Ignition Interlock Devices in Connecticut: What You Need to Know After a DUI Arrest

If you’ve been arrested for DUI / OUI in Connecticut and you’re reading about ignition interlock devices (IIDs), you’re probably worried about one thing:

“Am I going to lose my license, and for how long?”

Take a breath. You’re not alone, and you do have a path forward. In Connecticut, the IID program is often the key to getting legally back on the road, but the rules can be confusing and full of traps if you don’t understand them.

• What an ignition interlock device is and how it works
• When Connecticut law requires an IID after a DUI arrest
• How long you’ll have to keep it for different situations
• The serious criminal penalties under CGS § 14-227k and CGS § 14-215(c)
• What happens if there’s an IID “violation”
• Practical tips for surviving your IID period with as little stress as possible
• How a Connecticut DUI lawyer can help you navigate the DMV and the courts

An ignition interlock device is a small breath-testing unit wired into your vehicle’s ignition system. Before your car will start, you have to blow into the device. If it detects alcohol over a very low cutoff level (often around 0.025, much lower than the normal legal limit of 0.08), the car will not start.

• Startup test – You must blow into the device before the car starts.
• Rolling retests – While you’re driving, the device will randomly ask for new breath samples. If you ignore it, the device will log a violation, and in some cases the car may honk or flash lights until you pull over safely and provide a sample.
• Data logging – Every attempt (pass, fail, missed retest, tampering) is recorded. At your monthly service visits, that data is downloaded and sent to DMV.

Connecticut DMV treats the IID as a condition of restoring your license after an alcohol-related suspension. If you drive without it, tamper with it, or repeatedly fail tests, you can face more suspension time and even additional criminal charges. May clients have reported that the DMV adds one additional month of an IID requirement for every violation. This can be very unfair as many malfunctions are caused by the equipment not working properly.

Just like any Connecticut DUI, the IID requirement comes from two separate systems:

1) DMV “Administrative Per Se” suspension
Triggered by either:

• Failing a chemical test (BAC .08+ for 21 and over, .02+ if under 21), or
• Refusing a blood, breath, or urine test.

Usually leads to a 45-day hard suspension where you can’t drive at all. After the 45 days, you must install an IID to get your license restored.

2) Court case (criminal DUI under CGS § 14-227a and related statutes)
This is where you face potential fines, probation, and possibly jail. A court conviction carries its own IID requirement, which can be longer than what DMV requires on the administrative side.

Bottom line: even if we win or reduce the criminal case, (such a by using the Impaired Driver Intervention Program – (IDIP) - you can still be stuck with an IID from the DMV side unless we also beat the administrative suspension. And vice versa.

Under current Connecticut law, DMV requires an IID after any alcohol-related license suspension before you can drive again.

• First offense: 6 months of IID
• Second offense: 1 year of IID
• Third or subsequent offense: 2 years of IID

• First offense: 1 year of IID
• Second offense: 2 years of IID
• Third or subsequent offense: 3 years of IID

• First refusal: 1 year of IID
• Second refusal: 2 years of IID
• Third or subsequent refusal: 3 years of IID

These periods start on the day your license is restored, not the day the device goes into the car.

If you’re convicted in court under Connecticut’s DUI statutes, DMV imposes an additional IID requirement:

• 45-day suspension, then
• 1 year of IID after restoration

• 45-day suspension (or until your 21st birthday, whichever is longer), then
• 3 years of IID after restoration
  • During the first year, driving is limited to: work, school, treatment, IID service centers, and probation appointments.

• Permanent license revocation with no automatic reinstatement
• You must wait at least 2 years to ask for a DMV hearing to consider restoring your license; IID conditions will almost certainly be part of any reinstatement plan.

DMV applies whichever IID term is longer—the DMV chart or the court conviction. You don’t “double serve,” but you also don’t get to pick the shorter one.

Serve the 45-day suspension and clear any other suspensions, unpaid tickets, or administrative holds before DMV will restore your license with an IID restriction.

Connecticut approves several vendors (e.g., Intoxalock, Smart Start, LifeSafer).

• You contact a CT-approved vendor and set up an appointment.
• The installer puts the device in your car and reports the installation electronically to DMV.

• $175 license reinstatement fee
• $100 IID administration fee

• Installation: ~$70–$150 (one-time)
• Monthly lease/monitoring: ~$60–$120 per month
• Calibration/service: additional modest fees every ~30 days
• Removal: ~$50–$150 at the end of the term

You’re allowed to shop among approved vendors for pricing and convenience.

The IID is also a monitoring system. Common violations include:

• Blowing over the device’s set limit
• Failing or skipping a rolling retest
• Disconnecting or tampering with the device
• Letting someone else blow into the device for you

• Extend your IID requirement (often at least one month per violation)
• Re-suspend your license
• In serious cases, trigger criminal charges for tampering or driving while suspended

Violations can also cause problems with probation, if you’re on supervised release.

So far, we’ve talked about the IID as a condition of getting your license back. But if you try to get around the interlock requirement, Connecticut treats it as a separate criminal case with real jail exposure.

