How to Complete SATOP in Missouri and Restore Your License

To complete SATOP in Missouri, you start with a screening at an Offender Management Unit (OMU), get assigned to one of four adult program levels based on your risk, and then finish that program at a certified provider who reports your completion to the Department of Revenue. The Substance Awareness Traffic Offender Program is required before Missouri will reinstate a license suspended or revoked for a DWI, DUI, or other alcohol- or drug-related traffic offense.¹ There is no online shortcut and no way to wait out the suspension and skip the program.²

Step 1: Get Screened at an Offender Management Unit

Every SATOP case begins at an OMU, the designated intake point for the program. Pick one from the directory on the Department of Mental Health website, schedule an appointment, and bring payment.³

The screening has two parts. You’ll complete the Driver Risk Inventory-2 (DRI-2), a computer-scored questionnaire, and then sit for a one-on-one interview with a qualified substance abuse professional who reviews your driving record, the BAC at the time of your arrest, and your history with alcohol and drugs. That combination determines which program level you’re assigned to.³

Screening costs $375 total: a $126 screening fee paid to the OMU and a $249 supplemental fee set by state statute that funds the program statewide. Both are due at your appointment.¹

Watch the clock. Your screening assignment is valid for six months. If you don’t start your assigned program within that window, the screening expires and you pay again.³

Step 2: Complete the Level You’re Assigned

Missouri has four adult SATOP levels. The one you’re placed in depends on your priors, your BAC, and your screening results. The fees below are service-level fees set by the Department of Mental Health and are separate from the $375 screening cost; all fees are subject to change.¹

Offender Education Program (OEP, Level I): a 10-hour education course for lower-risk individuals, generally first-time offenders. Fee: $200.
Weekend Intervention Program (WIP, Level II): a 20-hour program delivered over a structured weekend, combining education with counseling for repeat or higher-risk individuals. Fee: $474.46 plus $6.70 for materials.
Clinical Intervention Program (CIP, Level III): a 50-hour outpatient treatment program for persistent DWI offenders or those screened as high risk for chemical dependency. It combines individual counseling, group counseling, and education, with 10 hours specifically on drinking and driving, and is designed to finish within five weeks. Fee: $1,083.43.
Serious and Repeat Offender Program (SROP, Level IV): at least 75 hours of treatment over a minimum of 90 days, including at least 35 hours of individual or group counseling. Clinical staff decide when you’ve successfully completed the program. Fee: starts at $1,522.50 and can go higher depending on the services provided.

Minors cited for offenses like Minor in Possession or a Zero Tolerance violation are assigned to the Adolescent Diversion Education Program (ADEP), a separate 10-hour course with a $200 fee. It’s not part of the adult SATOP track.¹

If You Think You Were Assigned to the Wrong Level

You can ask a circuit court to review the recommendation. The court can modify the assignment after looking at your screening results, driving record, the circumstances of your offense, and the likelihood of a repeat offense. The court cannot waive the program entirely if you are classified as a prior or persistent offender or if your BAC was 0.15 or higher.⁴

If You Can’t Afford the Fees

Financial assistance is available for the WIP, CIP, and SROP levels, based on a Standardized Means Test. It’s funded by the $249 supplemental fee every participant pays at screening, which goes into the state’s Mental Health Earnings Fund. Ask your SATOP provider about the application process.¹

Step 3: Finish at a Certified Provider

Once you have your assignment, find a certified SATOP provider. The Department of Mental Health maintains a directory of approved providers and screeners on its website. Internet-based DWI or DUI classes do not satisfy Missouri’s SATOP requirement, no matter what the class advertises. Completion has to come through a DBH-certified agency.¹

Successful completion means attending every session, participating actively, and paying all fees. When you finish, the provider electronically sends a completion form to the Missouri Department of Revenue, which controls your driving record. If a court ordered your participation, the provider can also send documentation to the court or probation office with your written consent.³

Completing SATOP From Out of State

If you got a Missouri DWI but live elsewhere, you don’t have to travel back to complete SATOP in person. Missouri accepts completion of a comparable program in your home state, but the steps have to be followed exactly.¹

Download the SATOP Comparable Program Completion Form from the Department of Mental Health website. Use the department’s nationwide directory to find a state-certified DWI agency in your home state. That agency assesses you and delivers whatever program they recommend, with a Missouri minimum of ten hours of alcohol and drug education. When you finish, submit the completed form to the Department of Mental Health by email or mail along with the $249 supplemental fee. The program must be finished within six months of your assessment, the same window that applies to Missouri residents.¹

After You Finish: What Else Reinstatement Requires

SATOP completion is the biggest piece of getting your license back, but it isn’t the only piece. Missouri will not reinstate until you’ve also served the full suspension or revocation period and filed proof of financial responsibility (an SR-22) with the Department of Revenue.²

If your license was revoked rather than suspended, you’ll need to apply for a new license once the revocation period ends. If a court ordered an ignition interlock device, you’ll need to file proof that it is installed before full reinstatement. The Department of Revenue processes reinstatement once all conditions are met and your SATOP provider has electronically reported your completion.¹

Plan for the total cost. Between the $375 screening, the program-level fee (from $200 to more than $1,500), SR-22 insurance premiums, a possible interlock lease, and Department of Revenue reinstatement fees, the full process can run into several thousand dollars before you’re driving legally again.

1
Missouri Department of Mental Health. Substance Awareness Traffic Offender Program
2
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 302.304 – Suspension or Revocation of License, Grounds For
3
Legal Information Institute. Missouri Code 9 CSR 30-3.206 – SATOP Structure
4
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 302.540 – Reinstatement of License, Substance Abuse Traffic Offender Program Required