Serving the Mobile, Alabama Area
William J. Casey, II Attorney at Law, P.C.
3208 Cottage Hill Road, Mobile, AL 36606
DUI Statute
The following is from the Code of Alabama 1975.
Section 32-5A-191
Driving while under influence of alcohol,
controlled substances, etc.
(a) A person shall not drive or be in actual physical
control of any vehicle while:
(1) There is 0.08 percent or more by weight of
alcohol in his or her blood;
(2) Under the influence of alcohol;
(3) Under the influence of a controlled substance to
a degree which renders him or her incapable of
safely driving;
(4) Under the combined influence of alcohol and a
controlled substance to a degree which renders him
or her incapable of safely driving; or
(5) Under the influence of any substance which
impairs the mental or physical faculties of such
person to a degree which renders him or her
incapable of safely driving.
(b) A person who is under the age of 21 years shall
not drive or be in actual physical control of any
vehicle if there is .02 percentage or more by weight
of alcohol in his or her blood. The Department of
Public Safety shall suspend or revoke the driver's
license of any person, including, but not limited to, a
juvenile, child, or youthful offender, convicted or
adjudicated of, or subjected to a finding of
delinquency based on this subsection.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon the first
violation of this subsection by a person whose blood
alcohol level is between .02 and .08, the person's
driver's license or driving privilege shall be
suspended for a period of 30 days in lieu of any
penalties provided in subsection (e) of this section
and there shall be no disclosure, other than to
courts, law enforcement agencies, and the person's
employer, by any entity or person of any information,
documents, or records relating to the person's
arrest, conviction, or adjudication of or finding of
delinquency based on this subsection.
All persons, except as otherwise provided in this
subsection for a first offense, including, but not
limited to, a juvenile, child, or youthful offender,
convicted or adjudicated of, or subjected to a finding
of delinquency based on this subsection shall be
fined pursuant to this section, notwithstanding any
other law to the contrary, and the person shall also
be required to attend and complete a DUI or
substance abuse court referral program in
accordance with subsection (i).
(c)(1) A school bus or day care driver shall not drive
or be in actual physical control of any vehicle while
in performance of his or her duties if there is greater
than .02 percentage by weight of alcohol in his or
her blood. A person convicted pursuant to this
subsection shall be subject to the penalties provided
by this section except that on the first conviction the
Director of Public Safety shall suspend the driving
privilege or driver's license for a period of one year.
(2) A person shall not drive or be in actual physical
control of a commercial motor vehicle as defined in
49 CFR Part 390.5 of the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Regulations as adopted pursuant to Section
32-9A-2, if there is .04 percentage or greater by
weight of alcohol in his or her blood.
Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section,
the commercial driver's license or commercial
driving privilege of a person convicted of violating
this subdivision shall be suspended for the period
provided in accordance with 49 CFR Part 383.51 or
49 CFR Part 391.15, as applicable, and the person's
regular driver's license or privilege to drive a regular
motor vehicle shall be governed by the remainder of
this section if the person is guilty of a violation of
another provision of this section.
(d) The fact that any person charged with violating
this section is or has been legally entitled to use
alcohol or a controlled substance shall not constitute
a defense against any charge of violating this
section.
(e) Upon first conviction, a person violating this
section shall be punished by imprisonment in the
county or municipal jail for not more than one year,
or by fine of not less than six hundred dollars ($600)
nor more than two thousand one hundred dollars
($2,100), or by both a fine and imprisonment. In
addition, on a first conviction, the Director of Public
Safety shall suspend the driving privilege or driver's
license of the person convicted for a period of 90
days.
(f) On a second conviction within a five-year period,
a person convicted of violating this section shall be
punished by a fine of not less than one thousand
one hundred dollars ($1,100) nor more than five
thousand one hundred dollars ($5,100) and by
imprisonment, which may include hard labor in the
county or municipal jail for not more than one year.
