Louisiana Ignition Interlock Device Laws and Requirements

Louisiana ignition interlock device requirements kick in automatically for most repeat DWI offenders and for first-time offenders whose blood alcohol concentration was 0.15% or higher. If either applies to you, you can’t legally drive during your license suspension unless an IID is installed on your vehicle, and you pay for it. Judges can also order a device for a first offense below that BAC threshold, but it isn’t automatic.¹

When an IID Is Required

The trigger depends on your offense history and your BAC at the time of arrest.

First DWI

With a BAC under 0.15%, the court may order an IID as a probation condition but doesn’t have to.¹ With a BAC of 0.15% or higher, the device is mandatory. Your license is suspended for two years, and driving during that period is only possible with a restricted license and a functioning IID installed for the full two years.²

Second DWI

A second conviction requires an IID as a probation condition regardless of BAC.³ If your BAC was 0.15% or higher, the license suspension runs four years, and the IID must stay in place for that full four-year suspension period before you’re eligible to drive without it.²

Fourth or Subsequent DWI

A fourth or subsequent DWI is a felony. The IID must remain installed and operational until you finish your substance abuse treatment and any drug court program requirements.⁴ A third offense under La. R.S. 14:98.3 carries its own penalties and can include an IID as part of sentencing.

Refusing a Chemical Test

You can face an IID requirement without a criminal conviction. Under Louisiana’s implied consent law, the Department of Public Safety can administratively suspend your license for refusing a chemical test during a DWI stop, and getting driving privileges back may require installing a device even though no court ordered it.

How Long the Device Stays On

The IID period tracks your license suspension or your probation, not a separate calendar. That surprises drivers who expect a shorter fixed term.

Judges can extend these periods when aggravating factors are on the record, such as failed breath tests, tampering attempts, or an accident causing injury. And the clock doesn’t always start on your conviction date. In many cases, it starts when you become eligible for a restricted license, which pushes the end date out.

Driving on a Hardship License

If the suspension would leave you unable to work, get to medical care, or meet family obligations, you can apply for a hardship (restricted) license through the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. When the suspension is alcohol-related, the OMV requires an IID on any vehicle you drive under that restricted license.⁵

You’ll need to show that losing your driving privileges would deprive you or your family of basic necessities or of the ability to earn a living, and the OMV investigates the claim before granting the license.² The IID has to stay in place for the full period listed on the restricted license, and IID violations can get that license pulled.

Installation and How the Device Works

You have to use a state-approved provider. The OMV keeps the list, and an install done by anyone else won’t count toward your requirement. Bring your court order or OMV directive to the appointment.

The provider wires the unit into your ignition. The car won’t start until you give a clean breath sample, and the device will also prompt for random retests while you’re driving. Failing a retest or refusing to blow is logged as a violation.⁶

Once installed, the provider notifies the OMV. Submit your own proof of installation as well, especially when you’re applying for a restricted license. The device must be serviced by the manufacturer at least every 30 days, and a court can require more frequent checks.¹ At those visits, the provider downloads data, recalibrates the sensors, and flags any violations.

What It Costs

You pay for everything. Three phases:

Installation: typically $75 to $150, depending on the provider and your vehicle.
Monthly lease and maintenance: usually $60 to $100, covering rental, calibration, and reporting to the OMV.
Removal: generally $50 to $100 at the end.

Because only approved vendors can install and service the device, comparison shopping is limited. Some providers offer payment plans. Missing a service appointment can trigger recalibration or late fees. Switching vehicles means paying to install on the new one. A hardship license also carries an OMV application fee on top of the device costs. Louisiana does not have a widely publicized state fund to help low-income drivers cover IID expenses; ask your provider about discounts or check with the OMV for current options.

Violations That Extend Your Time

The OMV tracks your compliance through reports from your provider. The administrative code lists the specific problems that count against you: tampering with the device, trying to bypass it, missing a service appointment, failing a breath test, failing a retest, using the emergency override without justification, and removing the device without authorization.⁶

Two or more violations inside any 30-day window means you get no credit toward your suspension for that period, which stretches the IID timeline. Serious or repeated problems can lead the OMV to revoke your restricted license outright. Unauthorized early removal is treated as its own violation and can extend the underlying suspension. If you’re on probation, IID violations can also trigger a probation revocation proceeding in criminal court, with jail time on the table.

Getting the Device Removed

You can’t just have the shop pull it when you think you’re done. Schedule a final compliance check with your provider. They review the device data to confirm you completed the monitoring period without disqualifying violations. Unresolved flags like failed tests or tampering can lead to denial and an extended IID period.¹

Once you’re cleared, the provider submits a removal authorization to the OMV, the OMV updates your record, and you can drive without the device. Removing it before that authorization comes back counts as a violation and can trigger new penalties, including a fresh suspension.

If You Move Out of State

Relocating doesn’t erase the requirement. Louisiana participates in the Driver License Compact, so your DWI and IID obligation follow you, and your new state will typically either enforce Louisiana’s remaining period or impose its own equivalent. Contact both the Louisiana OMV and the motor vehicle agency in your destination state before you move to confirm what transfers and whether you’ll need to reinstall through a provider approved there.

1
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 32-378.2 – Ignition Interlock Devices; Condition of Probation for Certain DWI Offenders; Restricted License
2
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 32-414 – Suspension, Revocation, Renewal, and Cancellation of Licenses; Judicial Review
3
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 15-306 – Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated; Additional Conditions of Probation; Ignition Interlock Devices
4
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 14-98.4 – Operating While Impaired; Fourth Offense; Penalties
5
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 32-415.1 – Economic and Medical Hardship Appeal of Drivers License Suspension
6
Legal Information Institute. Louisiana Administrative Code Title 55 Section III-451 – Requirements to Receive Credit Toward Suspension Time or Condition of Reinstatement Time