Louisiana DUI License Reinstatement (2026): Suspension, Steps and Fees
How do you get your license back after a first DUI in Louisiana?
A first offense DWI in Louisiana triggers an administrative suspension of 180 days when the arresting officer seizes the license at a BAC of 0.08 to 0.14 percent (2 years at 0.15 percent or higher, 1 year for a refusal), independent of the criminal case. A separate 365 day suspension follows an actual first-offense conviction (2 years if the conviction-level BAC was 0.20 percent or higher). Reinstatement needs an SR-22 filed for 3 years, a driver improvement/substance abuse education program, an ignition interlock device if the BAC was 0.15 percent or higher or specific aggravating conditions are on the arrest record and a $100 reinstatement fee.
Louisiana charges this offense as DWI, the same first-offense case most states call a DUI. Whichever term is on your paperwork, this page covers it.
Louisiana runs two tracks after a DUI arrest. The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles handles the license through its own administrative process, with 30 days to request a review hearing, while the court case runs separately on its own calendar. The page below lays out both tracks and the order the pieces come in, so the whole path is visible before any single deadline is due.
Whether an ignition interlock is required here depends on the case, commonly the test result or the license option chosen. 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.
Act 9 of 2024 took effect July 1, 2024. Louisiana raised the administrative suspension for a first offense from 90 to 180 days and moved the enhanced administrative tier down to a 0.15 test result. This page reflects the rule in force today; the full history sits in the law-updates log.
How long is your license suspended after a first DUI in Louisiana?
The first-offense term and how the administrative and court tracks interact in Louisiana.
| Item | Louisiana rule |
|---|---|
| First-offense suspension | Administrative suspension (at arrest, per se, La. R.S. 32:667): 180 days for a BAC of 0.08 to 0.14 percent; 2 years for a BAC of 0.15 percent or higher; 1 year for a refusal. Post-conviction suspension (DWI 1st, La. R.S. 32:414, conviction on or after August 15, 2007): 365 days (2 years if the conviction-level BAC was 0.20 percent or higher, per the OMV's own suspension chart). |
| Administrative vs court | Louisiana runs an administrative per se suspension, based on the arresting officer's certification and seizure of the license, independent of the criminal case. Separately, OMV's own suspension chart lists a longer 365-day suspension tied to an actual DWI 1st conviction. The two tracks use different BAC thresholds for their enhanced tier: the administrative track escalates to 2 years at 0.15 percent BAC, while the post-conviction track escalates to 2 years at 0.20 percent BAC. |
| Worth knowing | A temporary paper permit issued at arrest is valid to drive for up to 30 days while the administrative process runs. CORRECTION (2026-07-18): the administrative first-offense suspension is 180 days, not 90 days and the enhanced-tier BAC threshold for that track is 0.15 percent, not 0.20 percent, since a 2024 change (Act 9, effective July 1, 2024) to La. R.S. 32:667. |
The hearing clock: how long you have to act in Louisiana
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 | Louisiana rule |
|---|---|
| Request window | 30 days |
| How it works | A driver has 30 days from the date of arrest to submit a written request for an administrative hearing to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, per La. R.S. 32:667(A)(2)(a): 'not more than thirty days from the date of arrest to make written request... for an administrative hearing.' The temporary paper permit issued at arrest remains valid to drive for up to 30 days while this process runs. An Administrative Law Judge appointed by the Louisiana OMV hears the case. Missing the 30 day deadline lets the suspension take effect automatically once the temporary permit expires. CORRECTION (2026-07-18): the file previously stated 15 days, sourced from a law-firm secondary page that appears outdated; the current statute text confirms 30 days, verified via two independent direct fetches of legis.la.gov plus a findlaw mirror. |
The path back: the Louisiana reinstatement steps in order
Several of these steps gate the ones after them, so the order matters as much as the list.
