State service guide

Missouri DUI laws: separate criminal and administrative tracks, a 15-day hearing deadline, and IID-driven restricted-license relief

Missouri's official DWI system runs on two tracks at once. The criminal case can produce points, a 90-day first-offense suspension, a 1-year revocation after a prior alcohol conviction, a 5-year denial for a second alcohol- or drug-related offense within 5 years, and a 10-year denial after three or more intoxication-related traffic offenses. Separate from that, Missouri's administrative alcohol law can suspend or revoke the driving privilege whenever the BAC test is over the legal limit or the driver refuses testing. The practical Missouri details worth keeping near the top are the 15-day deadline to request an administrative hearing, the .020 under-21 administrative trigger, and the fact that first alcohol convictions may convert into a 30-day suspension plus 60-day Restricted Driving Privilege or an immediate 90-day IID-based restricted privilege.

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Adult and minor administrative BAC Missouri's administrative alcohol law applies at .08 BAC for adults and .020 BAC for minors
Hearing deadline You have 15 days from the date Form 2385 is issued to request an administrative hearing
First conviction license effect A first DWI or BAC conviction brings a 90-day suspension, usually structured as 30 days hard suspension plus 60 days of Restricted Driving Privilege
Refusal rule Refusing the alcohol or drug test causes a 1-year chemical revocation

Overview

What this page helps you verify

A strong Missouri DUI page should lead with the state's split between criminal DWI consequences and administrative alcohol actions. Missouri's own pages are clear that a BAC-over-limit arrest or a test refusal can trigger license action even if the court case is reduced or handled differently. The other details that need to stay visible are the 15-day deadline after Form 2385 is issued, the first-conviction 30-plus-60 Restricted Driving Privilege structure, the one-year chemical-revocation rule for refusals, and the way ignition interlock becomes the main path for immediate or repeated alcohol-related driving relief.

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 Notice of Suspension or Revocation of Driving Privilege (Form 2385) and temporary 15-day driving permit issued at arrest, because those documents control the administrative timeline
  • Any Alcohol Influence Report, summons, or warrant paperwork tied to the arrest, because Missouri's administrative hearing often turns on the officer's submitted records
  • Proof of prior alcohol-related convictions or prior administrative actions if you need to understand whether Missouri will treat the case as a 90-day suspension, 1-year revocation, 5-year denial, or 10-year denial
  • Proof of installation of an approved ignition interlock device if you are pursuing an immediate Restricted Driving Privilege, reinstatement, or a court-based Limited Driving Privilege that requires IID
  • SR-22 or other reinstatement materials if the record has already moved into reinstatement planning rather than just hearing and suspension planning

Typical flow

What the process often looks like

  1. Separate the court case from the license case immediately, because Missouri's administrative alcohol law can still suspend or revoke your driving privilege even if the criminal charge is reduced or handled differently.
  2. Count the 15-day deadline from the date Form 2385 was issued, and request an administrative hearing on time if you want review before the administrative action becomes final.
  3. Check whether the case is a test-failure or a refusal case, because Missouri treats refusal as a one-year chemical revocation rather than the ordinary over-the-limit suspension track.
  4. If this is a first alcohol conviction, compare the standard 30-day suspension plus 60-day Restricted Driving Privilege path against the immediate 90-day IID-based Restricted Driving Privilege option.
  5. If there is a prior alcohol conviction or prior alcohol law-enforcement contact on the record, move quickly into revocation, denial, IID, and reinstatement planning because Missouri's relief options narrow fast.

Two-track system

Missouri runs DWI consequences through both criminal law and administrative law at the same time

That split is the first thing a practical Missouri page should explain.

  • Missouri's DWI page says criminal law handles the ticket and any conviction the court sends to the Department of Revenue for points and license action.
  • The same page says administrative law separately imposes a suspension or revocation if the BAC is over the legal limit or the driver refuses the BAC test.
  • Missouri explicitly says the administrative action still applies even if the ticket was disposed of in court or reduced to a lesser charge.
  • That means drivers should not assume a favorable criminal result automatically cancels the license case.

