DUI school in Florida takes a minimum of 12 classroom hours for a first offense (Level I) and a minimum of 21 classroom hours for a repeat offense (Level II).1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensed DUI Programs in Florida Those are floors, not the full picture: a required psychosocial evaluation sits in front of the classroom hours, and once your driving privilege is reinstated, you have 90 days to finish everything or the state cancels your license.2Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Title XXIII Chapter 322 – Section 322.291
Level I: 12 Hours for a First Offense
If this is your first DUI, you’re assigned to a Level I program. The minimum is 12 hours of classroom instruction, delivered through a mix of lectures and interactive techniques. The curriculum covers Florida’s DUI laws, how alcohol and drugs impair driving, the court and FLHSMV processes you’re moving through, and behavior strategies for the future.
Twelve hours is the state minimum under Chapter 15A-10 of the Florida Administrative Code. Programs schedule those hours in different ways: some run them over a weekend, others spread them across several weekday evenings. How quickly you finish depends on which schedule your provider offers and how fast you enroll.
Level II: 21 Hours for a Repeat Offense
Level II is for anyone with a prior DUI conviction or who has already completed a Level I program. The minimum jumps to 21 classroom hours, and the format shifts: Level II runs primarily as interactive group sessions rather than lecture-style instruction.
Both tiers are set by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the hour minimums are the same at every licensed provider in the state.1Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensed DUI Programs in Florida
What Adds Time Beyond the Classroom Hours
The 12 or 21 hours is only the instructional piece. Before classes begin, a certified evaluator conducts a one-on-one psychosocial evaluation, which includes a face-to-face interview and a written diagnostic test such as the Driver Risk Inventory.3Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code 15A-10.030 – SSS Application and Evaluation Process The evaluator reviews your driving history, any prior substance abuse treatment, and mental health records.
That evaluation can trigger a referral to substance abuse treatment, and if it does, your total time commitment grows considerably. The evaluator looks at factors like unverified claims of sobriety, failure to complete prior treatment, or life circumstances that could jeopardize continued sobriety.4Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code 15A-10.039 – SSS Referrals to Treatment Treatment is not optional once referred; it becomes a condition of your probation, and you pay for it. The only way to challenge a referral is to pay for an independent psychosocial evaluation by another authorized provider and have the court review both.5Justia Law. Florida Statutes Title XXIII Chapter 316 – Section 316.193
Missed classes stretch the timeline too. If you skip a scheduled session you have to be reassigned, which pushes your completion date out and adds a fee.
You Have 90 Days to Finish
Once your driving privilege is reinstated, even on a restricted basis, the 90-day clock starts. If you don’t complete both the course and the evaluation within that window, the DUI program notifies the FLHSMV and the department cancels your license, regardless of what your court order says or when your original suspension was supposed to end.2Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Title XXIII Chapter 322 – Section 322.291 The cancellation stays in place until the program confirms you’ve finished.
The 90-day rule also appears in the hardship license statute, so it applies whether you got a full reinstatement or a restricted business-purpose license.6Justia Law. Florida Statutes Title XXIII Chapter 322 – Section 322.271 If a treatment referral comes out of your evaluation and you drop out, the program reports that too, and your license is cancelled a second time. After a second failure you can’t get the license back until the treatment program confirms completion.
Enroll immediately after reinstatement. Waiting a few weeks to begin a 12- or 21-hour program leaves almost no cushion for scheduling conflicts, work travel, or a missed session.
It Has to Be In Person, in Your County
Two rules affect how fast you can realistically finish. First, Florida does not allow DUI education to be completed online. Both the classroom instruction and the evaluation have to happen in person at a licensed program’s physical location. Second, you must enroll in a program in the county where you live, work, or attend school; you can’t shop for a provider in a different county because its schedule is more convenient.
When you register, bring a photo ID, your DUI citation, your arrest report, and documentation of any breath, blood, or urine test results (or a refusal). The program uses that paperwork along with the evaluation to build your file.
If You Live Out of State
If you were arrested in Florida but live elsewhere, you generally can’t enroll in a Florida DUI program at all, because enrollment requires residence, work, or school in the county. You’ll complete DUI school in your home state instead. Florida reports the conviction to your home state, which imposes its own DUI education requirements as though the arrest happened there. The same is true if your case resolves with a plea to reckless driving conditioned on DUI school: your probation officer will typically direct you to a program in your home state.