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Colorado DUI criminal fines are: $600 to $1,000 for a first offense. $600 to $1,500 for a second or third offense. And $2,000 to $500,000 for a subsequent offense.1 In addition, defendants may be ordered to pay several other court fees and surcharges, such as for DUI School and probation supervision. In total, one DUI case could cost defendants several thousands of dollars by the time it is done.
It depends on the specific offense and whether the defendant has any prior drunk/drugged driving-related convictions:
| Drunk driving offense | Colorado criminal fines |
| DUI / DUI per se | First offense: $600 – $1,000 Second or Third offense: $600 – $1,500 Subsequent offense: $2,000 – $500,000 |
| DWAI (driving while ability impaired) | First offense: $200 – $500 Second or Third offense: $600 – $1,500 Subsequent offense: $2,000 – $500,000 |
| UDD (underage drinking and driving) | First offense: $150 Subsequent offense: $150 – $3002 |
| Vehicular Assault (DUI causing injury) | $2,000 – $500,0003 |
| Vehicular Homicide (DUI causing death) | $3,000 – $750,0004 |
Defendants required to complete DUI school have to pay for it themselves. The prices depend on the provider giving the classes and the specific course. The estimated costs are as follows:
DUI School providers may also charge an intake fee and require participants buy their own class materials.
The Colorado DMV driver’s license reinstatement fee is $95. But there are several other incidental and administrative costs of losing one’s license after a DUI:
See our related article, How much does an ignition interlock device cost in Colorado?
DUI arrests trigger many non-court-related expenses, such as towing costs.
Depending on the case, Colorado DUI defendants may be required to pay the following costs, fees, and surcharges:
Finally, there are all the other incidental costs of having a DUI/DWAI case. These could include:
The best chance for lessening or eliminating DUI court costs is to get the criminal charge reduced or dismissed. A criminal defense attorney will do a thorough investigation of the evidence in attempt to find all the “weak links” in the state’s case. It may be possible to raise a reasonable doubt as to the defendant’s guilt, especially if the police may have committed misconduct. And in practice, prosecutors are much more likely to extend a favorable plea offer to defendants who are represented by private counsel.
See our related article, How much does it cost to hire a DUI attorney?
Michael Becker has over a quarter-century's worth of experience as an attorney and more than 100 trials under his belt. He is a sought-after legal commentator and is licensed to practice law in Colorado, Nevada, California, and Florida.
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