A DUI in Tennessee typically costs a first-time offender between $5,000 and $10,000 once fines, bail, attorney fees, mandatory programs, license reinstatement, and the insurance premium spike are added together. Repeat offenses climb well into five figures and carry felony consequences. The statutory fine is only the opening number; mandatory jail minimums, years of inflated insurance rates, device monitoring, and reinstatement fees do most of the financial damage.
Court Fines by Offense Level
Tennessee sets mandatory minimum fines that a judge cannot reduce or waive unless you qualify as indigent. They rise sharply with each conviction:
- First offense: $350 to $1,500
- Second offense: $600 to $3,500
- Third offense: $1,100 to $10,000
- Fourth or later offense: $3,000 to $15,000
If a child under 18 was in the vehicle, the court adds $1,000 on top of the fine for the underlying DUI. Fines are due on the date of sentencing unless the judge finds you lack the present ability to pay and sets a specific future payment date.1Justia. Tennessee Code 55-10-403 – Fines for Violations of Section 55-10-401 – Restitution
Every DUI conviction also carries a mandatory $100 alcohol and drug addiction treatment fee.2Justia. Tennessee Code 55-10-413 – Additional Fees – Ignition Interlock Fee – Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Fee – Blood Alcohol Concentration Test Court costs and county surcharges add several hundred dollars more, and the amount varies by jurisdiction. The court may also order restitution to anyone who suffered physical injury or financial loss from the offense.1Justia. Tennessee Code 55-10-403 – Fines for Violations of Section 55-10-401 – Restitution
Jail, Bail, and Bond
Every DUI conviction in Tennessee carries mandatory jail time. There is no first-offense exception. The minimums:
- First offense: at least 48 consecutive hours, up to 11 months and 29 days. A blood alcohol concentration of 0.15% or higher pushes the minimum to 7 consecutive days.
- Second offense: at least 45 consecutive days.
- Third offense: at least 120 consecutive days.
- Fourth offense (Class E felony): at least 150 consecutive days.
- Fifth offense (Class D felony): 150-day minimum with a higher maximum.
- Sixth or later offense (Class C felony): 150-day minimum with an even higher maximum.
Before any of that, you post bail after arrest. Misdemeanor DUI bail is commonly set around $1,500; felony DUI starts at $2,000 or more. A bail bondsman’s premium is non-refundable regardless of case outcome. Cash bail posted directly is refunded, minus administrative fees, if you appear for all hearings.
Attorney Fees
DUI defense is specialized, and fees depend on whether the case pleads out or goes to trial. A straightforward first offense generally runs $1,500 to $5,000 in attorney fees. Contested evidence, motion hearings, or a jury trial can push fees to $10,000 to $15,000. Felony and repeat-offense cases cost more again.
Many Tennessee DUI attorneys quote flat fees so the total is known upfront, and payment plans are common. A court-appointed public defender is available if you cannot afford private counsel. Which end of each cost range you land on often tracks closely with the quality of the defense.
Getting Your License Back
Every DUI conviction triggers a license suspension:
- First offense: 1 year, with a restricted license available.
- Second offense: 2 years, restricted license requires an ignition interlock device.
- Third offense: 6 years, restricted license requires an ignition interlock device.
- Fourth offense: 8 years, restricted license requires an ignition interlock device.
Refusing a breath or blood test under Tennessee’s implied consent law adds its own suspension on top of any DUI penalty: one year for a first refusal, two years for a second within five years, and three years for a third within five years.
Once the suspension period ends, you pay reinstatement fees to the Department of Safety: a $100 base reinstatement fee, a $3 certification fee for Tennessee violations, a $50 financial responsibility filing fee for SR-22 insurance, and a $75 fee if you failed to surrender your license on time. The total can reach $228 before the cost of the new license itself.3Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Reinstatements
SR-22 insurance, a certificate proving you carry the state minimum coverage, must be maintained for the full length of the suspension or revocation period.4Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Do I Need SR-22 Insurance The SR-22 filing itself is a one-time administrative charge from your insurer, typically $15 to $50. The real cost is the premium increase that comes with it.
