If you’re going to get arrested for drunk driving / DWI / DUI in Greenwich, Darien or Stamford Connecticut, then get your checkbook out. As of July 1, 2015, the laws have changed and it’s all about the coin. As the best Stamford DUI / DWI criminal lawyers and attorneys have noticed, not only do Connecticut’s new DUI / DWI laws have tough penalties on people arrested for a DUI / DWI in Stamford, Greenwich & Darien Connecticut, but they are also going to cost you a lot more money to get your license restored.
And that’s before you even hire a top Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI lawyer attorney…
While we have written often about the new DUI / DWI laws regarding driver’s license suspensions for people arrested in Stamford and Greenwich Connecticut for DUI / DWI under CGS 14-227a, we have not yet had a chance to share details about the costs and expenses associated with these suspensions. Top Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI lawyers and law firms can explain that you cannot get your full driving privileges restored in Connecticut following a Connecticut arrest for DUI / DWI until you have installed a DMV-approved Ignition Interlock Device (an “IID”) in your car for a minimum of 6 months. And that’s just for a first-time offender DUI / DWI arrest in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien or anywhere else in Connecticut. The IID requirement can total over $1000 over the course of your IID driving time, broken down as follows (as of this December 2015 publication):
$175 – One-time Connecticut DMV license reinstatement fee
$100 – One-time Connecticut DMV administrative fee for IID program
$100 – One-time IID installation fee
$100 – One-time IID removal fee
$70 – Monthly IID equipment leasing fee
$15 – Monthly IID equipment servicing fee
$5 – Monthly IID equipment taxes
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And note that these fees just cover DMV fees related to IID. If you want to apply for a DMV work permit to drive to and from work, then that’s another $100.
Now let’s add on Stamford Superior Court fees…a $200 application fee for the Alcohol Education Program for Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI first time offenders…and up to $500 to pay for the classes if the Stamford or Norwalk Superior Courts grant your application into this Pre-Trial Alcohol Education Program.
So now we’re at about $2000. And again, that’s before you start calculating how much it costs to hire a top Stamford Connecticut DWI / DUI criminal attorney lawyer to fight your Connecticut DUI / DWI arrest in Stamford or Greenwich Connecticut.
So is there any way to avoid having to pay all of these gratuitous IID costs and expenses that are associated with a Stamford Connecticut arrest for DUI / DWI under CGS 14-227a? Yes, but only if your top Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI / OUI criminal lawyer attorney challenges your Stamford DUI / DWI per se driver’s license suspension. These suspension hearings take place at the Bridgeport DMV before a DMV Commissioner, who presides over the hearing, listens to witness testimony, and hears oral argument from your top Stamford DUI / DWI criminal lawyer, as well as the DMV’s staff lawyer who will be asking the commissioner to affirm your suspension. If you can win your DMV appeal, then your Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI driver’s license suspension will be overturned and you will not be required to install an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) in your car, saving you money and avoiding the inconvenience and embarrassment of having the IID in your car in the first place.
If you find yourself arrested for a Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI, then there’s no doubt that you’ll feel like the Connecticut criminal court system and Connecticut DMV are shaking you down for every last nickel. It’s not enough that you’ve been shamed and embarrassed in online news reports of your Stamford DUI / DWI arrest, essentially putting your employment and professional reputation at real risk. With these exorbitant IID fees and costs, the courts and DMV now need to try and make money off your misfortune and bad luck. Don’t let this happen—fight back by hiring a Stamford DUI / DWI law firm. The Mark Sherman Law team of DUI / DWI attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers magazine, as well as Connecticut Magazine, as a top Connecticut DUI / DWI law firm for years. Give us a call today to learn more how we can save you money and attempt to get your Greenwich or Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI dismissed as quickly as possible. We are available 24/7 at (203) 358-4700.