- Serve the applicable suspension period (administrative 180 days and/or the 365 day post-conviction suspension)
- Complete the required driver improvement/substance abuse education program and any recommended treatment following the evaluation
- Install an ignition interlock device if the BAC was 0.15 percent or higher or the arrest certification shows a qualifying condition
- File and maintain an SR-22 proof of financial responsibility for 3 years from the date of conviction
- Pay the $100 DWI 1st reinstatement fee and any outstanding court-ordered fines
- Submit the reinstatement application to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles
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Ignition interlock rules in Louisiana
Whether the device is required for a first offense, for how long and where the state lists its certified providers.
| Item | Louisiana rule |
|---|---|
| Required for a first offense? | In some first-offense cases (see below) |
| First-offense duration | Mandatory for the full 2 year suspension when the arrest BAC was 0.15 percent or higher, per La. R.S. 32:378.2(B)(1)(a)(ii): 'the offender shall be issued a restricted driver's license during the entire period of the two-year driver's license suspension' with a functioning device installed throughout. Below that BAC, the restricted-license device period runs for the remaining period of suspension or as long as the device is in place, whichever is longer, per 32:378.2(B)(2). A 2024 law change (Act 9, effective July 1, 2024) also removed a prior 12-month cap on interlock-as-probation-condition, so the criminal probation statute (La. R.S. 14:98.1) can now require the device for the full length of probation rather than just the first 12 months; that same probation statute sets a 6 month floor. |
| BAC trigger | 0.15 percent or higher is a standalone statutory trigger for a mandatory 2 year interlock requirement under La. R.S. 32:378.2(B)(1)(a)(ii). Below that threshold, Louisiana instead conditions the interlock requirement on specific arrest-record facts (injury crash, a child age 12 or younger in the vehicle, or a prior alcohol violation within the lookback period). |
| Approved providers | unverifiable (a specific Louisiana OMV-published approved-vendor list was not located) |
| Worth knowing | An ignition interlock device is also generally required to obtain a restricted hardship license during the suspension period, in addition to the specific arrest-record conditions that can make it mandatory for reinstatement. R.S. 32:378.2 confirms BAC 0.15 percent or higher is itself a standalone trigger, independent of the injury/child/prior-violation conditions. |
Confirm the exact interlock term and trigger for your case with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles before you schedule an install.
Do you need SR-22 insurance in Louisiana?
The financial-responsibility filing your insurer makes with the state, where Louisiana requires one.
| Item | Louisiana rule |
|---|---|
| Required after a first DUI? | Yes |
| The form | SR-22 |
| How long it must stay in force | 3 years from the date of conviction |
Driving before full reinstatement in Louisiana
The limited license, if any, that lets a first offender drive during the suspension.
| Item | Louisiana rule |
|---|---|
| Available for a first offense? | Yes |
| What Louisiana calls it | Restricted hardship license |
| Waiting period | Secondary sources commonly cite 30 days into the suspension for a first offense; not independently confirmed against a primary OMV page or exact statutory day-count |
| Worth knowing | Requires the ignition interlock device installed and proof of SR-22 insurance, plus a showing that restricted driving is needed to maintain the necessities of life (such as work, school or medical needs). Re-checked 2026-07-18 directly against La. R.S. 32:415.1 (economic and medical hardship license): the statute text itself states only that the right to apply arises 'after initial notice from the department,' with no explicit day-count, so the commonly cited 30 day figure remains a secondary-source claim, not a directly confirmed statutory or OMV figure. |
Confirm the restricted-license conditions and the waiting period for your case with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles before you apply.
The DUI program, the fees and the lookback
The DUI program. A substance abuse evaluation followed by a driver improvement/DWI education program; secondary sources also describe a broader package that can include a MADD victims impact program and community service hours depending on the court Length: commonly cited around 8 to 10 hours for a lower-BAC first offense; some secondary sources describe a combined program approaching 30 hours plus 32 hours of community service and it was not confirmed which figure is the statewide default versus court-specific. Re-checked 2026-07-18 directly against La. R.S. 14:98.1: the statute requires a court-approved substance abuse program based on a licensed clinician's assessment but does not state a fixed hour count in the statute text itself, so neither figure is confirmable from the statute directly..
The lookback period. 10 years for DWI sentence enhancement under La. R.S. 14:98 (with tolling: periods awaiting trial, on probation, under an attachment order for failure to appear, or incarcerated do not count toward the 10 years). This is the window over which a prior offense counts toward repeat-offense treatment.
The costs a Louisiana driver can expect on the way back.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| DWI 1st conviction reinstatement fee | $100 |
Confirm the exact program length and the providers the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles accepts before you enroll.
