State service guide

Louisiana DUI laws: 30-day temporary receipts, 180-day submit suspensions, and 0.15+ interlock cases

Louisiana's DUI system is split more sharply than many benchmark pages suggest. The arrest side runs through OMV's submit or refusal suspensions, while the conviction side runs through separate DWI or UDUI suspension periods and ignition-interlock rules. The practical Louisiana rules are that a qualifying arrest usually triggers license seizure and a temporary receipt that lasts up to 30 days, a first adult submit at 0.08 to 0.14 brings a 180-day OMV suspension, a first refusal on or after September 1, 2009 brings 365 days, and high-BAC first or second alcohol cases move into longer suspension-and-interlock lanes. Drivers under 21 also face a separate 0.02 underage standard.

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Alcohol threshold Louisiana uses 0.08 for standard adult DWI and 0.02 for the separate under-21 UDUI offense
Arrest receipt After a qualifying arrest, Louisiana issues a temporary receipt that usually authorizes driving for up to 30 days
First administrative submit OMV lists 180 days for a first adult submit at 0.08 to 0.14, and 730 days for a first submit at 0.15 or above
Conviction suspensions OMV lists DWI conviction suspensions of 1 year for a first offense, 2 years for a second, 3 years for a third or later, and 1 year for UDUI

Overview

What this page helps you verify

A strong Louisiana DUI page should start by separating OMV's administrative action from the criminal case. Louisiana OMV still labels the license side as DWI or UDUI, while the current criminal statutes use operating-while-impaired language. Either way, the useful user questions are the same: did the driver submit or refuse, was the alcohol level in the ordinary or high-BAC lane, is the driver under 21, and does the case qualify for a restricted license only with ignition interlock.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-18. This page was manually upgraded against service-specific official sources, but requirements can still change quickly.

Usually needed

Documents and information to prepare

  • The DWI or UDUI arrest paperwork, including the officer's certificate and any OMV suspension notice
  • The temporary receipt of license issued after the arrest if your physical license was seized
  • Any OMV hearing notice, court disposition, or sentencing minutes tied to the alcohol-related case
  • If you are pursuing restricted driving, proof that the vehicle has a functioning ignition interlock device installed
  • Proof of financial responsibility and payment for the OMV reinstatement fee when Louisiana requires those items after refusal or conviction

Typical flow

What the process often looks like

  1. Treat the Louisiana case as two separate problems from the start: the OMV submit or refusal suspension and the criminal DWI or UDUI case.
  2. Identify whether the case is a submit, a refusal, an under-21 result, or a high-BAC case, because Louisiana changes the suspension period and interlock path based on those facts.
  3. Use the arrest paperwork and temporary receipt to track when the immediate OMV driving privilege ends and whether you need to request a hearing.
  4. If you need restricted driving, move quickly to the ignition-interlock requirements, because Louisiana ties many first- and second-offense alcohol cases to interlock-based restricted licensing.
  5. Before driving again after a suspension or conviction, confirm that OMV shows the alcohol-related action as cleared and that any proof-of-financial-responsibility filing and reinstatement fee have been satisfied.

Two tracks

Louisiana starts the license consequence at arrest, not only after conviction

This is the first structural rule a Louisiana DUI page should make clear.

  • Louisiana's implied-consent law says any person operating on the public highways is deemed to have consented to chemical testing if arrested for an alcohol- or drug-impaired-driving offense.
  • When the arrest falls into the statute's qualifying test-result or refusal conditions, the officer seizes the license and issues a temporary receipt.
  • That temporary receipt generally authorizes driving for up to 30 days from the date of arrest, and Louisiana separately gives the person an opportunity to request an OMV hearing.

Submit versus refusal

Louisiana's administrative suspension lengths change sharply depending on whether you submitted or refused

This is where benchmark summaries often become too generic.

  • OMV classifies an arrest as a submit when the driver takes the approved chemical test and the result is over the legal limit.
  • OMV's current table lists 180 days for a first submit by a driver age 21 or older at 0.08 to 0.14, and 730 days for a first submit at 0.15 or above.
  • For refusal cases, OMV's current table lists 365 days for a first refusal and 730 days for a second or later refusal when the arrest date is on or after September 1, 2009.
  • OMV also says refusal reinstatement requires proof of financial responsibility for 3 years from the date of arrest.

