St. Paul License Suspension Lawyers

After the implied consent law is invoked, you will face license suspension, also know as license revocation, and you will receive paperwork from the officers advising you when the revocation period begins. The duration of the revocation is entirely dependent upon the circumstances – namely, your alcohol concentration level, your age, and the number of qualified prior driving incidents on your record within the previous ten years.

Revocation Periods

To give you some guidance in trying to figure out the duration of your revocation, the following is a general overview of the revocation periods. For purposes of this exercise, we are assuming there was no accident, injury, or death involved in the underlying DWI crime:

License Consequences for First Offense DUI

  • Alcohol level between 0.08 and 0.159 – 90 days. If you plead guilty to a 4th Degree DWI, this will administratively drop to 30 days, so long as there was no child endangerment or any prior qualified impaired driving incidents, regardless of how far back it goes.
    • If you are under 21 years of age, the revocation period is 180 days.
  • 0.16+ - 1 year.
  • Refusal – 1 year. If you plead to the refusal, it will be reduced to 90 days. And if you plead to a 4th Degree DWI charge, it will be reduced to 30 days. Same caveats about child endangerment and any qualified priors apply, as explained above.

License Suspension for Second Offense within 10 years

  • Between 0.08 and 0.159 – 1 year
  • 0.16+ - 2 years
  • Refusal – 2 years. But, if you plead to the refusal, the revocation period will be reduced to 1 year.

Upon the expiration of the revocation period, you must pass an alcohol/controlled substance-related knowledge test, pay a $680 reinstatement fee, and apply for a new Minnesota license.

License Suspension for Third Offense within 10 years

Regardless of the alcohol concentration reading or you refused the test, your revocation period will be 3-years. The only option to drive during this time period is via a restricted license, in which a vehicle must be equipped with an ignition interlock device. Your license will also be cancelled as inimical to public safety, which requires completion of a rehabilitation program in order to regain driving privileges.

License Cancellation Fourth Offense within 10 years

4-year revocation period and your license is cancelled as inimical to public safety.

Cancelled License on Fifth Offense within 10 years

6-year revocation period and your license is cancelled as inimical to public safety.

As stated previously, this is intended merely as a guide and in no way should be used to determine your actual revocation period. The best way to do that is to contact a Minnesota DWI attorney for a consultation or to contact DVS.