William C. Head, P.C.
Atlanta DUI Law Firm
DUI Course Requirements for Georgia DUI Charges
By: Ex-Cop Cory Yager, Partner in Kohn & Yager LLC and Law Book Co-Author
Georgia DUI Laws, DUI Penalties & DUI Jail Time
Those arrested for DUI in Georgia often get online and immediately research DUI penalties to ask, "How long in jail for DUI?" The second most researched DUI law question is about maintaining their driving privileges if convicted of driving under the influence (D.U.I.). Most of those arrested for DUI in GA are not as worried about the DUI cost, such as the DUI fine or other DUI punishments. For a quick overview, see this page for a DUI punishments CHART. Very little helpful information is visible on the DUI ticket or bond paperwork. About 90% of drivers taken into custody are issued either an 8 1/2 by 11-inch license suspension form (in place of their plastic license) or they have a small sticker placed on the lower section of their DUI citation. The form is called a DDS-1205, and the small sticker is called a DDS-1127 sticker.
What Will I Need to Take to My DUI Attorneys When I Go to Their Law Offices?
Depending on the facts of your case, your other law enforcement or jail paperwork may include an accident report, a motor vehicle influence report (alcohol or drugs) giving scores on the field sobriety tests, and towing information (if your car or truck was impounded). Your DUI lawyer usually must obtain this from the prosecutor, as part of the pre-trial "discovery" process. If the officer had to get a judicial search warrant for your blood under the implied consent law, you may also have a copy of that judge's warrant. This only occurs if you refused the DUI test requested under the Georgia implied consent law, which occurs after your DUI arrest. How much jail time for DUI? Georgia DUI laws call for between 10 days and one year in jail, but a person facing a 1st DUI offense may not have to serve any additional time in police custody. A first-offense DUI in Georgia mandates 24 hours of incarceration if the driver's BAC level was at 0.08 grams percent or more.
Various Ways a Driver Can Be Charged With D.U.I. in the State of Georgia
What is considered a DUI in Georgia? In the Peach State, a driver can violate GA DUI laws in several ways. The most common DUI convictions are based on the accused being under the influence of alcohol to the extent that is "less safe" for that vehicle operator to have been behind the wheel. Separate and distinct from that method of impaired driving, or drunk driving, a driver who submitted to a post-arrest blood, breath or urine test can be convicted of a different DUI crime based on those forensic test results. This method of committing DUI GA is called a "per se" DUI offense. The Prosecutor can separately accuse this crime by proving that the arrested citizen had a BAC level of alcohol at 0.08 grams percent or more, and/or having marijuana or other controlled drugs in his or her system, as shown in a test taken within 3 hours of the driving ending. Drivers who have not yet turned 21 are measured against a far lower standard, which our guide to the legal limit for underage drinking explains in detail. Commercial drivers answer to a much stricter standard. Georgia sets the CDL alcohol limit at 0.04 grams percent, half the number that applies to other motorists.
DUIs in Georgia Carry Two Types of Penalties Handled by Two Different Judges
When arrested on a GA DUI, the accused must deal with civil and criminal aspects arising from that arrest. Since the administrative law aspect of the case almost always happens first, we will address that initially. If the driver is charged with a "DUI refusal" (for not agreeing to the cop's requested testing after arrest), the officer is trained to file a form DDS 1205 with the Georgia Department of Driver Services (also known as GA DDS). This civil law suspension is authorized by the GA implied consent law. If the event a detained driver submits to forensic testing after being arrested, and the breath alcohol test or blood alcohol test is 0.08 grams percent or higher, then a different type of ALS (administrative license suspension) can be filed by the officer with the DUI in GA. This State driver's license agency processes an administrative license suspension that seeks to totally suspend your right to drive for 12 full months. If the accused driver (or his or her DUI defense lawyer) files a timely appeal not later than 30 days after arrest OR opts for a 12-month ignition interlock device (IID) within that SAME 30-day period, the administrative suspension can be averted. Not every driver is an eligible candidate for the interlock restricted license. If under age 21, he or she is ineligible. If not a Georgia licensee, the person cannot get the restricted permit for DDS GA. Lastly, if the arrested driver has any previous DUI convictions or was previously administratively suspended within the past 5 years (based on dates of arrest), he or she is not eligible for this IID option.