Restricted driving and high BAC

Louisiana pushes many alcohol cases into ignition-interlock restricted licenses instead of simple wait-out suspensions

The interlock rules are some of the most state-specific Louisiana details.

  • Louisiana's ignition-interlock statute says a person suspended, revoked, or canceled for a first or second alcohol conviction, a qualifying refusal, or a qualifying submit can be issued a restricted driver's license upon proof of a functioning device.
  • For a first alcohol conviction with a BAC of 0.15 or more, Louisiana requires a 2-year suspension and a restricted license with ignition interlock for the entire suspension period.
  • For a second alcohol conviction with a BAC of 0.15 or more, Louisiana requires a 4-year suspension and allows a restricted license with ignition interlock during that period.
  • Louisiana also ties probation in first- and second-offense alcohol cases to ignition-interlock use in the circumstances listed by statute.

Under 21

Louisiana gives younger drivers a separate 0.02 offense but still moves them into standard DWI at 0.08

That distinction matters more than a generic underage-drinking summary.

  • Under RS 14:98.6, underage operating while impaired applies when a driver under 21 has a BAC of 0.02 or more.
  • The same statute says that if the underage driver's BAC reaches the standard adult per se level under RS 14:98, the person is charged under the standard DWI provision instead of the underage offense.
  • OMV's submit table lists 180 days for an underage submit at 0.02 to 0.14, and its conviction table lists a 1-year suspension for UDUI.
  • Louisiana separately says the sub-0.08 test result for a person under 21 is excluded from the official driving record, although it can still be used for administrative or criminal purposes.

Criminal escalation

Louisiana's criminal penalties rise fast from first offense to felony territory

The license consequence is only part of the exposure.

  • A first offense under RS 14:98.1 carries a fine, jail exposure, and mandatory probation conditions such as community service or jail time and participation in a substance abuse program.
  • A second offense under RS 14:98.2 adds harsher jail requirements and keeps ignition-interlock and restricted-license issues in play.
  • A third offense under RS 14:98.3 is already a felony, with 1 to 5 years of imprisonment unless a statutory alternative program applies.
  • Louisiana also treats a child age 12 or younger in the vehicle as a child-endangerment aggravator in the core offense statute.

Accuracy notes

Where people get tripped up

  • Louisiana DUI content should be written as a two-track system. The OMV administrative submit or refusal action is not the same as the later conviction suspension.
  • Louisiana's alcohol page is more accurate if it uses the state's own DWI and UDUI vocabulary, while still acknowledging that the current criminal statutes now title the offense as operating while impaired.
  • High-BAC cases need their own branch. Louisiana uses materially longer suspension and interlock periods at 0.15 and above.
  • Under-21 rules should stay separate from adult DWI because Louisiana uses a 0.02 threshold for UDUI and excludes those sub-0.08 test results from the official driving record.

FAQ

Common questions

  • What happens to my license right after a Louisiana DWI arrest?

    If the arrest falls under Louisiana's submit or refusal rules, the officer seizes the license and issues a temporary receipt that usually allows driving for up to 30 days from the arrest date.

  • How long is a first Louisiana alcohol-related suspension if I blew over the limit?

    It depends on whether you mean the arrest-side OMV action or the later conviction. OMV's current table lists 180 days for a first adult submit at 0.08 to 0.14, while the conviction table lists a 1-year suspension for a first DWI conviction and 2 years for a first conviction with BAC of 0.15 or more.

  • What happens if I refuse the chemical test in Louisiana?

    OMV's current table lists a 365-day first refusal and a 730-day second or later refusal for arrests on or after September 1, 2009. OMV also requires proof of financial responsibility for 3 years from the date of arrest in refusal cases.

  • Can I get a restricted license in Louisiana after a DWI case?

    Often yes, but usually only with ignition interlock. Louisiana's statutes allow restricted licensing for many first- and second-offense alcohol convictions, refusal cases, and submit cases once the interlock conditions are met.

  • What is different for a Louisiana driver under 21?

    Louisiana uses a separate UDUI offense at 0.02 BAC or more for drivers under 21, but if the BAC reaches 0.08 the person is charged under the standard DWI law instead.

Sources

Official references used for this page

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