How Long Do You Lose Your License for a DUI in Missouri?

A first DUI in Missouri costs you your license for 90 days through the Department of Revenue, and a criminal conviction adds a separate court-ordered suspension on top of that. A second offense within five years results in a one-year revocation and a five-year license denial after conviction. A third conviction triggers a ten-year denial. How long you actually lose your license for a DUI in Missouri depends on which offense number you’re on, whether you refused the breath or blood test, and whether you act within the first 15 days after the arrest.1Missouri Department of Revenue. Missouri Driver Guide Chapter 10 – Be in Shape to Drive

Two separate processes run after every DWI arrest in Missouri. The Department of Revenue handles an administrative suspension based on the BAC result itself, and the criminal court imposes its own penalty if you’re convicted. They don’t cancel each other out.

First Offense: 90 Days

If a breath or blood test shows .08% or higher, the officer takes your license at the scene and gives you a notice that also works as a 15-day temporary permit. When those 15 days run out, the 90-day administrative suspension starts automatically, whether or not prosecutors have filed anything.2Missouri Department of Revenue. Administrative Alcohol FAQs3Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.505 – Administrative Suspension or Revocation

You have two ways to serve that 90 days:

  • A 30-day hard suspension with no driving, followed by 60 days of restricted driving privileges to work, school, and treatment.
  • An ignition interlock device for the full 90 days, with restricted driving privileges throughout and no hard suspension period.1Missouri Department of Revenue. Missouri Driver Guide Chapter 10 – Be in Shape to Drive

If you’re then convicted in criminal court on that same first offense, the court imposes its own 30-day hard suspension plus 60-day restricted period, or a 90-day restricted period with an interlock in place.4Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.304 – Point Suspension and Revocation

Second Offense Within Five Years: One Year, Then Five

A second alcohol-related enforcement contact within five years triggers a one-year administrative revocation.2Missouri Department of Revenue. Administrative Alcohol FAQs If you’re also convicted criminally on that second DWI, the license denial extends to five years.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.060 – License Denial Grounds

You aren’t stuck for the full five years without any option to drive. After serving at least two years of the denial, you can petition the circuit court for a limited driving privilege, but only if you have no alcohol-related convictions or contacts during those preceding two years.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.309 – Limited Driving Privilege A DWI that causes someone’s death through criminal negligence carries the same five-year denial as a second conviction.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.060 – License Denial Grounds

Third or Subsequent Offense: Ten Years

Three DWI convictions result in a ten-year license denial. Once those ten years are up, you can petition the circuit court for a new license, but the court has to find you had no alcohol-related offenses or enforcement contacts during the full ten years and that you no longer pose a public safety threat. You get one chance at that petition. If the court grants it and you reoffend later, you can’t petition again.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.060 – License Denial Grounds

Refusing the Breath or Blood Test

Under Missouri’s implied consent law, refusing a chemical test triggers a one-year license revocation on its own. That penalty applies whether or not you’re ever convicted of DWI, and it’s longer than the 90 days you’d face by taking the test and failing it on a first offense.7Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 577.041 – Refusal to Submit to Chemical Test

A limited driving privilege may be available during the revocation, but only after installing an interlock device and filing SR-22 proof of insurance.8Missouri Department of Revenue. Refusal to Submit to an Alcohol or Drug Test FAQs If you ask to speak with an attorney before deciding, you get 20 minutes to reach one. If you still haven’t consented when that time expires, it counts as a refusal.

Drivers Under 21

The administrative process starts at a much lower BAC for underage drivers: .02% rather than .08%. Any alcohol-related traffic offense for someone under 21 results in a 90-day suspension.2Missouri Department of Revenue. Administrative Alcohol FAQs1Missouri Department of Revenue. Missouri Driver Guide Chapter 10 – Be in Shape to Drive

Minor in possession offenses have their own ladder: 30 days for a first offense, 90 days for a second, and a one-year revocation for a third. A driver under 21 who blows .08% or higher gets hit with the full adult penalties on top of any underage consequences.

Commercial Driver’s License Holders

CDL holders lose their commercial license for one year on a first DWI, and for life on a second. The threshold is also lower: .04% BAC while operating a commercial vehicle counts as a DWI. Refusing a test while holding a CDL or driving a commercial vehicle carries the same one-year disqualification as a first conviction.9Missouri Department of Revenue. Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators and the Law

The CDL disqualification runs separately from any suspension of your regular driving privileges, and a DWI arrest in your personal vehicle still triggers it. There’s no restricted commercial driving privilege during the disqualification.

The 15-Day Hearing Deadline That Can Pause the Clock

You have 15 days from receiving the suspension notice to request an administrative hearing with the Department of Revenue. If the request is received or postmarked in that window, the suspension is automatically stayed and you keep your license until a final order comes down after the hearing.10Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.525 – Hearing Procedures Miss the deadline and the suspension takes effect on day 16, and you lose the right to challenge it through this process.

At the hearing, the Department reviews whether the officer had probable cause, whether the testing was done properly, and whether the results actually showed .08% or higher. If there were procedural problems, the suspension can be reversed. If not, you can still petition for a trial de novo in circuit court, though filing that petition on its own does not stay the suspension.11Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.535 – Petition for Trial De Novo

What It Takes to Get Your License Back

The clock running out doesn’t restore your license by itself. Before you can legally drive again after any alcohol-related suspension or revocation, you have to complete several steps with the Department of Revenue:

  • Finish the Substance Abuse Traffic Offender Program (SATOP). Program level depends on the severity of the offense.4Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.304 – Point Suspension and Revocation
  • File an SR-22 certificate of insurance and keep it in force for two years from the suspension start date. Any lapse in that two years re-suspends your license.12Missouri Department of Revenue. About Mandatory Insurance FAQs
  • Pay the reinstatement fee, which varies by suspension type.
  • If you have any prior alcohol-related enforcement contact, file proof that an ignition interlock device is installed on every vehicle you drive, and maintain it for at least six months after reinstatement.13Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 302.440 – Ignition Interlock Device Requirements
  • Retake the full driver’s license exam if your license was revoked for a year or more.

Interlock leasing and monitoring fees typically run $70 to $125 per month. Between those, SR-22 premiums, SATOP costs, and the reinstatement fee, getting your license back after a Missouri DWI often costs more than the fine itself.