Minnesota’s ignition interlock reduced fee is available to program participants who are enrolled in one of 14 state-recognized public assistance programs. To get it, you submit a Reduced Fee Request form and a recent benefits letter to the Department of Public Safety’s Driver and Vehicle Services division (DVS). Once approved, certified interlock vendors must cap your service and calibration visits at $40 each, insurance included.
Who Qualifies
Eligibility is tied to active enrollment in a qualifying benefits program, not to a separate income test run by DVS. If you’re currently enrolled in any one of the following, you qualify:
- SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
- Medical Assistance/Medicaid
- MinnesotaCare
- Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is not the same as Social Security Disability
- General Assistance Medical Care
- Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
- Minnesota Food Assistance Program (MFAP)
- Energy Assistance Program (EAP)
- National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
- Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
- Head Start
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
Many of those programs serve households at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, which for 2026 works out to roughly $23,940 in annual income for a single person or $49,500 for a family of four. But you don’t prove that income directly to DVS. You prove that you’re enrolled in one of the listed programs.
How to Apply
You’ll need the Ignition Interlock Device Program Reduced Fee Request form, available from DVS. It asks for the basic identifying information that lets DVS match the request to your driving record.
The piece that trips people up is the supporting documentation. You have to attach a recent qualification or acceptance letter from the agency that provides your benefits. It must show your name and confirm that you are actively enrolled. A benefits ID card is not accepted; it has to be an actual letter. Send copies, not originals, because DVS will not return them.
Once the form and letter are together, submit them through one of four channels:
- Email: dvs.ii@state.mn.us
- Online upload: drive.mn.gov
- Fax: 651-797-1299
- Mail: 445 Minnesota St, Ste 177, St Paul, MN 55101
If DVS approves the request, you’ll receive a Reduced Fee Approval letter by mail. Bring that letter to your interlock vendor at installation. The vendor cannot apply the discounted rate without seeing it, so it’s worth waiting for the letter to arrive before you schedule the installation appointment.
One warning on the application itself: if you provide false information, you lose reduced-fee status for the rest of your time in the program and pay full rates from that point on.
What the Reduced Fee Actually Costs
Minnesota law requires every certified interlock manufacturer to offer discounted installation, servicing, and monitoring to participants the department classifies as indigent, and the commissioner sets the pricing caps vendors must follow. Under the current vendor certification standards, approved participants pay no more than $40 per service and calibration visit, and that $40 includes device insurance.
For comparison, standard interlock costs for participants who don’t qualify run roughly $70 to $125 per month for leasing and monitoring, with installation fees on top of that. Over the length of an interlock enrollment, the savings add up.
If you miss a calibration appointment and need to reschedule, the cap for each subsequent missed appointment after the first is $15.
What the Reduced Fee Does Not Cover
The discount applies to the device: installation, servicing, monitoring, and calibration. It does not wipe out the other costs that come with a DWI, and it’s worth knowing what stays on you.
Reinstatement fees at the end of the program, the fee for a new driver’s license, and other administrative costs remain the participant’s responsibility no matter your indigent status. Insurance is the bigger hit. A DWI conviction reclassifies you as a high-risk driver, and premiums often roughly double for full coverage. The interlock itself isn’t what drives that increase; insurers are reacting to the underlying conviction.
You’ll also likely need to maintain an SR-22 filing, which is proof of financial responsibility your insurer sends to the state on your behalf. The filing itself is inexpensive, but the high-risk classification behind it means elevated premiums for several years.
One more gap to plan around: standard auto insurance policies do not cover damage to or theft of the interlock device. That’s an out-of-pocket risk for the length of the program, whether or not you qualify for the reduced fee.