How Much is a Pennsylvania DUI Going to Cost You?

How Much Does a DUI Cost in Pennsylvania?

The court fine for a Pennsylvania DUI is set by 75 Pa.C.S. § 3804 and depends on your blood alcohol tier, your prior offenses under § 3806 (generally within ten years) and facts such as an accident or a passenger under 18: from “a fine of $300” for a first general-impairment offense to “not less than $2,500” for a third or subsequent highest-rate offense, whose ceiling is set elsewhere.

The tiers come from § 3802: general impairment is a BAC “at least 0.08% but less than 0.10%” (or being “rendered incapable of safely driving”), high rate is “at least 0.10% but less than 0.16%,” and highest rate is “0.16% or higher.” Section 3804(b) also covers minors, commercial and school vehicles and certain accidents; § 3804(c), drug DUIs and certain refusals.

Where a cell says “not less than,” § 3804 states only a minimum; the maximum follows the grading under § 3803 and 18 Pa.C.S. § 1101: “$10,000” for “a misdemeanor of the first degree,” “$15,000” for “a felony of the third degree,” “$25,000” for “a felony of the first or second degree.” Several paragraphs also apply to offenses under “section 3802(h)(1).” With a passenger under 18, § 3804(c.1) adds, for a first offense, “a fine of not less than $1,000” and 100 hours of community service.

Other costs (not exhaustive):

• Mandatory cost. 18 Pa.C.S. § 7508.1: “a mandatory cost of $100” on a conviction or ARD grant, “unless the court finds that undue hardship would result,” plus $200 on a conviction where a chemical test taken within two hours after arrest showed 0.16% or higher.
• Surcharge. 75 Pa.C.S. § 6506(a)(7): $75, $150, $300 or $450 for a first, second, third or later offense, on a conviction or ARD admission (not for cycles or off-highway recreational vehicles).
• License restoration, when suspended. The amount due is on your restoration letter: PennDOT’s fees “are subject to change every two years based on the Consumer Price Index” from the $70 base in 75 Pa.C.S. § 1960 (PennDOT fact sheet).
• After a chemical test refusal. PennDOT’s Driver’s Manual: $653, $1,309 or $2,616 (first, second, third or subsequent), “in addition to the restoration fee required under” § 1960.
• Ignition interlock, when required. The vendor sets the price; PennDOT gives an average lease of “$900 to $1,300 per year” (IILL fact sheet, July 2025) and “an approximate cost of $1,000 per system” or about $1,200 a year (FAQ); an IILL application “is $80.00 and is non-refundable.”

What Does a First-Offense DUI Cost in PA in 2026?

For a first offense, § 3804 sets “a fine of $300” for general impairment, $500 to $5,000 for the high rate and $1,000 to $5,000 for the highest rate, plus the costs above. A first offense may instead go to Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD), which has its own costs.

Section 3804 adds “a mandatory minimum term of six months’ probation” (general impairment), “imprisonment of not less than 48 consecutive hours” (high rate) or “72 consecutive hours” (highest rate). Each also requires alcohol highway safety school and any ordered treatment (§§ 3814–3815) after a CRN evaluation (§ 3816(a)). PennDOT’s Driver’s Manual lists “No action” on the license for a first general-impairment offense and a “12-month suspension and 1-year Ignition Interlock requirement” for a first high- or highest-rate offense.

ARD under statute. ARD is not automatic: the District Attorney decides, § 3807(a)(2) bars some defendants, and acceptance must be “knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently” made. The defendant pays “the costs of compliance” with school, evaluation and treatment, restitution, other required fees and “a cost of $50” for EMS, under supervision “for at least six months, but not more than 12 months” (§ 3807(b)(1)). The § 3807(d) suspension: none below 0.10%, 30 days from 0.10% to under 0.16%, 60 days at 0.16% or higher and in other listed cases, and 90 days if the defendant was a minor. For a CDL holder, ARD counts as a conviction (§ 1603) toward PennDOT’s one-year CDL disqualification for a first DUI (disqualifications fact sheet).

Monroe County. The Pretrial Services handout (January 2025): $70 for the CRN evaluation, $300 for the safety class. The Public Defender’s DUI page: “ARD probation is twelve months in length”; ARD “costs about $1,000.00, between court costs, safety school, and probation fees”; school “$300.00 or $450.00, depending on the length”; a DUI processing center fee of $35.00 a month “for six consecutive months”; and a supervisory fee of $35.00 “for every month you are on probation plus additional fees.” The pages differ on the school fee, and the $1,000 estimate is approximate and unitemized; confirm with Pretrial Services.

These Figures Are Not the Total

Attorney fees, treatment, testing, towing, insurance increases and time off work are not quantified, and interlock and license steps depend on your case. See DUI defense in Monroe County and getting your license back after a DUI.

