The VT licensing action explained
After a DUI arrest in Vermont, the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (dmv.vermont.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 VT agency runs the licence case
- The administrative action is called civil suspension, governed by 23 V.S.A. § 1205 and started on the officer's affidavit.
- A civil suspension hearing is requested in the Superior Court Criminal Division, using the notice form the state serves.
- Suspension periods and hearing procedure are set by statute in § 1205.
- Vermont's interlock programme allows conditional reinstatement with a device fitted.
- A reinstatement fee is required before a suspension is terminated under 23 V.S.A. § 675.
Vermont licence facts
Vermont DUI law at a glance
Sourced from the Vermont code and state agency sites. Verify current text before relying on it.
- Offense name
- DUI (Vermont)
- Controlling statute
- 23 V.S.A. § 1201
- Implied consent
- 23 V.S.A. § 1202
- Per se BAC limit
- 0.08 (0.04 CDL, 0.02 or lower under 21)
- First-offense fine
- $200–$750
- First-offense jail exposure
- up to 2 years
- Licence suspension
- 3 months
- Ignition interlock
- Not automatic on a first offense
- Trial court
- the Criminal Division of the Superior Court
- High-risk filing
- SR-22 for 3 years
A first offense is a misdemeanor with a civil suspension running alongside the criminal case.
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 ignition interlock device if the court or agency orders one.
- Vermont 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 dmv.vermont.gov before you travel to an office.
Vermont ZIP codes covered
These Vermont 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 Vermont resources
Counties
Other Vermont official resources
Frequently asked questions
- How long is a first-offense suspension in Vermont?
- A first DUI offense generally carries a 3 months suspension in Vermont. Reinstatement conditions, fees and any interlock requirement are set by the licensing agency.