A third DUI in California within 10 years is a serious misdemeanor that carries the heaviest penalties before a case crosses into felony territory. The mandatory minimums climb again, and the state labels you a habitual traffic offender.
Here's what a third DUI conviction generally carries:
- Jail: a mandatory minimum of 120 days, with exposure up to 1 year in county jail
- Fines: base fines in the same statutory range, pushed far higher by penalty assessments
- Probation: typically 3 to 5 years of informal probation
- DUI school: the 30-month alcohol and drug program
- License revocation: a 3-year revocation of your driving privilege, with a restricted license possible through an IID
- Habitual offender: designation as a habitual traffic offender, which brings its own added consequences
This is also the point where the stakes of the next arrest change completely. A fourth DUI within 10 years can be charged as a felony. And any DUI that causes injury can be filed as a felony regardless of how many priors you have.
Because so much rides on it, a third DUI deserves an aggressive, detailed defense. Every prior needs to be examined to confirm it actually counts, and the current stop and testing have to be scrutinized. Sometimes a prior can be challenged, or the current charge reduced.
Our third DUI page goes deeper, and our felony DUI page explains what a fourth or injury case looks like.
Facing a third DUI? Don't wait. Call (858) 622-7280 or visit our contact page.
This is general information, not legal advice, and every case is different.