The TN licensing action explained
After a DUI arrest in Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Driver Services Division (tn.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.
Hearing requests, suspension notices, reinstatement fees and interlock paperwork.
Deadlines, forms and how the hearing is conducted.
How the TN agency runs the licence case
- The department revokes the licence on a DUI conviction under the state's DUI and implied consent statutes.
- Requirements and fees are handled through the department's reinstatements portal.
- The department administers the state's ignition interlock programme.
- A restricted licence may be available for certain DUI revocations, subject to the eligibility limits in T.C.A. § 55-10-409.
Tennessee licence facts
Tennessee DUI law at a glance
Sourced from the Tennessee code and state agency sites. Verify current text before relying on it.
- Offense name
- DUI (Tennessee)
- Controlling statute
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401
- Implied consent
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-406
- Per se BAC limit
- 0.08 (0.04 CDL, 0.02 or lower under 21)
- Prior-offense lookback
- 10 years
- First-offense fine
- $350–$1,500
- First-offense jail exposure
- up to 11 days
- Licence suspension
- 1 year
- Ignition interlock
- Required on a first offense in most cases
- Trial court
- the General Sessions Court or Criminal Court
- High-risk filing
- SR-22 for 3 years
A first offense carries a mandatory minimum 48 hours in jail and interlock.
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 — Tennessee requires one in most first-offense cases.
- Tennessee 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 tn.gov before you travel to an office.
Tennessee ZIP codes covered
These Tennessee 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 Tennessee resources
Counties
Other Tennessee official resources
Frequently asked questions
- How long is a first-offense suspension in Tennessee?
- A first DUI offense generally carries a 1 year suspension in Tennessee. Reinstatement conditions, fees and any interlock requirement are set by the licensing agency.