Washington DUI Penalties

Implied Consent Laws

Laws demand drivers assumed of driving under the influence to compromise 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 Washington, any driver with a blood-alcohol concentration - or BAC - above .08 percent is deemed “per se intoxicated” under the law. Under this statute, this verification is all that is required 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” focal point on drivers not of legal drinking age. In Washington, persons under the age of 21 operating a car with a .02 percent blood-alcohol level or higher than are subject to DUI penalties.

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Enhanced Penalty Blood-Alcohol Concentration

In some states there is a more severe punishment for those convicted of DUI with a particularly high blood-alcohol content at the point in time of arrest; this is usually .15 to .20 percent above the legal limit. Enhanced penalty laws are not utilised in Washington.

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Administrative License Suspension/Revocation Penalties

These penalties are minimum mandatory penalties compulsory on drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration above Washington’s maximum permissible level of .08 percent or drivers subject to the implied consent laws (see above) for refusing 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 Washington, for the opening 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 sentence of vehicle confiscation for DUI conviction – either permanently or temporarily - is a chance in some states, generally for repeat offenders. This is not a penalty option in Washington.

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Ignition Interlock

An ignition interlock device attaches to the condemned DUI offender’s motor vehicle and requires the driver to do a breath-test before the vehicle will start. While this penalty for DUI conviction is a prospect in some states, this is not an option in Washington.

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Mandatory Alcohol Education and Assessment/Treatment

Alcohol education and prevention program, treatment for alcohol abuse, and evaluation of a person for possible alcohol or drug craving can be required for DUI offenders in Washington. These steps are often recommended instead of serving a sentence of incarceration or paying fines.

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