Idaho DUI License Reinstatement (2026): Suspension, Steps and Fees
How do you get your license back after a first DUI in Idaho?
A first DUI in Idaho triggers a 90 day administrative license suspension (ALS) from the Idaho Transportation Department, with the first 30 days an absolute no-driving period and the remaining 60 days eligible for a restricted permit. A separate court suspension of 90 to 180 days can follow a conviction. Reinstatement requires an ignition interlock, a 3 year SR-22 filing starting on the last day of the suspension and separate reinstatement fees for the ALS and, if convicted, the court suspension.
In Idaho the license consequences start with the Idaho Transportation Department rather than the courtroom. An administrative suspension runs on its own clock beside the court case and the window to request the administrative hearing is 7 days. The page below lays the pieces out in the order the state runs them.
An ignition interlock is part of every first-offense path here. The SR-22 filing is required. The education or treatment step comes before reinstatement. Each piece has its own section below, with the official source beside it.
The parts Idaho drivers most often miss are the 7-day hearing-request deadline, which runs from the arrest or notice date, the insurance filing that lives with your insurer rather than the court and the order of the steps, since several gate the ones after them. The sections below take them in order.
How long is your license suspended after a first DUI in Idaho?
The first-offense term and how the administrative and court tracks interact in Idaho.
| Item | Idaho rule |
|---|---|
| First-offense suspension | Administrative License Suspension (civil, pre-conviction): 90 days total, with the first 30 days an absolute no-driving suspension and the remaining 60 days eligible for a restricted permit. Court suspension upon a standard first-offense DUI conviction (BAC under 0.20): 90 days, extendable up to 180 days at the court's discretion (30 days absolute, up to 150 days restricted-eligible). |
| Administrative vs court | Idaho runs two separate suspension tracks that generally cover similar ground rather than stacking in length: the ALS is a civil administrative suspension entered by ITD upon a failed or refused test, independent of the criminal case, while the court separately suspends the license upon a DUI conviction. Both a $245 ALS/refusal reinstatement fee and a $285 Idaho DUI-conviction reinstatement fee can apply on the same case. |
| Worth knowing | A higher BAC tier (0.20 and above, 'excessive DUI') carries longer suspension and other enhanced penalties not detailed here, which is out of scope for this first-offense-standard-BAC file. |
The hearing clock: how long you have to act in Idaho
The deadline to request the administrative review of the license suspension. It runs from the arrest or notice date, not from the court date.
| Item | Idaho rule |
|---|---|
| Request window | 7 days |
| How it works | The driver has 7 calendar days from the date of arrest (service of the ALS notice) to submit a written hearing request to ITD (by email to ALSPublic@itd.idaho.gov or by mail) contesting the administrative suspension. Missing the deadline lets the suspension take effect automatically on the 30th day after service, with no hearing available at that point. |
The path back: the Idaho reinstatement steps in order
Several of these steps gate the ones after them, so the order matters as much as the list.
- Serve the 30 day absolute no-driving portion of the suspension
- Apply for a restricted driving permit for the remaining eligible period if desired (work, school, medical), paying the $245 reinstatement fee plus a $60 permit fee
- Install and maintain a state-approved ignition interlock device, generally for 1 year beginning 10 days after the suspension ends, unless waived by the court
- Complete the court-ordered alcohol/substance abuse evaluation and any assigned education program through an Idaho Department of Health and Welfare-approved provider
- File and maintain an SR-22 proof of financial responsibility for 3 years, starting on the last day of the license suspension or revocation
- Pay the applicable reinstatement fee(s): $245 for the ALS/refusal and $285 for an Idaho DUI conviction, then apply for reinstatement with ITD
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Ignition interlock rules in Idaho
Whether the device is required for a first offense, for how long and where the state lists its certified providers.
| Item | Idaho rule |
|---|---|
| Required for a first offense? | Yes, mandatory for a first offense |
| First-offense duration | 1 year, beginning 10 days after the suspension period ends |
| BAC trigger | all ALS suspensions (attaches upon a failed or refused test, not limited to an elevated BAC tier) |
| Approved providers | Idaho Transportation Department maintains a list of certified ignition interlock providers at itd.idaho.gov |
| Worth knowing | The interlock requirement attaches to the Administrative License Suspension itself (the civil track), independent of how the criminal case resolves, unless a court specifically waives it. |
Do you need SR-22 insurance in Idaho?
The financial-responsibility filing your insurer makes with the state, where Idaho requires one.
| Item | Idaho rule |
|---|---|
| Required after a first DUI? | Yes |
| The form | SR-22 |
| How long it must stay in force | 3 years, commencing with the last day of the license suspension or revocation (not the conviction date), for a first DUI conviction and for any later one |
| Worth knowing | Idaho Code 49-1208(2), read directly against two independent primary/mirror sources (a text-proxy read of legislature.idaho.gov and a direct fetch of codes.findlaw.com, cross-checked against a proxy read of law.justia.com), states: 'Whenever the department or a court suspends...a resident's driver's license...by reason of a conviction...the license...shall remain suspended or revoked unless the person shall have previously given or shall immediately give and maintain proof of financial responsibility. Such person shall be required to verify proof of financial responsibility for a three (3) year period commencing with the last day of the suspension or revocation.' This is the provision that governs a DUI conviction (a court-ordered suspension/revocation) and it sets a flat 3 years for both a first and a later conviction. ITD's own official 'SR-22 and Reinstatement Information' PDF confirms a DUI conviction under 18-8004 is one of the offenses that triggers the SR-22 requirement but does not itself state a duration. |
Driving before full reinstatement in Idaho
The limited license, if any, that lets a first offender drive during the suspension.
| Item | Idaho rule |
|---|---|
| Available for a first offense? | Yes |
| What Idaho calls it | Restricted driving permit |
| Waiting period | 30 days (after serving the initial 30 day absolute no-driving period of the suspension) |
| Worth knowing | Covers work, school and medical purpose driving during the remaining eligible portion of the suspension. Requires paying the $245 reinstatement fee plus a separate $60 permit fee and requires the ignition interlock device. |
The DUI program, the fees and the lookback
The DUI program. A court-ordered alcohol/substance abuse evaluation, followed by a Level I education program for low-risk first-time offenders, completed through an Idaho Department of Health and Welfare-approved provider. A completion certificate must be filed with the court. Length: Level I programs commonly run 8 to 16 hours across several sessions.
The lookback period. 10 years for criminal sentence enhancement under Idaho Code 18-8005 (whether a new DUI counts as a second or third offense). A separate 5 year window in Idaho Code 49-1208(3) governs a 1 year vs 3 year SR-22 escalation, but that provision applies to insurance-law infractions under 49-1229, 49-1232 and 49-1428, not to a DUI conviction; a DUI conviction's SR-22 duration is a flat 3 years under 49-1208(2) regardless of prior offenses. This is the window over which a prior offense counts toward repeat-offense treatment.
The costs a Idaho driver can expect on the way back.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Administrative License Suspension (ALS) / refusal / out-of-state DUI conviction reinstatement fee | $245 |
| Idaho conviction for DUI reinstatement fee | $285 |
| Restricted driving permit fee | $60, in addition to the $245 reinstatement fee |