The sentence shall include a mandatory sentence,
which is not subject to suspension or probation, of
imprisonment in the county or municipal jail for not
less than five days or community service for not less
than 30 days. In addition the Director of Public
Safety shall revoke the driving privileges or driver's
license of the person convicted for a period of one
year.
(g) On a third conviction, a person convicted of
violating this section shall be punished by a fine of
not less than two thousand one hundred dollars
($2,100) nor more than ten thousand one hundred
dollars ($10,100) and by imprisonment, which may
include hard labor, in the county or municipal jail for
not less than 60 days nor more than one year, to
include a minimum of 60 days which shall be served
in the county or municipal jail and cannot be
probated or suspended. In addition, the Director of
Public Safety shall revoke the driving privilege or
driver's license of the person convicted for a period
of three years.
(h) On a fourth or subsequent conviction, a person
convicted of violating this section shall be guilty of a
Class C felony and punished by a fine of not less
than four thousand one hundred dollars ($4,100) nor
more than ten thousand one hundred dollars
($10,100) and by imprisonment of not less than one
year and one day nor more than 10 years. Any term
of imprisonment may include hard labor for the
county or state, and where imprisonment does not
exceed three years confinement may be in the
county jail. Where imprisonment does not exceed
one year and one day, confinement shall be in the
county jail. The minimum sentence shall include a
term of imprisonment for at least one year and one
day, provided, however, that there shall be a
minimum mandatory sentence of 10 days which
shall be served in the county jail. The remainder of
the sentence may be suspended or probated, but
only if as a condition of probation the defendant
enrolls and successfully completes a state certified
chemical dependency program recommended by
the court referral officer and approved by the
sentencing court. Where probation is granted, the
sentencing court may, in its discretion, and where
monitoring equipment is available, place the
defendant on house arrest under electronic
surveillance during the probationary term. In
addition to the other penalties authorized, the
Director of Public Safety shall revoke the driving
privilege or driver's license of the person convicted
for a period of five years.
The Alabama habitual felony offender law shall not
apply to a conviction of a felony pursuant to this
subsection, and a conviction of a felony pursuant to
this subsection shall not be a felony conviction for
purposes of the enhancement of punishment
pursuant to Alabama's habitual felony offender law.
(i) In addition to the penalties provided herein, any
person convicted of violating this section shall be
referred to the court referral officer for evaluation
and referral to appropriate community resources.
The defendant shall, at a minimum, be required to
complete a DUI or substance abuse court referral
program approved by the Administrative Office of
Courts and operated in accordance with provisions
of the Mandatory Treatment Act of 1990, Sections
12-23-1 to 12-23-19, inclusive. The Department of
Public Safety shall not reissue a driver's license to a
person convicted under this section without
receiving proof that the defendant has successfully
completed the required program.
(j) Neither reckless driving nor any other traffic
infraction is a lesser included offense under a
charge of driving under the influence of alcohol or of
a controlled substance.
