How can I get early removal of an IID in Colorado? 7 Steps

If you were convicted of a first-time DUI in Colorado with a BAC of less than 0.15%, the DMV may lift your nine-month IID requirement after only 120 days (five months early) as long as you were fully compliant.

Early IID removal is not an option if:

• your BAC was 0.15% or higher, or
• you had prior DUIs, or
• you refused to take a chemical breath or blood test after your arrest.

In either of these cases, you must drive with the IID for a full two years.

Continue reading for the seven steps to get your IID removed early in Colorado.

Step 1: Meet the preconditions

You may be eligible for early removal of your ignition interlock device (IID) if you meet the following criteria:

1. First-time DUI or DUI per se offender, and your license was suspended for no more than nine months;
2. Blood alcohol content (BAC) was lower than 0.15%;
3. At least 21 years old at the time of the DUI;
4. Colorado residency; and
5. No less than four uninterrupted months of full IID compliance

You cannot get your IID removed early if you are a repeat DUI offender or a persistent drunk driver (PDD) – which includes having had your license revoked for driving with a BAC of at least 0.15%. In those cases, you must drive with an IID for no less than two years.¹

Step 2: Use the IID perfectly for four months

A first-time misdemeanor DUI in Colorado carries a nine-month driver’s license suspension. However, you can resume driving right away with an IID and IID-restricted license.

If you then drive for four months (120 days) in full IID compliance, you can apply for early IID removal. Full IID compliance means:

• No tampering, lockouts, or circumventions (such as driving a car without an IID or letting a passenger blow into it instead of you), and
• No failed breath tests, which means no BAC results of 0.025% or higher.

Note that the four-month time frame begins the day your IID-restricted license is granted. This date (called the “issued date”) may be several days after your IID gets installed.²

Step 3: Contact the IID company for a compliance letter

The soonest you can ask for early IID removal is on day 121 after you got your IID-restricted license.

So once you drive with the IID without incident for 4 months/120 days, it is recommended that you call the DMV Interlock Department at 303-205-5613 to double-check with an agent that enough time has gone by to apply for early IID removal.

Alternatively, order a copy of your motor vehicle record, which should have the date on which you got your IID-restricted license.

Once you are sure the full 120 days have elapsed, call the company that installed your IID and ask them to download your IID reports. Then request they fax or email the Colorado DMV a “letter of compliance” — also called a “4PASS letter” — right away.³

First-time DUI offenders may be able to get their IID removed after only four months.

Step 4: Wait to receive the DMV’s removal letter

Once the DMV receives the compliance letter from the IID company, they should mail you a removal letter. In practice, the DMV mails out these letters at the end of the week, but there can be a longer lag time of several weeks.

You can call the DMV Interlock Department at 303-205-5613 to check on the status of the letter.⁴

Step 5: Go to the DMV and get a license

Once you have the DMV’s removal letter in your possession, you can go to the DMV to apply for a full reinstatement of your driving privileges. You should bring the original removal letter with you when you show up at the DMV branch.

Step 6: Have the IID removed

Only after the DMV reinstates your full driving privileges can you get the IID removed. However, you may not remove the device yourself. You must go to the company that originally installed it.

Step 7: Check if you are eligible to cancel your SR22 insurance

You may be able to cancel your SR22 insurance if it was your first offense, you were not under 21 at the time, and there was no accident. Otherwise, it is mandatory that you have SR22 for at least 3 years.

Contact your attorney to check whether you need to keep SR22 insurance in your particular case.⁵

Additional Resources

For more information about IIDs in Colorado, refer to the following:

• Approved Interlock Vendors – Companies approved by the Colorado Department of Revenue to install IIDs.
• Ignition Interlock Restricted License – General information by the Colorado Department of Revenue.
• 1 CCR 204-17 – Code of Colorado Regulation re. IIDs.
• The DUI Process – Overview by the Colorado Department of Revenue.
• Colorado Drunk Driving Laws – Summary by the Office of Legislative Legal Services

Legal References