First-offense structure

A first Missouri alcohol conviction is not just a simple 90-day loss because the state builds restricted-driving relief into the middle of it

This is where Missouri's own RDP page adds the most useful detail.

  • Missouri says a first-time DWI or BAC conviction results in a 90-day suspension.
  • The Restricted Driving Privilege page breaks that down into a 30-day suspension followed by a 60-day Restricted Driving Privilege when there is no prior alcohol conviction.
  • That same page says a first offender may be eligible for an immediate 90-day Restricted Driving Privilege by installing an approved ignition interlock device.
  • Missouri distinguishes this RDP from a court-based Limited Driving Privilege, which matters because the two remedies have different eligibility rules.

Administrative deadlines

Missouri's administrative alcohol trap is the short 15-day deadline after Form 2385 is issued

Missing that deadline can leave drivers fighting from a weaker position.

  • Missouri says the officer gives a Notice of Suspension or Revocation of Driving Privilege, Form 2385, and a temporary 15-day driving permit when the license is taken.
  • The Department says you have 15 days from the date Form 2385 is issued to request an administrative hearing.
  • The Administrative Alcohol FAQ adds that if a hearing is granted, the driver may continue to drive until 15 days after the hearing decision is mailed.
  • For adult drivers the administrative BAC trigger is .08 or more, and for minors Missouri uses a .020 BAC trigger under the same administrative alcohol framework.

Repeat and refusal cases

Missouri gets much harsher once the case involves a refusal or a prior alcohol record

This is where the benchmark should stay precise instead of flattening all DUI cases together.

  • Missouri's refusal FAQ says refusing the alcohol or drug test causes a one-year chemical revocation.
  • The DWI page says a second intoxication-related traffic conviction normally causes a one-year revocation for points, and a second alcohol- or drug-related offense within five years may also cause a five-year license denial.
  • If there are three or more intoxication-related traffic offenses, Missouri says the driver will receive a 10-year license denial.
  • The ignition interlock FAQ says IID may be required before reinstatement, before issuance of a Limited Driving Privilege, or before issuance of either kind of Restricted Driving Privilege, depending on the record.

Accuracy notes

Where people get tripped up

  • Missouri DUI content should lead with the criminal-versus-administrative split because the Department's own page is organized around that distinction.
  • Do not flatten first-offense consequences into a single 90-day no-driving block. Missouri's RDP page makes the 30-day suspension plus 60-day restricted-driving structure explicit and also adds the immediate 90-day IID option.
  • The 15-day Form 2385 deadline is a real state-specific trap and should stay high on the page rather than buried in a hearing section.
  • Missouri's refusal rule and its five-year and ten-year denial escalators are separate ideas and should not be merged into one generic repeat-offender sentence.

FAQ

Common questions

  • How long do I have to request a Missouri administrative alcohol hearing?

    Missouri says you have 15 days from the date Form 2385, the Notice of Suspension or Revocation of Driving Privilege, is issued to request the hearing.

  • What happens to a first Missouri DWI conviction?

    Missouri says a first DWI or BAC conviction causes a 90-day suspension. The state's Restricted Driving Privilege page says that usually means 30 days of suspension followed by 60 days of Restricted Driving Privilege, with an immediate 90-day IID-based option for eligible first offenders.

  • Can Missouri still suspend my license if the court reduces the ticket?

    Yes. Missouri's DWI page says the administrative alcohol action is separate and applies even if the ticket was disposed of in court or reduced to a lesser charge.

  • What if I refuse the breath, blood, or urine test in Missouri?

    Missouri treats that as a chemical revocation. The Department's refusal FAQ says refusing the alcohol or drug test revokes the Missouri driving privilege for one year.

  • Does Missouri use a lower BAC rule for minors?

    Yes. Missouri's DWI and Administrative Alcohol pages say minors with a BAC of .020 or more are subject to the administrative alcohol sanctions.

Sources

Official references used for this page

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