This is one of those questions that the top Stamford Connecticut and top Greenwich Connecticut DUI / DWI criminal lawyers have been answering for years. You get arrested in Darien or Stamford Connecticut for 14-227a DUI / DWI and your license gets suspended for 3 to 6 months for failing or refusing the Breathalyzer tests.
Now what? How do I get to work? How do I take my kids to their school and afterschool activities? How do I get to my physical therapy or cancer treatment appointments? All fair questions. Here are your answers…
The best Stamford and Darien Connecticut DUI / DWI criminal attorneys and lawyers know that with most Stamford and Darien Connecticut DUI / DWI arrests, not only do you have to go to court, but the DMV also suspends your driver’s license for a period of 3 to 6 months. This is called the “per se” suspension. That’s because under Connecticut DMV rules, whenever you fail a breath, blood or urine test, the DMV automatically suspends your Connecticut driver’s license. It is a very strict suspension and Stamford, New Canaan and Greenwich police will arrest you for Operating Driving Under Suspension CGS 14-215(c) if you are caught driving while under suspension for a Connecticut DUI / DWI. In fact, if you are arrested in Stamford, Greenwich or Darien for Operating under a DWI Suspension under 14-215(c), you can be sentenced to a mandatory minimum 30 days in jail. Surprisingly, the Connecticut Courts, including the Connecticut DA, State’s Attorney or criminal court judge, has no control over this suspension. The court cannot shorten it, reduce it or revoke it. Only the DMV can. Thus, your appeal and top Stamford Connecticut DWI / DUI lawyer must work through the DMV to overturn the suspension.
Once the Connecticut DMV suspends your license because you were arrested in Darien or New Canaan Connecticut for a DUI / DWI, then you only have three options: (1) fight and appeal the suspension, (2) apply for a work permit, or (3) apply for a school permit. To learn more about fighting your DMV per se suspension, click here. While you are always entitled to a hearing at the DMV to appeal your suspension, you do NOT get a hearing on your Connecticut DMV work permit application. Everything is done by mail when you are applying for a work permit.
Applying for a work or school permit application requires careful consideration. Permits for driving to and from high school are not permitted. Only undergraduate and graduate school permit applications are considered. The work permit application asks several questions and you need to be honest with the DMV because they actually investigate and follow up on the veracity of your answers. The questions are straightforward: How far is your place of employment from your residence? Is public transportation available? What efforts have you made to secure transportation alternatives? What are your working hours? What is your supervisor’s name and number? These are all questions you must answer honestly and completely. And realize that the DMV WILL CALL YOUR BOSS, SUPERVISOR OR EMPLOYER TO CONFIRM THESE WORK HOURS AND TO ASK THEM ABOUT YOUR DWI / DUI SUSPENSION so it’s a very good idea to prepare them for this phone call. (Click here for thoughts on if and how to tell your employer that you were arrested in Connecticut). That’s why the best Westport and Fairfield Connecticut DUI / DWI lawyers encourage their clients to consult with a top Connecticut DUI / DWI criminal lawyer before submitting a Connecticut DMV work permit application. You only get one shot at applying before your suspension kicks in so you should make sure your application is as strong as possible.
One absurd Connecticut DMV rule about DWI / DUI per se suspensions is that you are not entitled to a driver’s license permit to attend medical appointments or drive your children to and from school and their medical appointments. It is hard to believe that the DMV considers work and college more important than your medical care but that’s the DMV rule of law for now. So understand that if you have been arrested for DUI / DWI in Stamford, Wilton, Darien or New Canaan Connecticut, and your license is suspended by the DMV, then you will not be able to apply for any kind of permit to drive to medical appointments or drive your children around. This heavy-handed policy of the DMV can be countered by aggressively appealing and fighting your Connecticut DWI / DUI driver’s license suspension. So ask your top Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI lawyer about your chances of winning the appeal.
The best Stamford Connecticut criminal attorneys who fight DUI / DWI arrests in New Canaan and Greenwich Connecticut also get asked if people who own their businesses and are self-employed can qualify for a conditional work permit or driver’s license. The answer is YES, but only under certain circumstances. The DMV looks carefully at people who ask for work permits and are “self-employed.” To pass DMV muster, these companies have to be legitimate, established, tax-paying operations. So contact a top Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI criminal lawyer to learn what kind of documents and evidence you need to submit with your DMV work permit application if you own your own company or are self-employed.
As you can see, getting a temporary work permit driver’s license is no easy task, and just one complicated component of a Stamford Connecticut DWI / DUI arrest under CGS 14-227a. Don’t feel like you have to figure out these DMV rules, regulation, and riddles alone. Contact a Stamford Connecticut DUI / DWI criminal lawyer at Mark Sherman Law today. We will distill the confusion and anxiety from the DMV and criminal court experience, and try to make this as seamless and easy a process as possible for you and your family. Call us today at (203) 358-4700.
