California DUI Class - Everything You Need To Know For drivers convicted of an booze or drug-related driving criminal offence in California, potential penalties are non limited to possible jail time, a fine, and a license intermission.

Yous volition as well face months-long reminders of how serious DUI crimes are treated in California by mandatory omnipresence at DUI classes.

These classes are ordered past courts and/or the California DMV and last anywhere from six weeks to xxx months, depending on the nature and location of your conviction.

The purpose of DUI classes is to educate offenders nigh the perils of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and to provide counseling to tackle their bug.

Here's what you demand to know about DUI classes if you or a loved ane has been convicted of DUI in California.

What is DUI school in California?

DUI classes are commonly conducted in-person and consist of a combination of counseling and education for DUI offenders.

The educational component helps offenders sympathise the DUI laws in California and how they affect them. It likewise educates attendees on drug corruption and "trouble" drinking and may include lectures, videos, and grouping discussions.

The counseling component of the form is commonly conducted in groups, in addition to one-on-i sessions which are normally required.

Participants must remain sober during classes and actively participate in any one-on-one sessions. Failure to exercise and then may result in expulsion from the program.

Who is required to take these classes?

Anybody bedevilled of the following driving offenses in California must participate in DUI school:

  • Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI)
  • Driving with a BAC (Claret Booze Content) of 0.08 percent or higher
  • Underage DUI with a BAC of 0.05 percentage or higher
  • "Wet reckless" charge (ofttimes negotiated as a plea bargain from DUI charges)
  • Any other alcohol or drug-related driving offense in California

You volition also demand to attend if you lot pleaded guilty or "nolo contendere" (no competition) to any of the above charges as opposed to being convicted at trial past a jury.

How long are DUI programs?

DUI programs run anywhere from 12 hours to 30 months in California. The elapsing of your participation will depend upon the nature of your driving offense, your Blood Alcohol Content, and which county you are arrested and subsequently convicted in.

12-hour DUI classes

If yous are convicted of a "moisture reckless" law-breaking (outset time) every bit a upshot of a plea deal by your DUI defense force attorney, y'all will exist ordered by the courtroom to complete a 12-60 minutes DUI program as a condition of this lesser charge.

The same program may sometimes use to minors who are under 21 and are convicted of a California DUI for the starting time time.

For this program, you volition need to nourish weekly two-hour classes spread over a six-calendar week period of time.

Three-month DUI classes

If your BAC level is below 0.15 percent AND it is your first DUI conviction in the last 10 years, you will need to attend mandatory DUI schoolhouse for three months.

This is the most common DUI class duration for offenders in California. It will also exist a term of probation for those bedevilled of drug DUIs as well as booze DUIs.

At that place are 30 hours of counseling and teaching spread over the iii months, generally totaling 10-fifteen classes.

Half dozen-month DUI classes

If your BAC level is between 0.15 and 0.19 percent and it is your first DUI confidence in the last 10 years, yous will need to attend the mandatory DUI school for half dozen months.

This is the second most common DUI class for offset-fourth dimension offenders in California. This class may too be a term of probation for those convicted of drug and alcohol DUIs in California.

Usually, in that location are 45 hours of combined booze and drug assessment, alcohol, and drug instruction along with grouping and individual counseling sessions.

Ix-month DUI classes

If your BAC level is over 0.xx percent OR y'all refused a chemical test after existence arrested, you may be required to attend DUI school for nine months.

These programs typically include 60 hours of counseling and pedagogy spread over ix months.

18-calendar month or thirty-calendar month DUI classes

The longer-elapsing DUI programs are reserved for repeat offenders.

If you have a second or additional DUI conviction inside ten years of a prior DUI or moisture reckless conviction, you volition be ordered to nourish an eighteen or 30-calendar month DUI education plan. This programme usually spans seventy-xc hours of pedagogy and counseling.

The xviii-month program is the one about commonly used for echo DUI offenders. In most cases, even a tertiary-time offender may be ordered to complete an 18-calendar month (rather than 30-calendar month) programme.

But some counties in California impose a xxx-calendar month DUI schoolhouse attendance for drivers with a particularly high BAC during a repeat DUI offense. This program involves a community service element on tiptop of education and counseling.

Orangish County does not currently provide such programs.

How much are DUI classes and who pays?

As you tin encounter, DUI schoolhouse is a major commitment in California. It is as well a major expense.

At that place are many DUI class providers in California (see next department) and costs practice vary merely, on average, you can wait to pay the post-obit guideline fees:

DUI Program Duration Cost
12-hour program $200 – $300
iii-month programme $450 – $550
half-dozen-calendar month program $750 – $950
9-calendar month program $1,000 – $1,250
xviii-month program $1,550 – $ane,750
xxx-calendar month program ~$three,000

Unfortunately, offenders are asked to pay these costs out of their ain pockets – including an initial down-payment when they enroll in the grade.

If you do not have the means to fund your program, you can apply for a fee waiver or a fee reduction from some of the providers.

Who runs DUI classes in California?

There are over 200 providers of DUI classes around California, so you tin can look programs and costs to vary significantly.

Here is a long list of providers that are licensed past the Section of Health Care Services.

Can I practice the class online?

Typically, DUI school programs are based entirely on in-person sessions and there is no option to consummate the form online. All the same, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, some schools have been allowing for attendance over the cyberspace, since in-person meetings have not been possible. This is a very uncommon exception being made for a global emergency, so it will non likely exist a permanent change.

If for some reason y'all cannot make it to class, yous are allowed to miss a session without penalty (if you lot make it up later). However, if yous repeatedly miss class, you will be terminated from the program.

What happens if you neglect to complete DUI schoolhouse?

Failure to complete DUI schoolhouse can have serious repercussions, including:

  • Defying a court guild – This is a probation violation and you volition need to go back in front of a gauge with a potential jail sentence once again on the table.

  • Demote warrants – A California demote warrant will likely be issued for your arrest upon your failure to attend the program.

  • Driving prohibition – completing a DUI class is a condition of obtaining a license. Therefore failure to complete the program may maintain your original license break and prohibit yous from driving legally in California.

Have you or a loved one been charged with DUI in California?

If yous or a loved i have been charged with DUI in Orange Canton, you need an experienced DUI chaser to protect your rights and freedoms and limit the consequences.

Phone call The Police force Offices of Bryan R. Kazarian at (855) 918-4253 today to set up a consultation with an chaser who tin can propose yous on the next steps in protecting your rights.

Need more information about enrolling ASAP in DUI classes? Accept your DUI instance evaluated by our team for Free Click Here.

Nosotros take offices in Santa Ana, Westminster, Newport Beach and Fullerton to serve clients with matters heard at the Central, Due west, Harbor, and North Justice Centers, respectively, for all of Orange County.  The lawyers at The Law Offices of Bryan R. Kazarian are available 24/7 to help!  Book an online consultation to get started today.