A first-offense DUI in Oregon realistically costs between $10,000 and $24,000 once you add the fines, program fees, attorney, ignition interlock, license reinstatement, and three to five years of higher insurance premiums. The statutory minimum fine of $1,000 is a small part of that total. A second offense pushes the number higher, and a third within ten years becomes a felony with potential vehicle forfeiture, mandatory jail, and costs that can clear $50,000 when lost income is counted. Here is what each piece actually costs, and where the big numbers come from.
What a First Offense Actually Costs
For most first-time defendants who qualify for and complete diversion, the bill looks roughly like this:
- Towing and impound: $200–$500
- Diversion filing fee: $490
- Alcohol screening and any ordered treatment: $150–$1,500 or more
- Victim Impact Panel: $5–$50
- Attorney fees: $2,500–$5,000
- Ignition interlock device for one year: $1,200–$1,500
- License reinstatement: $75
- Insurance increase over three to five years: $5,000–$15,000
Insurance is the single largest line, and it’s the one people underestimate most. The rest are front-loaded in the first year; the premium hit keeps billing you long after the case is closed.
Court Fines If You’re Convicted
If the case ends in a conviction rather than diversion, Oregon sets a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000 for a first offense involving a motor vehicle. That minimum doubles to $2,000 if your blood alcohol content was 0.15% or higher.1Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 813.010 – Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants A first-offense DUII is a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $6,250.2Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 161.635 – Fines for Misdemeanors The ceiling climbs to $10,000 if a passenger under 18 was in the vehicle and was at least three years younger than the driver.
Repeat convictions carry higher minimums: $1,500 for a second, and $2,000 for a third or subsequent conviction if no prison sentence is imposed.1Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 813.010 – Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants Every conviction also triggers a separate statutory conviction fee, and the court may order restitution to anyone who suffered financial harm from the offense.
Diversion: Cheaper Than Conviction, Not Cheap
Oregon’s DUII diversion program lets most first-time offenders avoid a conviction if they complete a year of conditions. It’s the lower-cost path, which is why most eligible defendants take it, but it still has real expenses.
You pay a $490 filing fee to the court when you petition for diversion and a $150 fee directly to the agency that handles your mandatory substance abuse screening.3Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 813.240 – Amount and Distribution of Filing Fee and Screening Interview Fee If the screening recommends treatment, that program typically runs from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand depending on the level of care required.
During the year, you must abstain from alcohol and drugs, complete treatment, attend a Victim Impact Panel, and keep the court updated on your address.4Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 813.200 – Notice of Availability of Diversion The Victim Impact Panel charges a small fee of about $5 to $50.5Oregon Judicial Department. DUII Diversion – Summary of Fees A new DUII arrest, an open-container violation, or any other condition violation terminates the agreement and sends the original case back for prosecution.
Program-related fees and treatment typically total $1,500 to $3,000 through diversion, before you add attorney fees on top.
Insurance: The Long Tail
A DUII conviction or diversion entry marks you as a high-risk driver, and premiums commonly double or triple. That increase sticks for three to five years, which is why insurance usually ends up as the largest single cost of a DUI, in the $5,000 to $15,000 range depending on your prior rates and insurer.
Oregon also requires an SR-22 certificate filed with the DMV by your insurer, confirming you carry at least the state minimum liability coverage. The filing itself usually costs $15 to $50, but the real expense is being locked into high-risk coverage for the entire SR-22 period. If your policy lapses while the SR-22 is active, your insurer notifies the DMV and your license is suspended again.
Getting Your License Back
A first DUII conviction suspends your license for one year. Refusing a breath or blood test under Oregon’s implied consent law triggers its own one-year suspension that can run alongside or separately from a conviction-based suspension.6Oregon DMV. DUII and Implied Consent Suspension Information Once the suspension ends, reinstatement costs $75.7Oregon Judicial Department. Reinstatement of Driving Privileges
A hardship permit can let you drive to work and treatment during the suspension, but it requires that you be eligible for reinstatement, enrolled in a DUII treatment program, and running an ignition interlock on every vehicle you drive. The permit itself costs a $75 non-refundable application fee plus an $85 reinstatement fee.8Oregon DMV. Hardship Permit Choosing the hardship route means the interlock goes in earlier and stays on longer, so the device cost rises accordingly.
The Ignition Interlock Device
After a first conviction, Oregon requires an ignition interlock on any vehicle you drive for one year after your suspension ends. A second or later conviction extends that requirement to two years.9Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 813.602 – Circumstances Under Which Ignition Interlock Device Required Installation runs about $150 or more, and monthly lease and calibration fees start around $90 to $100. Over a one-year period, that’s roughly $1,200 to $1,500 total. A two-year requirement doubles the figure.
Attorney Fees
A private attorney for a straightforward first-offense DUII resolved through diversion or a plea usually costs between $2,500 and $5,000. Trials cost considerably more, and felony defense climbs higher still. If you qualify for a court-appointed lawyer, that representation isn’t necessarily free: Oregon courts routinely order defendants to reimburse court-appointed attorney fees as part of a diversion agreement or sentence.
Second and Third Offenses
Beyond the higher statutory fine minimums, repeat offenses carry two costs that don’t apply the first time around.
If you’re arrested for DUII with a prior DUII conviction or certain other serious driving offenses in the previous three years, Oregon law allows police to seize your vehicle outright.10Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 809.730 – Seizure and Forfeiture of Motor Vehicles This is forfeiture, not impoundment. The state takes permanent ownership of the car.
A DUII becomes a Class C felony once you have at least two prior DUII convictions (or equivalent offenses from other states) within the ten years before the current offense. Felony DUII carries a mandatory minimum of 90 days in custody with no reduction allowed. After one felony DUII sentence, the ten-year lookback disappears, and every later DUII is a felony regardless of how long ago the priors were.11Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code ORS 813.011 – Felony Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants Maximum fines at the Class C felony level reach $125,000, and prison sentences can go up to five years.
Costs That Don’t Show Up on a Court Receipt
Some of the biggest financial damage comes from consequences the court never prints on a bill.
Commercial Drivers
Federal law disqualifies a commercial driver’s license for at least one year on a first DUII, even if the arrest happened in a personal vehicle.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 31310 – Disqualifications A year without CDL work is a year without the income that depends on it. A second offense means lifetime CDL disqualification.
Pilots
Any pilot with an FAA certificate must report a DUII arrest or conviction to the FAA in writing within 60 days.13eCFR. 14 CFR 61.15 – Offenses Involving Alcohol or Drugs Missing that deadline is its own violation and can cost you the certificate. The arrest must also be disclosed on the next medical certificate application. A BAC of 0.15% or higher typically triggers mandatory specialist evaluation and monitoring before medical certification is restored.
Travel to Canada
A DUII conviction can make you inadmissible to Canada. Entering after a conviction usually requires either a Temporary Resident Permit renewed for each trip or a formal Criminal Rehabilitation application that carries Canadian government fees and takes months. For anyone who crosses the border for work or family, that’s a cost that keeps repeating.
The Range You Should Plan For
For a first-offense DUII through diversion, plan on roughly $10,000 to $24,000 all in. A conviction instead of diversion adds the fine and conviction fee and typically pushes insurance higher. A felony third offense, with mandatory incarceration, steeper fines, possible vehicle forfeiture, and the long-term employment consequences of a felony record, can carry the total well past $50,000 once lost wages are counted.