How to Fill Out and Submit Connecticut Form P-249: Fees, Filing, and Timing

Connecticut Form P-249 is the application you submit to the DMV to enroll in the Ignition Interlock Device program and get your license back with an IID restriction after a DUI-related suspension. The form has three parts: you complete Part 1 with your personal and vehicle information, the registered owner completes Part 2 if the car isn’t yours, and your approved installer completes Part 3 after putting the device in. You then mail the finished form with the required fees to the DMV’s Driver Services Division in Wethersfield, timed to arrive before your eligibility date.

Before You Fill Anything Out

Two things need to be true before the P-249 will do you any good. First, you need an eligibility date from the DMV. Your suspension notice states it. For a first or second DUI conviction under Connecticut General Statutes § 14-227a, the license suspension runs 45 days, after which the DMV will consider restoration with an IID restriction.¹ Administrative suspensions from a failed or refused test run on a separate track and may overlap or extend beyond the court period.² Read your notice for the exact date that applies to you.

Second, you need to have chosen a Connecticut-approved IID vendor and scheduled the installation. Approved providers include Intoxalock, Smart Start, LifeSafer, and Draeger, among others; the DMV maintains the current list. The vendor performs the physical installation and notifies the DMV once the device is in place.² Vendor costs are separate from DMV fees. As a rough benchmark, installation labor starts around $150, monthly lease and monitoring around $97, and each calibration visit around $25. Get quotes from two or three providers before booking.

You’ll also need to clear any other outstanding holds on your license, because the DMV won’t process the IID application while those are open.²

Part 1: Your Information and Vehicle Details

This is the part you fill out yourself, and every field has to match the DMV’s records exactly. A mismatched name spelling or wrong license number will bounce the application.

Enter your full legal name as it appears on your Connecticut operator’s license, your mailing address, date of birth, and home phone number. Then provide vehicle information: the Vehicle Identification Number, year, make, and current Connecticut registration plate number. Check each of these against your registration card before you sign anything. These fields tie the IID restriction to a specific vehicle, so accuracy matters.

At the bottom of Part 1, sign and date the operator certification. Your signature confirms you understand the program’s requirements.

Part 2: Vehicle Owner Authorization

If the car is registered in your own name, skip this section entirely. If someone else owns the vehicle you’re installing the device on, the registered owner completes Part 2 with their information and signature. That signature is their written permission to equip their vehicle with an IID. Without it, the DMV won’t accept the application for that vehicle.

Part 3: Installer Section

You do not fill out Part 3. Your approved vendor completes it after installing the device, entering the device type, model, and business details, then signing and dating the section. Bring the P-249 with you to the installation appointment so the technician can complete it on the spot. That saves you a return trip and keeps the paperwork moving.

Fees You’ll Pay to the DMV

Two DMV fees are due when you submit the P-249:

IID administration fee: $100, which covers the state’s processing and monitoring of your device data.²
License reinstatement fee: $175.³

You can pay online through the DMV website, by phone at 860-263-5720, or by check or money order made payable to “DMV.”⁴ If you pay by mail, send the check with the form.

Where to Send the P-249

Mail the completed form, along with any check or money order, to:

Department of Motor Vehicles
Driver Services Division
60 State Street
Wethersfield, CT 06161-1013²

Use certified mail or a tracked delivery service. You want proof the DMV received everything.

Timing: Don’t Cut It Close

The DMV recommends that you have the device installed and your fees paid at least 10 days before your eligibility date. If you’re paying by mail rather than online, allow 20 days before your eligibility date to make sure the payment posts in time.²

One thing that trips people up: installing the device early does not shorten the IID period. The required duration begins on the date your license is restored, not the date of installation.² Installing early just means you’re ready to go the moment your eligibility date arrives.

After You Submit

Once the DMV reviews your P-249, confirms your vendor’s installation notification, and verifies that you’ve served your suspension, they’ll mail a restoration notice with the IID program rules. That letter is your official authorization to be restored, but it is not itself a license and does not by itself let you drive.

You need a current, valid Connecticut driver’s license in hand before driving. If the DMV issued you a non-driver photo ID during the suspension, which is common, take it to a DMV branch and exchange it for your previously held driver’s license.² The restored license carries the IID restriction, and you must carry it any time you drive the IID-equipped vehicle. Driving any vehicle without an installed IID is a violation and can trigger a new suspension.

Staying Compliant Once the Device Is Active

Your obligations don’t end with submitting the P-249. Two ongoing requirements matter most. You must bring each IID-equipped vehicle to your approved installer every 25 to 30 days for calibration; missing that window can result in a suspension for noncompliance.² And while driving, the device will prompt rolling retests at random intervals. Failing or refusing one is a reportable violation.

The DMV adds 30 days to your IID requirement for each of the following: failing or refusing a rolling retest, failing a startup test at a BAC of 0.05 or higher, missing a service appointment by more than five days, tampering with the device, having someone else blow into it, unauthorized removal, or driving a vehicle without an IID. Tampering, using another person’s breath, unauthorized removal, and driving without an IID can also trigger an outright suspension on top of the extension.² Extensions stack, so a single year can grow quickly if violations pile up.

If you’re moving to Connecticut with an IID already ordered by another state, the P-249 alone won’t cover your situation; the DMV separately requires the terms of the other state’s IID order and a certified copy of your driving history from that state, less than 60 days old on receipt.² Ask the DMV how your existing installation fits with Connecticut’s approved vendor list before you file.