DUI Alcohol & Drug Education Programs
California
Last updated: September 2018
When you are convicted of a DUI offense in California, the court may order you to complete an Alcohol and Drug Education and Counseling program provided by a state-licensed service provider.
To enroll in one of these programs, you must be referred, either by the court or the DMV.
Which DUI program must you complete?
There are several levels of DUI education programs available. You will have to take a class which may be as short as 12 hours if you are a first-time offender with a low blood alcohol content, or as high as 30 months if you are a repeat offender. The length of the program depends on whether this is your first, second, third or fourth DUI offense within a 10-year period. The 10-year time period begins on your arrest date.
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This information is provided by the
Law Office of Pardoe & Associates
A tradition of helping people with their DUIs
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What to do after DUI arrest -
Know your rights
Know the law
Know the consequences
- Learn more at duilacounty.com
How long is a DUI on your record in California?
WARNING - presently a DUI conviction will be on your record for 10 years starting from your arrest date.
However, there are efforts in the California legislature to make a DUI stay on your record for a lifetime and to be used against you for your whole life.
This means if you got a DUI 20 years ago and get arrested for another DUI it will be your second DUI.
Expect the worse and expect the California DUI laws to change in the future and make your DUI stay on your record for 15 years or longer if not for a lifetime.
COSTS IN CALIFORNIA
- First-Time Offenders - three-month, 30-hour alcohol and drug education and counseling program costs approximately $600.
- Second Time Offender 18 month DUI class (SB 38) - cost is approximately $1,800 - $1,900.
- 6 month DUI Class (AB 762) - this class is sometimes required for a first time offender if breath test or blood test results come back between .15 and .19 - approximate cost $800-$900.
- 9 month DUI class (AB1353) - this class is required for first time offender if they refused to take a breath or blood test or their results were over .20 - approximate cost $1,200.
- 12 hour Wet Reckless class (SB1176) - cost of this class is approximately $300 to $400.
More cost info
Contact a state-licensed service provider (see below) for more costs of DUI classes.
Payment Plan
Most DUI classes allow you to set up a payment plan to pay off the class fees with a down payment and then monthly payments.
Overall costs of a DUI
There are other costs of a DUI including a court fine, and attorney fees if you use one. See an outline of other costs on our DUI website.
DUI Programs
The California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP) licenses over 400 DUI Education program services throughout California.
The programs are designed to enable participants to consider attitudes and behavior, support positive lifestyle changes,
and reduce or eliminate the use of alcohol and/or drugs.
The following information is from the DHCS Overview - Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Programs
Wet Reckless Program
12-hour program- Less than .08
- Reckless driving
A 'wet reckless' conviction is less than a DUI charge. If you were convicted of reckless driving with a measurable amount of alcohol in your blood of less than .08, you must complete a 12-hour DUI education program.
First Offender
3 or 9 month program30 hours
- Less than .20
- First DUI Offense
60 hours
- .20 or higher
- First DUI Offense
If you were convicted of a first DUI offense within 10 years, with a blood alcohol content of 0.20 or higher, you must complete a state-licensed nine-month, 60-hour alcohol and drug education and counseling program.
18-Month DUI Program
18 months
If you have been convicted of DUI two or more times in 10 years, you must complete an 18-month multiple offender program.
This program requires:
- 52 hours of group counseling
- 12 hours of alcohol and drug education
- 6 hours of community reentry monitoring
- and biweekly individual interviews during the first 12 months of the program.
30-Month DUI Program
30 months
Some counties provide 30-month DUI programs for third and subsequent DUI offenders. Currently, only Butte, Plumas, San Joaquin, Los Angeles, and Stanislaus Counties have these programs available.
Program requirements are:
- 78 hours of group counseling
- 12 hours of alcohol and drug education
- 120-300 hours of community service
- and regular individual interviews.
Service Providers
To choose a DUI school, select one that:-
- is close to where you live or work
- offers the type of class you have been ordered to attend
Directory of Service Providers in California
Directory of State-licensed Service Providers in California 2017 Edition (pdf format) :-
- This directory is maintained by the DHCS Department of Health Care Services, Substance Use Disorder Compliance Division
- It is a little confusing on its first few pages. Continue paging past the introduction, and you will find a list of service providers sorted in alphabetical order by county.
Links
These links will open in a new tab in your browser.
-
CA Dept. of Health Care Services
Overview of Drug & Alcohol education programs
Service Providers
CA Govt Directory of State-licensed Service Providers, in pdf format
- DUI FAQs
CA Dept. of Alcohol and Drug Programs - DUI Penalties, Costs & FAQs
duilacounty.com
DUI Attorney tells you what to do after DUI arrest in California - 4 essential steps you must take
duilacounty.com
Know your rights.
Know the law.
Know the consequences.
Please visit our DUI website to learn more.
duilacounty.com
What to do after DUI arrest:-
There are 6 essential tasks you must complete after DUI arrest in California:-
- 1. Contact the DMV within 10 days of your DUI arrest
- 2. Make notes about your arrest
- 3. Get informed - know your rights, know the law, know the consequences
- 4. Obtain and review a copy of your Police Report
- 5. DUI Defense - choose who will defend you
- 6. Choose your options in court - Plea Bargain or Jury Trial
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Contact Info
Law Office of Pardoe & Associates433 N Camden Drive, Suite 400
Beverly Hills, CA 90210-4408
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P: (310) 285-1516 during business hours (Mon-Fri)
P: (310) 864-5446 Hotline after 5:30 & on weekends