(k) Except for fines collected for violations of this
section charged pursuant to a municipal ordinance,
fines collected for violations of this section shall be
deposited to the State General Fund; however,
beginning October 1, 1995, of any amount collected
over two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for a first
conviction, over five hundred dollars ($500) for a
second conviction within five years, over one
thousand dollars ($1,000) for a third conviction
within five years, and over two thousand dollars
($2,000) for a fourth or subsequent conviction within
five years, the first one hundred dollars ($100) of
that additional amount shall be deposited to the
Alabama Chemical Testing Training and Equipment
Trust Fund, after three percent of the one hundred
dollars ($100) is deducted for administrative costs,
and beginning October 1, 1997, and thereafter, the
second one hundred dollars ($100) of that additional
amount shall be deposited in the Impaired Drivers
Trust Fund after deducting five percent of the one
hundred dollars ($100) for administrative costs and
the remainder of the funds shall be deposited to the
State General Fund. Fines collected for violations of
this section charged pursuant to a municipal
ordinance where the total fine is paid at one time
shall be deposited as follows: The first three
hundred fifty dollars ($350) collected for a first
conviction, the first six hundred dollars ($600)
collected for a second conviction within five years,
the first one thousand one hundred dollars ($1,100)
collected for a third conviction, and the first two
thousand one hundred dollars ($2,100) collected for
a fourth or subsequent conviction shall be deposited
to the State Treasury with the first one hundred
dollars ($100) collected for each conviction credited
to the Alabama Chemical Testing Training and
Equipment Trust Fund and the second one hundred
dollars ($100) to the Impaired Drivers Trust Fund
after deducting five percent of the one hundred
dollars ($100) for administrative costs and
depositing this amount in the general fund of the
municipality, and the balance credited to the State
General Fund. Any amounts collected over these
amounts shall be deposited as otherwise provided
by law. Fines collected for violations of this section
charged pursuant to a municipal ordinance, where
the fine is paid on a partial or installment basis, shall
be deposited as follows: The first two hundred
dollars ($200) of the fine collected for any conviction
shall be deposited to the State Treasury with the first
one hundred dollars ($100) collected for any
conviction credited to the Alabama Chemical Testing
Training and Equipment Trust Fund and the second
one hundred dollars ($100) for any conviction
credited to the Impaired Drivers Trust Fund after
deducting five percent of the one hundred dollars
($100) for administrative costs and depositing this
amount in the general fund of the municipality. The
second three hundred dollars ($300) of the fine
collected for a first conviction, the second eight
hundred dollars ($800) collected for a second
conviction, the second one thousand eight hundred
dollars ($1,800) collected for a third conviction, and
the second three thousand eight hundred dollars
($3,800) collected for a fourth conviction shall be
divided with 50 percent of the funds collected to be
deposited to the State Treasury to be credited to the
State General Fund and 50 percent deposited as
otherwise provided by law for municipal ordinance
violations. Any amounts collected over these
amounts shall be deposited as otherwise provided
by law for municipal ordinance violations.
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary,
90 percent of any fine assessed and collected for
any DUI offense charged by municipal ordinance
violation in district or circuit court shall be computed
only on the amount assessed over the minimum fine
authorized, and upon collection shall be distributed
to the municipal general fund with the remaining 10
percent distributed to the State General Fund.
(l) A person who has been arrested for violating this
section shall not be released from jail under bond or
otherwise, until there is less than the same percent
by weight of alcohol in his or her blood as specified
in subsection (a)(1) or, in the case of a person who
is under the age of 21 years, subsection (b) hereof.
(m) Upon verification that a defendant arrested
pursuant to this section is currently on probation
from another court of this state as a result of a
conviction for any criminal offense, the prosecutor
shall provide written or oral notification of the
defendant's subsequent arrest and pending
prosecution to the court in which the prior conviction
occurred.
(n) When any person over the age of 21 years is
convicted pursuant to this section and a child under
the age of 14 years was present in the vehicle at the
time of the offense, the defendant shall be
sentenced to double the minimum punishment that
the person would have received if the child had not
been present in the motor vehicle.
(o) A prior conviction within a five-year period for
driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs from
this state, a municipality within this state, or another
state or territory or a municipality of another state or
territory shall be considered by a court for imposing
a sentence pursuant to this section.
(p) Any person convicted of driving under the
influence of alcohol, or a controlled substance, or
both, or any substance which impairs the mental or
physical faculties in violation of this section, a
municipal ordinance adopting this section, or a
similar law from another state or territory or a
municipality of another state or territory more than
once in a five-year period shall have his or her
motor vehicle registration for all vehicles owned by
the repeat offender suspended by the Alabama
Department of Revenue for the duration of the
offender's driver's license suspension period, unless
such action would impose an undue hardship to any
individual, not including the repeat offender, who is
completely dependent on the motor vehicle for the
necessities of life, including any family member of
the repeat offender and any co-owner of the vehicle.