What are the Consequences of a Court Conviction for DUI?

A court conviction for a DUI has two categories of consequences that may affect you. So when asking, “what are the consequences of court conviction for DUI”?, it’s important to realize that those categories are:

Court imposed punishments, including mandatory sentencing; and
Court triggered DMV actions, which are imposed due to the court conviction.

What are the court imposed punishments from a Court Conviction ?

If you plead guilty to DUI, unless the DUI charges were dismissed, or unless the DUI was reduced to a lesser charge, then your DUI would be eligible for sentencing by the judge hearing the case from anywhere between the minimum and the maximum for your offense. So what are the consequences for a court conviction for DUI? That would depend where, between the minimum and maximums below, you fall on your particular sentence:

Minimum sentence for DUI: The minimum for a first time offense DUI in California, with no injuries, or other sentencing enhancement factors, would be all of the following:

Three years of informal probation;
A base fine of $390 plus other fees and a penalty assessment tax; and
Attendance at a level one first time offender’s alcohol school.

Maximum sentence for DUI: The worst case scenario for a DUI in California is getting the maximum. And the maximum for a first time offense DUI in California, with no injuries, or other sentencing enhancement factors, would be all of the following:

One year in county jail
Attendance at a level one first time offender’s alcohol school. for license reinstatement
Proof of insurance for license reinstatement

What are the DMV Consequences of a Court Conviction?

The DMV can impose punishment on their own, through their admin per se hearing system. That can be done before the court imposes punishment. However, when the court communicates a conviction to the DMV through an electronic abstract of judgment, then the DMV can see what was pled to, how many points should be added to the driving record, and whether or not it was an alcohol related conviction.

For alcohol related convictions, including a DUI and other categories, such as a wet reckless, the DMV can impose a six month driver’s license suspension, which is eligible to become a restricted license immediately, even if there already was a driver’s license suspension from the DMV hearing, or even if there was a restricted license already.

The DMV can only affect a driver’s license, but the conviction makes it a double whammy – imposing another restriction on driving privileges after conviction, even after a restricted license has already been suffered.

If you have questions for our Orange County DUI Lawyers, contact our firm. You can send a message any time through our contact the firm page, or via email at info[at]expertlawfirm]dot]com, or by calling us at (877) 568-2977, anytime.