Arkansas imposes both criminal and administrative penalties for a DWI conviction. An offender may receive jail time, fines and license suspension if he or she had a measured blood alcohol content of at least 0.08% at the time of arrest (0.02% for drivers younger than 21).
If you are facing a court date for DWI in Arkansas, understand the potential consequences of a guilty verdict.
First-time offense
Drivers with no prior DWI convictions in the past five years can receive:
- Up to $1,000 in fines
- Up to one year in prison or 30 days of community service
- Automatic driver’s license suspension for six months, with six-month ignition interlock device requirement after reinstatement
Enhanced penalties apply when the DWI incident involved an auto accident, property damage, bodily injury or wrongful death. In addition, Arkansas requires drivers to attend an alcohol education course as well as a victim impact panel for each DWI conviction.
Second-time offense
For a second DWI within five years of the first, the person can receive:
- Up to $3,000 in fines
- Up to one year in prison or 60 days of community service
- Automatic driver’s license suspension for 24 months, with 24-month ignition interlock device requirement after reinstatement
Subsequent offenses
Penalties increase for each additional DWI conviction within the same five-year period. The person can receive up to one year in prison or 90 days community service for a third offense, six years in prison or one year of community service for a fourth offense, and up to 10 years in prison or two years of community service for a fifth offense.
Fines increase to $5,000 for subsequent convictions. Drivers who have multiple DWIs will receive a 30-month license suspension for the third offense and four years for a fourth or fifth offense. In each case, the IID period will be equal to the length of the person’s license suspension.