It’s a crime to:

• Ask/pressure someone else to blow into your interlock or start your IID car
• Tamper with, alter, or bypass the interlock
• Drive any motor vehicle if your right to operate is restricted to IID-equipped vehicles and the car you’re in does not have a functioning interlock (or is a vehicle the court has barred you from driving)

• Typically a Class C misdemeanor
• Up to 90 days in jail; up to $500 fine; additional license consequences

• Charged as a Class A misdemeanor
• Up to 1 year in jail; $500–$1,000 fine
• 30-day mandatory minimum jail that ordinarily cannot be suspended absent mitigating circumstances
• Further DMV suspension/IID consequences

Often added when someone on an IID restriction is caught driving a non-IID car.

• $500–$1,000 fine; up to 1 year in jail
• 30 consecutive days mandatory minimum jail (unless the court finds special mitigating circumstances)

Repeat offenses: higher mandatory minimums (120 days, then 1 year), plus added DMV penalties.

In practice: If you’re supposed to drive only IID-equipped vehicles and you’re stopped in a car without one, prosecutors often charge both 14-227k and 14-215(c). Courts take this very seriously.

• Avoid alcohol-containing products before driving. Mouthwash, breath sprays, some cough syrups, and even certain “NA” drinks can spike readings. If used, wait 15–20 minutes and rinse with water.
• Plan for rolling retests. Safest approach: pull over as soon as it’s safe, then blow.
• Never “borrow” someone else’s breath. That’s a separate crime under 14-227k.
• Stay current on service appointments. Missed calibrations can trigger violations or lockouts.
• Multiple vehicles. If you drive more than one car, expect IIDs in every vehicle you operate.
• Keep records. Save vendor receipts, letters, and DMV notices—documentation helps in disputes.

These get complicated quickly.

• Out-of-state license: Connecticut can suspend your privilege to drive here and report to your home state. You may have to satisfy both states’ rules (including IID).
• Work vehicles: DMV generally expects any vehicle you operate to have an IID. Narrow exceptions for employer-owned vehicles require careful handling and documentation.

If your job depends on driving, talk to a lawyer who routinely handles both DUI and DMV issues.

When we talk about an IID requirement, we’re really talking about protecting:

• Your job
• Your family obligations
• Your professional license
• Your record and avoiding mandatory minimums

• Challenging the DMV Administrative Per Se suspension (win this, and you may avoid the DMV IID).
• Fighting the criminal DUI to avoid a conviction under § 14-227a or reduce penalties/IID duration.
• Advising on timing/strategy so you don’t accidentally add months to your IID term.
• Responding to IID violation letters (request hearings, clarify facts, prevent added suspension time).
• Defending 14-227k / 14-215(c) charges to avoid or minimize 30-day mandatory minimum jail.

Goal: protect your license, your record, and your future—every step of the way.

Almost always, yes. A first-time DUI typically means a 45-day suspension plus at least 6 months of IID on the DMV side, and 1 year of IID if you’re convicted in court. Which term applies depends on age, BAC, refusal, and case outcome.

Yes. Connecticut hits refusals hard: a first refusal usually brings a 45-day suspension plus 1 year IID; subsequent refusals require longer IID terms.

For most first-offense IID terms, once restored you can drive normally as long as you only drive IID-equipped vehicles. For a second DUI conviction, the first year of the 3-year IID period is restricted (work/school/treatment/IID service/probation).

You risk two crimes:

• § 14-227k(a)(2) (Class A misdemeanor; up to 1 year; 30-day mandatory minimum)
• § 14-215(c) (operating under DUI suspension/IID restriction; also 30-day mandatory minimum)
  Plus DMV can extend your IID and re-suspend you.

It’s recorded. Multiple high readings or missed tests can extend your IID term and trigger DMV or probation issues. If you get a violation notice, call a lawyer immediately.

Expect: installation $70–$150; monthly $60–$120; periodic calibration fees; DMV $175 reinstatement + $100 IID admin fee.

Generally, no. DMV expects the full term. For revocation cases seeking restoration, strong IID compliance can help persuade DMV at a hearing.

DMV can place an IID restriction on your license. If you later drive, you must install an IID before you’re legal. Plan ahead before you start driving again.

Likely yes. CT can restrict your privilege here and report to your home state, which may impose its own requirements. You may need to satisfy both.

If you’re facing a DUI charge, an IID requirement, or a 14-227k / 14-215(c) charge anywhere in Connecticut, you don’t have to figure this out by yourself.

I’ve been defending people in DUI and criminal cases statewide for over 30 years. I can help you:

• Understand exactly how long you’re looking at with IID
• Fight the DUI and DMV cases to limit suspensions and restrictions
• Avoid mistakes that extend IID time or trigger new charges and mandatory minimum jail

Call Attorney Allan F. Friedman, Criminal Lawyer, at (203) 357-5555 for a free consultation, or reach out through my contact page. We’ll go over your situation and build a plan to protect your license, your record, and your future. For more information please visit our criminal defense page for information on bonds, arraignments and the IDIP program.