory penalties forced on drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration above Colorado’s maximum tolerable level of .08 percent or drivers subject to the implied consent laws (see above) for declining to submit to breath, blood, or urine testing for blood-alcohol content.
Penalties involve suspension or revocation (meaning provisional or permanent removal) of the driver’s license by the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). In Colorado, for the first DUI offense the mandatory suspension is 90 days; for the second offense, one year; for the third offense, three years.
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Vehicle Confiscation
The fine of vehicle confiscation for DUI conviction – either undyingly or temporarily - is a chance in some states, commonly for repeat offenders. This is not a penalty option in Colorado.
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Ignition Interlock
An ignition interlock device attaches to the convicted DUI offender’s vehicle and requires the driver to complete a breath-test before the vehicle will start. While this penalty for DUI conviction is a option in some states, this is not an alternative in Colorado.
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Mandatory Alcohol Education and Assessment/Treatment
Alcohol education and prevention program, treatment for alcohol abuse, and judgment of a person for possible alcohol or drug dependency can be required for DUI offenders in Colorado. These steps are often suggested instead of serving a sentence of incarceration or paying fines.
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