Georgia DUI Penalties for First DUI: Additional Common Questions
How much is a DUI ticket? Fines on a first DUI offense range from $300 plus surcharges to $1,000 but repeat offenders' fines can be $5,000 plus surcharges which will DOUBLE the fine amount. The additional DUI fees have grown from being about 25% of the fine amount to now equaling or exceeding the fine paid. How much is a DUI fine once surcharges are added? Previous changes to laws on Georgia DUI have made the surcharges about the same as the fine amount. How many DUIs can you get? In the old days, Senior Partner William Head had a potential client interview with him who had convictions on 21 prior DUI cases. In the past 5 years, at least five of his clients had 8 or more prior convictions for DUIs. How long in jail for DUI? Felony DUI punishments apply to 4th DUI offenses (or subsequent DUI convictions within ten years) within a 10-year lookback period. This can result in 5 years in state prison. All other repeat DUI crimes are limited to 12 months in jail.
Do I still have to take a DUI course if this is my first offense? Almost always, yes. Georgia judges treat the 20-hour risk reduction program as a standard condition of a first DUI sentence. The Department of Driver Services also wants that completion certificate before it restores a full license.
Does the class count as my punishment? It is one part of the sentence, not a substitute for the rest. Fines, surcharges, community service, probation, and the license consequences all still apply. The class is simply the piece that most drivers forget until a deadline is close.
What if the DUI gets reduced? A negotiated plea to a lesser traffic offense usually drops the class as a license requirement. Some judges still order the program, or a substance abuse evaluation, as a condition of probation on the reduced charge. Read the sentencing sheet before you assume the requirement went away. The clerk's copy controls, not what anyone remembers hearing in the courtroom.
What happens if I miss the deadline? A missed deadline can turn into a probation violation. Depending on the judge and the county, the court may extend probation, add community service, or order jail time. Clients often ask about this weeks after sentencing, when the date is already close. Enrolling early costs nothing extra and removes the risk.
Georgia DUI Sentencing Guidelines for a DUI Case
What is the penalty for DUI, if a 1st offense? At least 5 DUI categories of DUI punishment apply to a first-offense DUI. Fines and surcharges; Community service hours to perform (at least 40 hours); Driver's license suspension (or the right to drive in the State of Georgia for one year), subject to GA licensees paying for and obtaining a limited driving permit and possibly meeting early reinstatement provisions at the DDS in Georgia; Attending DUI school, also known as DUI classes, or the 20-hour "risk reduction" program. Jail time or probation for 12 months, with credit for any days you served in custody at the time of arrest for DUI or as sentenced by your trial court judge. Even for a DUI first offense, this conviction becomes a permanent criminal record. Georgia also limits when a no contest plea can stand in for a guilty plea, and our guide to pleading nolo in Georgia traffic court explains where that option stops short in DUI cases. Subsequent DUIs by repeat offenders (within 10 years of the first) will have at least 8 types of punishment for a conviction, including motor vehicle tag confiscation, publication of your photo and a summary of your DUI guilty case in the local newspaper, and mandatory ignition interlock device to get early reinstatement to drive.
That single bullet about DUI school carries more weight than its length suggests. Georgia law calls the requirement the DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program. The Department of Driver Services certifies the risk reduction program under OCGA § 40-5-83.
The requirement attaches to a conviction for driving under the influence under OCGA § 40-6-391. A sentencing judge imposes the DUI course as a standard condition, alongside the fine, the community service hours, and the probation term. Drivers searching for GA DUI classes are almost always looking for this one certified program. Local providers advertise under their own brand names, but the curriculum behind those names is the same.
Treat the course as a deadline, not as cleanup work after the case ends. Your probation order sets a date, and the clerk or the probation officer tracks it. Missing that date can put a probationer back in front of the sentencing judge on a violation. That hearing is avoidable, and it usually costs far more time and money than the class itself.
The program also sits on the license side of the case. The Department of Driver Services will not process reinstatement without the completion certificate in the driver's file. So the same 20 hours answer to two different authorities. One is the court that sentenced you. The other is the state agency that holds your driving record.
Clients who enroll before sentencing often walk into court with the certificate already in hand. Judges tend to read that as a sign the driver took the charge seriously. It also removes one deadline from a probation term that will already carry several others. Nothing about early enrollment prejudices a defense, because the class is not an admission of anything.
No Georgia county waives the program for a standard DUI conviction. The certified provider list does change over time, so confirm a provider's status with the Department of Driver Services before you pay for a seat. The sections below explain what the 20 hours actually cover, what a judge may order on top of the program, and how the certificate ties into getting a license back.
What Is a DUI Course in Georgia?
A Georgia DUI course is the DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program. It is a 20-hour class certified by the Georgia Department of Driver Services, and a driver convicted of DUI must complete it. The program is not a lecture on safe driving. It is a two-part state curriculum built around an assessment and an intervention component.