DUI School, Assessment, and Treatment
Tennessee requires every DUI offender to complete a state-approved alcohol and drug safety program, commonly called DUI School. It runs at least 12 hours of classroom instruction and generally costs $150 to $500 depending on the provider and format.5Tennessee Secretary of State. Rules of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Chapter 0940-05-39 – Minimum Program Requirements for Alcohol and Drug DUI School Services
A clinical substance abuse assessment is typically ordered as well and costs $100 to $350. If the assessment identifies a treatment need, you may be ordered into outpatient or inpatient treatment costing several hundred to several thousand dollars. For second and third offenses, a clinical assessment and treatment program is a prerequisite for the probation-based early release that otherwise reduces jail time.6Justia. Tennessee Code 55-10-402 – Public Service Work
Ignition Interlock and Alcohol Monitoring
An ignition interlock device (IID) prevents the vehicle from starting if it detects alcohol on your breath. Tennessee courts can order one for any DUI conviction, and for second and later offenses an IID is required to obtain a restricted license during the suspension period.7Justia. Tennessee Code 55-10-412 – Additional Penalties Ignition Interlock Devices First offenders can request one voluntarily as an alternative to geographic restrictions on a restricted license.8Justia. Tennessee Code 55-10-417 – Ignition Interlock Devices
The cost falls entirely on you. Installation runs $70 to $150. Monthly monitoring and calibration run $50 to $100. Over a full year, expect $700 to $1,300, and the IID restriction can continue for up to one year after your license is reinstated.7Justia. Tennessee Code 55-10-412 – Additional Penalties Ignition Interlock Devices
Some courts order continuous alcohol monitoring through a SCRAM ankle bracelet, which detects alcohol through the skin around the clock. Installation runs $50 to $100 and monitoring is $10 to $12 per day, roughly $300 to $360 per month. Remote breathalyzer programs with scheduled handheld tests run $80 to $260 per month depending on provider and testing frequency. Either option can add $1,000 to $3,000 or more over the monitoring period.
Auto Insurance Premium Increases
This is where the long-term financial damage accumulates. A DUI conviction marks you as a high-risk driver, and insurers respond by sharply increasing premiums, roughly doubling the prior rate. Industry data points to an additional $1,000 to $2,000 per year in premiums for a Tennessee driver after a DUI conviction.
Most insurers review three to five years of driving history when setting rates, so the elevated premiums persist for at least that long, and some carriers look back further. A DUI conviction stays on your Tennessee driving record permanently. Over several years, the extra premium payments often exceed every other DUI cost combined.
Towing, Impound, and Probation Fees
Your vehicle will almost certainly be towed after a DUI arrest. In Nashville, towing to the Metro Impound Lot costs $225, with daily storage of $40 for a standard car.9Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County. Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Wrecker-Towing Service Fees Rates vary across the state, but a week of storage can easily run $200 to $300 on top of the tow.
If probation is part of the sentence, Tennessee charges a $15 monthly supervision fee for community corrections, plus an additional monthly payment of up to $30 based on your ability to pay, capped at 10% of net income.10Justia. Tennessee Code 40-36-306 – Supervision Fee Over a standard probation period, supervision fees alone total several hundred dollars.
Lost wages matter too, though they’re harder to put a number on. Even the 48-hour first-offense minimum means missed work, and the 45 to 150 days required for repeat offenses puts a job at real risk. Court appearances, DUI school, probation meetings, and device calibration all pull more time away from work. During suspension, transportation costs rise as well.
Costs That Don’t Show on the Invoice
A DUI conviction creates a permanent criminal record in Tennessee that appears on background checks. For many people, that converts directly into lost income through termination, difficulty finding new work, or disqualification from jobs that require a clean record.
Commercial drivers face harsher consequences: a DUI conviction, even in a personal vehicle, results in disqualification of a commercial driver’s license. A federal security clearance triggers a formal review after a DUI that examines severity, prior issues, and post-incident steps; the clearance isn’t automatically revoked, but the review itself is disruptive. Pilots must report any DUI conviction to the FAA within 60 days under federal regulations, and missing that deadline is a separate violation that can independently lead to certificate suspension. Professional licenses in healthcare, law, and education may face board review or discipline depending on the applicable rules.
International travel is another cost most people don’t see coming. A Tennessee DUI can make you inadmissible to Canada, where impaired driving is classified as a serious offense. Entry generally requires waiting at least five years after completing your entire sentence for deemed-rehabilitated status, applying for formal Criminal Rehabilitation at $246.25 CAD (or $1,231 CAD if the offense is treated as serious criminality), or obtaining a Temporary Resident Permit at $246.25 CAD per entry.11Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees The clock on completing the sentence does not start until fines are paid, probation is finished, and the suspension has been served. Australia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates also restrict entry for travelers with DUI convictions, with varying enforcement and workarounds.