Getting arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) can have serious financial consequences in Pennsylvania. In addition to a driver’s license suspension and possible jail time, DUI convictions also carry steep fines under Pennsylvania law, and they can cost you much more in the months and years following your arrest.

So, how much is a DUI going to cost you? Here’s what you need to know:

Financial Costs of a DUI Conviction in Pennsylvania

If you get convicted of driving under the influence in Pennsylvania, you will face several financial costs as a result of your DUI conviction. These costs will add up quickly; and, if you lose your job as a result of your conviction, your DUI could impact your finances for the rest of your life—including your retirement.

The financial costs of a DUI conviction in Pennsylvania include (but are not limited to):

Fines

All DUI charges carry fines under Pennsylvania law. If this is your first DUI and your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was less than 0.10%, you are most likely facing a fine of $300. However, if this is not your first offense, if your BAC was 0.10% or above, or if your case involves any of a variety of aggravating factors (i.e., causing an accident or having a minor in your vehicle), you could be facing a fine of $5,000 or more.

Alcohol Education

If the judge sentences you to mandatory alcohol education, you will need to attend these classes at your expense. If you fail to attend any mandatory classes, this could lead to additional fines, jail time, and/or other penalties.

Ignition Interlock Device (IID)

Installation of an ignition interlock device (IID) is mandatory following a DUI arrest in many cases. If you are required to install an IID in your vehicle, not only will you have to pay for the device and have it installed at your expense, but you will have to pay for monthly monitoring as well.

Driver’s License Reinstatement

If your BAC was 0.10% or above or you have one or more prior DUIs on your record, a DUI conviction can result in a driver’s license suspension of 12 months or more. Once you become eligible to have your driver’s license reinstated, you will need to pay the reinstatement fee in order to restore your ability to drive.

Auto Insurance Premiums

When you restore your ability to drive, you can expect your auto insurance premiums to go up substantially. While Pennsylvania does not require SR-22 insurance, having a DUI conviction on your record can increase your premiums by hundreds of dollars per month.

Losing Your Job

Pennsylvania is an “at will” employment state, and this means that employers can fire their employees for any reason or no reason—as long as they do not discriminate or retaliate in violation of the law. This means that you could lose your job as a result of your DUI.

Many employers will fire employees who get DUIs, either because they want to protect their reputation or because they believe that a DUI conviction reflects recklessness or poor judgment. Of course, if you get sentenced to jail time or your job involves driving, your employer may have no choice other than to find someone else to fill your role.

Losing Future Job Opportunities

Regardless of whether you are currently employed, a DUI conviction could also result in the loss of future job opportunities. Your DUI will show up on background checks (unless and until you have your record expunged), and prospective employers may choose not to hire you based on your DUI alone.

While the financial costs you are facing depend on several factors, a DUI conviction could easily cost you tens of thousands of dollars—if not more—over your lifetime. As a result, it is critical that you fight your DUI, and hiring an experienced Stroudsburg DUI defense lawyer is the first step in the process.

How an Experienced Stroudsburg DUI Defense Lawyer Can Help

While it’s true that hiring a Stroudsburg DUI defense lawyer will add to the short-term out-of-pocket costs of your DUI arrest, hiring an experienced lawyer to help you fight your DUI can potentially save you a substantial amount of money in the long run. If you are facing a DUI charge in Pennsylvania, here are just some of the ways an experienced lawyer may be able to help you:

• Determining What Defenses You Have Available – There are several potential defenses to DUI charges under Pennsylvania law. Your lawyer will be able to determine which defenses you can assert based on the facts of your case.
• Seeking Dismissal of Your DUI Charge – Depending on the facts of your case, you may have grounds to seek a pre-trial dismissal. If your lawyer can get your DUI dismissed prior to trial, this will substantially reduce the costs of your arrest.
• Negotiating a Plea Bargain that Avoids a DUI Conviction – If seeking pre-trial dismissal isn’t an option in your case, it may make sense to target a plea bargain. If warranted, your lawyer can negotiate for a plea bargain that avoids a DUI conviction.
• Helping You Enroll in Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) – If this is your first DUI arrest, you may be eligible to enroll in Pennsylvania’s ARD program. This provides another opportunity to avoid a DUI conviction without going to trial.
• Fighting Your DUI at Trial if Necessary – Sometimes, going to trial will be the best (or only) option under the circumstances at hand. If you need to fight your DUI at trial, your lawyer can use his or her experience to fight for a “Not guilty” verdict in court and seek a reduced sentence on your behalf if necessary.

Schedule a Free Consultation with Stroudsburg DUI Defense Lawyer Brian C. Jordan

Do you need to know more about the financial costs (and other consequences) of a DUI in Pennsylvania? If so, we encourage you to contact us promptly. To schedule a free consultation with Stroudsburg DUI defense lawyer Brian C. Jordan, call us at 570-373-9343 or tell us how we can re