The assessment. The first part screens the driver for alcohol or drug dependency. It uses a standardized written instrument rather than a clinical interview. The score does not decide guilt, and it does not set punishment. It can flag a driver for a further clinical evaluation, which a judge may then act on as a sentencing condition.
The intervention component. The remaining hours make up the education portion. The curriculum covers Georgia impaired driving law, the physiological effects of alcohol and other drugs on driving ability, and the decision patterns that lead to an arrest. Instructors work through behavior change, not just recitation of the statute. Group discussion and written exercises are part of the format.
How long is a DUI class in Georgia? The instruction runs 20 hours. Providers schedule those hours differently. Some run the program across two long consecutive days, often a weekend. Others spread it over several evening sessions across a week or two. The individual certified provider sets the calendar, so start times and session lengths vary by location.
Private providers deliver the program. The court does not teach it, and neither does the arresting agency. The Department of Driver Services certifies each provider and maintains the current list. That distinction matters most at the end of the class. What a driver actually needs is a certificate of completion issued by a certified provider. A receipt, a sign-in sheet, or a letter from an uncertified program will not satisfy the court or the license file.
Georgia does not offer a shortened version for first offenders. The 20 hours apply the same way whether the case is a first DUI or a repeat charge. Drivers comparing GA DUI classes will find differences in schedule, location, and format, but the underlying state curriculum does not change. Choose on certification and timing, not on a promise about speed.
Explore Our Georgia DUI Defense Guides
Every topic below is covered in depth in its own guide, written and maintained by our DUI defense attorneys.
DUI Law and Penalties
- DUI in Georgia
- Georgia Felony vs. Misdemeanor Charges
- Drunk Driving Facts About DUI Laws and Evidence
- DUI Penalties
- DUI Offenses
- DUI Less Safe in GA
- GA DUI Law Overview – Georgia DUI Attorneys
- City of Atlanta Citation and Atlanta Municipal Court DUI Arraignment
Tests, Stops, and Evidence
Your License and the DDS
Court Process and Outcomes
- DUI Court Process in Georgia
- DUI Georgia – How to Beat a DUI
- DUI Nolo Contendere GA
- DUI Expungement in Georgia
- DUI Conviction
Related Charges and Situations
Local Courts and Arrests
Talk to a Lawyer
Where a case is heard shapes what the court can do with it. If the arrest happened in Marietta or anywhere else in Cobb County, our guide to the Cobb County jail and Marietta Municipal Court covers booking, bond release, and when a case gets bound over to State Court.
Talk With a Georgia DUI Lawyer About Your Case and Your DUI Class Requirements
A DUI sentence in Georgia carries more moving parts than most drivers expect, and the class requirement is only one of them. William C. Head, PC has defended Georgia DUI cases for decades, and our lawyers have co-authored DUI law texts used by other defense attorneys. We can explain how a DUI course, a clinical evaluation, and license reinstatement fit together in the case in front of you.
Timing is the part people underestimate. The administrative side of a DUI arrest runs on a 30-day clock, long before any class deadline arrives. Waiting to call can cost you options on your license that no amount of coursework will restore later.
The consultation is free, and the call reaches an experienced Georgia DUI attorney directly rather than an intake screener. Dial 404-567-5515 and ask whatever you need to ask. New to these charges? Our FAQ on what does DUI stand for explains how the Georgia charge differs from a DWI in other states. Our lawyers appear regularly in the metro Atlanta municipal courts where many of these cases begin.
Every case turns on its own facts, and no lawyer can promise a result. What we can do is tell you what a sentence would likely require, what the Department of Driver Services will expect, and where the real deadlines fall.
Court Ordered DUI Classes and Clinical Evaluations
Two different systems can send a Georgia driver to a class, and they do not always ask for the same thing. The risk reduction program is the baseline. It is tied to the conviction itself and to the license file at the Department of Driver Services. Anything a judge adds on top of that sits in a second category. Drivers searching for court ordered DUI classes are usually asking about that second category.
A clinical substance abuse evaluation. A sentencing judge may order a clinical evaluation, particularly where the chemical test result was high, where a crash was involved, or where the driver has a prior conviction. A licensed evaluator conducts it, and the report goes back to the court. If the evaluation recommends treatment, the judge may make that treatment a probation condition. Length and format follow the recommendation rather than a fixed schedule.
A victim impact panel. Many Georgia courts order attendance at a MADD victim impact panel or a similar program. These sessions are short compared with the 20-hour class. They are also tracked separately, so finishing one does nothing for the other. Probation officers generally want a signed attendance form for the panel and a separate certificate for the risk reduction program.
