There are several types of penalties for DUI and DUI related crimes in Prince William County:

• Jail time
• Probation
• Fine
• Court costs
• ASAP
• License Suspension
• Points

Will I go to Jail for DUI? 

Misdemeanor DUIs come with a maximum jail sentence of 12 months. However, some DUI’s come with a mandatory minimum jail sentence. This means that the judge is required by law to put you in jail if you are convicted. If you have a blood alcohol content of .15 or higher, if you have a prior DUI in the last 10 years, if there was a minor in the car then you are facing a mandatory jail sentence.

DUI Probation

All DUI convictions require probation. The judge will sentence the driver to a large amount of jail and then suspend most or all of it conditional on the driver successfully completing probation. Several hundred dollars of fines are also typically suspended as a condition of probation.

In Prince William County, 30 days to 60 days of suspended jail is normal for a first time DUI but much more is not unheard of.

The conditions of probation for most misdemeanor DUIs in Prince William are are that the driver, pay all their fines and court costs, complete the VASAP or ASAP program and not violate the law for one year (especially no driving on a suspended license).

If a driver fails to do any of these things within the time allowed then they will be arrested and sentenced to some or all of their suspended jail sentence.

DUI fines and Court Costs in Prince William 

The maximum fine for misdemeanor DUI is $2500 and the mandatory minimum for most DUIs is $250. In Prince William, most misdemeanor DUI’s result in $250 to $500 in fines.

The court costs for a standard DUI is about $200-$250 . Typically a first time DUI in Prince William County GDC costs about $500 in fines and court costs, and another $400 in ASAP fees. Then $145 in license reinstatement fees, and $100 per month for ignition interlock.

In Prince William General District Court, you will not be allowed to have a restricted license until you have paid all of your fines and court costs (but not the other fees). Make sure you have about $500 handy at your trial or you won’t get your restricted license until you do.

In Prince William Circuit Court, you can get a restricted license before you pay all your fines and court costs but the court will demand payment within 30 days of trial unless a payment plan is arranged.

Prince William County Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP)

If you get a DUI in Prince William County court you will be sent to the Bull Run ASAP. ASAP is an alcohol treatment and DUI prevention class that is a minimum of $400 and 10 weeks (2 hours a week). However, if ASAP determines that you have a substance abuse problem they can and will require that you complete additional treatment with additional costs. The worst I have ever seen was a man who was required to complete 5 weeks of inpatient rehab and pay $3,000 for it.

While on probation, ASAP requires that you 100% abstain from alcohol. Consuming any alcohol (even alcohol based cough syrup or mouth wash) is a violation of probation and can result in jail time.

Mandatory License Suspension for DUI. 

• Dui 1st & Refusal 1st each comes with 1 year of mandatory license suspension.
• DUI 2nd and Refusal 2nd comes with 3 years of mandatory license suspension.
• DUI 3rd comes with a minimum of 10 years of mandatory license suspension.

However, some DUIs allow a judge to grant a restricted license under special conditions or after a specific waiting period. A restricted license is very restrictive. There are only a few approved driving activities. All of those activities are listed on the Virginia Restricted License Application Form DC-263. 

Anyone who wants a restricted license in General District Court must fill out the Restricted License Application form

DUI & DMV Points

All DUIs and all Refusals come with -6 DMV points. If you already have already received several demerit points recently, getting 6 more demerit points may cause you do be disqualified from getting a restricted license. Always get a a copy of your DMV record to your attorney so they can determine whether you are at risk for this possibility.