The IL licensing action explained
After a DUI arrest in Illinois, the Illinois Secretary of State, Driver Services Department (ilsos.gov) opens its own case against your driving privilege. It is administrative, it moves faster than the criminal case, and it is decided regardless of what the court later does with the charge.
The request for an administrative hearing is due within 90 days of arrest. Miss it and the suspension usually takes effect automatically.
Hearing requests, suspension notices, reinstatement fees and interlock paperwork.
Deadlines, forms and how the hearing is conducted.
How the IL agency runs the licence case
- A statutory summary suspension is imposed administratively for a BAC of 0.08 or more, or a refusal, beginning 46 days after notice.
- Relief is sought through the Department of Administrative Hearings, for a Restricted Driving Permit or full reinstatement.
- Illinois's interlock relief is the Monitoring Device Driving Permit, administered under the BAIID rules.
- Reinstatement fees can be looked up and paid through the Secretary of State's online reinstatement fee portal.
Illinois licence facts
Illinois DUI law at a glance
Sourced from the Illinois code and state agency sites. Verify current text before relying on it.
- Offense name
- DUI (Illinois)
- Controlling statute
- 625 ILCS 5/11-501
- Implied consent
- 625 ILCS 5/11-501.1
- Per se BAC limit
- 0.08 (0.04 CDL, 0.02 or lower under 21)
- Licence hearing deadline
- 90 days after arrest
- Prior-offense lookback
- 5 years
- First-offense fine
- $500–$2,500
- First-offense jail exposure
- up to 1 year
- Licence suspension
- 6 months
- Ignition interlock
- Required on a first offense in most cases
- Trial court
- the Circuit Court
- High-risk filing
- SR-22 for 3 years
The statutory summary suspension starts on the 46th day; a BAIID normally allows driving relief.
Getting the licence back
- Serve the full suspension or hard-suspension period the agency sets.
- Complete any ordered assessment, education or treatment programme.
- Install an approved ignition interlock device — Illinois requires one in most first-offense cases.
- Illinois requires a SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility for 3 years before a licence is reinstated after a DUI conviction.
- Pay the reinstatement fee and any licence-issuance fee in full.
Fees and processing times change; confirm the current amounts on ilsos.gov before you travel to an office.
Illinois ZIP codes covered
These Illinois ZIP-code pages carry the local court, filing and licensing detail for the area, and each one links back to this resource page.
Counties and cities using these Illinois resources
Counties
Other Illinois official resources
Frequently asked questions
- How long do I have to challenge a Illinois licence suspension?
- The administrative hearing request is due within 90 days of arrest. Confirm the current deadline and filing method with the IL licensing agency at ilsos.gov before relying on it.
- How long is a first-offense suspension in Illinois?
- A first DUI offense generally carries a 6 months suspension in Illinois. Reinstatement conditions, fees and any interlock requirement are set by the licensing agency.