DUI Law

Editor's note: This post was first published in 2013. It was updated on Dec 10, 2025, for clarity and accuracy. Utah treats impaired driving seriously. Most first-time DUI cases are misdemeanors , but charges can be enhanced—sometimes to a third-degree felony —when certain facts are present (serious injury, young passengers, or repeat convictions). What follows is a plain-English summary of how Utah law handles DUIs and the penalties a court can impose. Summary Utah DUI law p

If you are a Utah resident, then you are held accountable to some interesting liquor laws which are upheld in the state. One of the most unique laws in Utah is their statute that drinks can be served but cannot be seen until they have made their way to the table. Bartenders are not allowed to mix drunks in front of guests. This has caused many Utah restaurants to mix their drinks behind curtains. In Utah, it is illegal to put alcohol on display, so wine cellars that are used

So you are one of the lucky ones. Through some good lawyering, your attorney convinced the prosecutor to reduce your DUI to Impaired Driving. You have completed 60 days of your 120-day driver’s license suspension. You have heard that by doing a plea bargain down to Impaired Driving, your driver’s license suspension was reduced to 60 days. Be careful! Now that your 60 days is up, don’t think that it is okay to simply resume driving. Doing so could set off an ugly chain of even

Some Utah DUI cases are plead to the reduced charge of Impaired Driving. Impaired Driving is not referred to as a reduced charge based upon it being a lesser degree of crime; Both offenses are Class B Misdemeanors carrying the potential of up to 180 days in jail. Impaired Driving, rather, is referred to as a lesser offense because the minimum consequences are less than those for a DUI. In DUI cases a judge must order a minimum of 2 days jail for a first offense, and 10 or mor

There is a piece of advice that our criminal defense attorneys give to each client in Utah. This advice comes after they are charged with a DUI or a drug-related offense. But first, let me give you a quick note on what makes you a target to law enforcement. Once a DUI or drug charge is established on your record, conviction or not, you have become a “marked man” so to speak. Count on being harassed every time a cop runs the license plate of a car registered to you. Police of

Many of my DUI clients ask me whether there are exceptions to the ignition interlock restriction imposed for DUI in the State of Utah. Although there is not a general exception as of 2011, there is a limited exception as follows: A Utah motorist with a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) imposed ignition interlock restriction may operate a vehicle without an ignition interlock if: The vehicle belongs to his employer (not self-employed),He is driving for work purposes only,He h