DUI court and accountability court programming. Repeat cases may qualify for, or be routed into, a DUI court or an accountability court. These programs run for months. They involve regular testing, frequent status hearings, and structured treatment. Availability depends on the county, on the charge, and on how the judge assesses the case.
Who orders what matters when it is time to prove compliance. The court imposes conditions through the sentence and through probation. The Department of Driver Services imposes its own requirement through the license file. A driver can satisfy one and still fall short of the other, which is why two agencies may give you two different answers about whether you are finished.
The practical failure mode is almost always paperwork. Drivers who complete classes after DUI sentencing sometimes never deliver the certificate to the right office, or they deliver it to the court and never to the state. Others pay an uncertified provider found through a search ad and learn months later that none of it counted. Ask your lawyer or your probation officer exactly which office needs which document, and keep copies of everything you turn in.
County practice varies more here than anywhere else in a DUI sentence. Two drivers with similar test results can leave two courthouses with different conditions, depending on the judge and the local probation office. Clients often confuse a court-ordered evaluation with the state class, and the two get mixed up in conversation constantly. Ask which one you owe before sentencing, not after.
DUI Class Costs, Deadlines, and Getting Your License Back
The risk reduction program is not free, and the cost arrives in two pieces. The state sets a course fee for the 20 hours of instruction. It sets a separate assessment fee for the screening component. Certified providers do not negotiate those numbers, so shopping around will not lower them.
Do not rely on a dollar figure quoted on a third-party website. The state revises these fees from time to time, and an amount published a year or two ago may be stale. Check the current fee schedule published by the Georgia Department of Driver Services, or ask a certified provider directly before you enroll.
Costs can grow past the program itself. If a clinical evaluation recommends treatment, the driver pays for that treatment. Reinstatement fees, limited permit fees, and any ignition interlock costs sit on top of everything else. Budget for the whole chain rather than for the class alone, because the pieces arrive on different dates.
That chain is the real reason the class matters. License reinstatement under OCGA § 40-5-63 after a DUI suspension requires proof that the driver completed the risk reduction program. The certificate gates the return to the road. In many cases it also gates the limited driving permit that keeps a driver working while a suspension runs.
Out-of-state drivers ask about this constantly. Whether a program taken in another state counts turns on whether the Department of Driver Services accepts it, so confirm acceptance before you pay for anything. The same test applies to online options. Some online courses are DDS-certified and some are not, and an uncertified class satisfies neither the court nor the license file. Verify certification first, in writing where possible.
Start early. Waiting until a probation deadline or a reinstatement date is close leaves no room for a rescheduled session or for a certificate that takes time to post. Class seats fill, especially in metro Atlanta, and one cancelled session can push a driver past the date. Enrolling in the first weeks after sentencing removes a deadline you would otherwise carry for months, and it keeps the license timeline moving while the rest of the sentence runs.
Georgia DUI Class Questions We Hear Most
How long is a DUI class in Georgia? The DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program runs 20 hours of instruction. Providers schedule those hours differently, so the class may run across two consecutive days or across several shorter sessions. The total does not change based on whether the case is a first or a repeat offense.
How much are DUI classes in Georgia? The state sets a course fee and a separate assessment fee, and certified providers charge those state-set amounts. Because the figures are revised periodically, check the current schedule with the Department of Driver Services rather than trusting a number posted on another site. Any treatment recommended by a clinical evaluation is a separate cost.
Are court ordered DUI classes different from the DDS risk reduction program? They can be. The risk reduction program is the baseline requirement tied to the conviction and to license reinstatement. A judge may separately order a clinical evaluation, a victim impact panel, or treatment as a probation condition, depending on the county and the facts. Completing one does not automatically satisfy the other.
Do I have to take classes after a DUI if it is my first offense? In most first-offense DUI sentences, yes. Georgia judges typically impose the program as a standard condition, and the Department of Driver Services generally wants the certificate before restoring driving privileges. Whether a reduced charge changes that depends on the plea and on the written sentencing order, so ask your attorney about your own case.
Can I take a Georgia DUI course online or in another state? Sometimes. Acceptance turns on DDS certification, not on how a provider advertises, so confirm the program is certified before paying. Out-of-state drivers should get that confirmation in writing where possible and should keep the completion certificate.
These answers describe general Georgia procedure. Talk with a DUI attorney about your own sentencing order before you act on any of them.
Drivers who want more background before that conversation can read the firm's Atlanta DUI FAQ answers or browse the longer DUI articles library. Both cover the sentencing, class, and license topics above in more depth.
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