What Are the Penalties for a Fourth DUI in Louisiana?

The penalties for a fourth DUI in Louisiana start with a mandatory prison sentence of ten to thirty years, at least two of which must be served without probation, parole, or suspension. The conviction is a felony, and it carries a fine of at least $5,250, five years of supervised probation with home incarceration, a long driver’s license suspension, an ignition interlock requirement, mandatory inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment, 320 hours of community service, and the permanent collateral consequences that follow any felony, including a federal firearms ban.¹

When a DUI Counts as Your Fourth

Louisiana uses a ten-year lookback to decide whether a new arrest triggers the fourth-offense statute. If you have three prior DUI convictions within that window, the new arrest is charged under the felony fourth-offense provisions. Prior convictions from other states count, and so do convictions for operating a boat or aircraft while impaired.²

The ten years run from the date of the prior offense to the date of the current one, but the clock pauses whenever you are on probation, on parole, awaiting trial, or incarcerated for any offense. Three years on probation for an earlier DUI means three years that don’t count, so a conviction from thirteen or fourteen calendar years ago can still be in play. People who have cycled through multiple convictions often find that offenses they assumed were too old are still counted.²

Prison Time

The statute sets imprisonment at not less than ten years and not more than thirty, with or without hard labor. A judge has discretion within that range, but the ten-year floor holds regardless of the facts of the case.¹

At least two years of that sentence must be served without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. No judge can waive it, and it cannot be served on home incarceration. Those two years are hard time in a state correctional facility.¹

Fines and Costs

The mandatory fine is $5,000, plus $250 directed to the Louisiana Emergency Response Network Fund. That $5,250 is the statutory minimum. Court costs, administrative fees, substance abuse evaluation and treatment costs, ignition interlock installation and maintenance, and probation-related fees stack on top.¹

Probation and Home Incarceration

After the two-year mandatory portion, a judge may suspend the remainder of the sentence and place you on supervised probation for five years. Probation for a fourth DUI is not light supervision. It comes with home incarceration for the entire remaining probation term, administered through a program approved by the Division of Probation and Parole.¹

Violating any condition of probation, including home incarceration rules or failure to complete treatment, can result in revocation. If probation is revoked, you serve the balance of the original prison sentence with no credit for time spent under home incarceration.¹

License Suspension and Ignition Interlock

The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles suspends driving privileges for at least thirty-six months on a third or subsequent offense, and the statute provides for a four-year suspension period during which a restricted license may be available.³

Driving legally again requires an ignition interlock device installed in every vehicle you operate. The device is a breathalyzer wired into the ignition that prevents the engine from starting if it detects alcohol. You cannot rent, lease, or borrow any vehicle that lacks one. It must be monitored at least every thirty days. The statute places monitoring costs on the manufacturer; installation and maintenance fall on the offender. The interlock requirement runs for the duration of probation.⁴

Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Service

Treatment is mandatory. The law requires a comprehensive evaluation followed by inpatient treatment at a state-approved facility for at least four weeks, then outpatient treatment for up to twelve months based on the recommendations of the Office of Behavioral Health.¹

The sentence also includes 320 hours of court-approved community service, roughly eight weeks of full-time work. Judges often direct this service toward victim impact programs, hospitals, or similar settings.¹

Felony Consequences That Outlast the Sentence

Because a fourth DUI is a felony punishable by more than one year of imprisonment, the conviction triggers a federal firearms ban. Anyone convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment exceeding one year is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, nationwide, with no built-in expiration.⁵

A felony conviction also disqualifies you from serving on a federal jury unless your civil rights have been restored.⁶

Louisiana restricts voting for people under an order of imprisonment for a felony, but you regain the right to register and vote if you have not been incarcerated within the past five years, even while still under the order of imprisonment.⁷

If you hold a commercial driver’s license, a lifetime CDL disqualification is already in effect long before a fourth offense. Federal regulations impose lifetime disqualification after a second alcohol-related driving offense.⁸

Travel to Canada becomes difficult. Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, impaired driving is classified as serious criminality because the equivalent Canadian offense carries a maximum sentence of ten years, and a border officer can turn you away regardless of how long ago the conviction occurred. A Temporary Resident Permit allows entry for specific purposes but is discretionary. Criminal rehabilitation, the more permanent fix, becomes available five years after every part of the sentence, including fines, probation, and license suspensions, has been completed.

The conviction shows on background checks indefinitely. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, criminal convictions have no time limit for reporting, so any employer, landlord, or licensing board running a standard check will see it. State licensing boards for healthcare workers, attorneys, teachers, and commercial drivers can suspend or revoke a professional license based on a felony conviction, though some allow conditional reinstatement after probation and a showing of rehabilitation.

1
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 14:98.4 – Operating While Impaired; Fourth Offense; Penalties
2
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 14:98 – Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated
3
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 32:414 – Suspension, Revocation, and Cancellation of Licenses
4
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 32:378.2 – Ignition Interlock Devices; Condition of Probation for Certain DWI Offenders; Restricted License
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 18 Section 922 – Unlawful Acts
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 28 Section 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service
7
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 18:102 – Ineligible Persons
8
eCFR. Title 49 CFR Section 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers