DUI Laws in Connecticut

0.08% for adult drivers; 0.04% for commercial motor vehicle drivers; 0.02% for drivers under 21 ('zero tolerance').

A first conviction carries a fine of $500 to $1,000 and either up to six months in jail with 48 consecutive hours that cannot be suspended, or a fully suspended jail sentence with probation requiring 100 hours of community service. The license is suspended for 45 days, and an ignition interlock is required on every vehicle owned or operated for one year after restoration.

Connecticut law defines a felony as any offense that can be punished by more than one year in prison. Under the DUI statute, a second DUI within 10 years can bring up to 2 years in prison (120 days mandatory), and a third or later DUI within 10 years can bring up to 3 years (1 year mandatory) plus permanent license revocation, so repeat DUIs within 10 years carry felony-level prison terms. A first DUI carries up to 6 months. Separately, causing serious physical injury while driving under the influence is assault in the second degree with a motor vehicle (class D felony), and causing a death is manslaughter in the second degree with a motor vehicle (class C felony).

Any person who drives in Connecticut is deemed to consent to a blood, breath or urine test and to part of a drug influence evaluation. On refusal (or a test showing an elevated BAC), the officer takes the license for 24 hours. The DMV then suspends the license for at least 45 days, and an ignition interlock is required as a condition of reinstatement, for at least one year after a refusal (longer with prior offenses). Refusal is admissible as evidence in the criminal case.

10 years. Second-offense penalties apply to a conviction within ten years after a prior conviction: a $1,000 to $4,000 fine, up to two years in jail with 120 consecutive days mandatory, probation with 100 hours of community service, a 45-day suspension and a three-year interlock requirement (with driving limited to work, school, treatment and similar trips in the first year).

Connecticut's 'clean slate' law erases criminal records of a DUI conviction (§ 14-227a) automatically 10 years after the person's most recent conviction, for offenses on or after January 1, 2000; for older offenses the person must file a petition. Most other misdemeanors are erased after 7 years, but DUI is specifically placed in the 10-year group. How long a DUI stays on the DMV driving record was not found on an official page.

The DMV offers a special use (special operator's) permit to some suspended drivers, allowing driving for work, higher-education classes and exams, and ongoing medical treatment. It is not available to drivers with a DUI suspension, three or more prior listed moving violations (or two if suspended for reckless driving or evading responsibility), vehicular manslaughter or assault, or for driving without a required interlock, and cannot be used for commercial or public service vehicles.