State data last reviewed October 1, 2026 · all 50 states
DUI Glossary: ALR, APS, IDAP, IID, SR-22, OWI and Other Terms
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What each state calls the offense
- DUI · 31 states
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming
- DWI · 10 states
Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and Texas
- OWI · 4 states
Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin
- OUI · 2 states
Maine and Massachusetts
- DUII · 1 state
Oregon
- OVI · 1 state
Ohio
- OVUII · 1 state
Hawaii
Terms, A to Z
- Administrative license case
The civil action the licensing agency (DMV, DPS, MVD, BMV, RMV or similar) takes against your license because of the arrest, a failed test or a refusal. It is separate from the criminal case, usually moves first, and in most states you must request a hearing within a short deadline or the suspension takes effect on its own.
- ALRAdministrative License Revocation
The name some states give the administrative license case. In Texas the ALR hearing must be requested within 15 days of the arrest notice; in Nebraska the revocation takes effect on the 15th day unless contested.
- ALSAdministrative License Suspension
Another name for the administrative license case, used in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, New Hampshire, Ohio and others. The deadline and the agency differ by state; the structure is the same.
Used in: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia
- APCActual Physical Control
Being in control of a vehicle while impaired without driving it, for example sitting in the driver’s seat with the keys. Oklahoma charges APC as its own offense; many other states fold the idea into the DUI statute’s definition of “operate.”
- APSAdministrative Per Se
California’s and Arizona’s name for the administrative license case: the suspension that follows a test at or above the per se limit (or a refusal) regardless of what happens in court. California gives 10 days to request the DMV hearing.
Used in: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wyoming
- Arraignment
The first court appearance in the criminal case, where the charge is read and you enter a plea. In a few states (Kentucky, New York) the judge also suspends the license at arraignment, which is why those states have no separate hearing to request.
- BACBlood or breath alcohol concentration
The amount of alcohol in the blood, written as a percentage. The adult per se limit is 0.08 in every state except Utah (0.05); commercial drivers are held to 0.04 and drivers under 21 to a lower or zero limit. Many states add a high-BAC tier (often 0.15) with harsher penalties.
- CDL disqualification
The federal rule that a commercial driver convicted of DUI in any vehicle, or who refuses a test, loses the commercial license for at least one year (three years with hazardous materials, lifetime for a second offense). It applies on top of the state’s suspension of the regular license.
- Chemical test
The evidentiary breath, blood or urine test taken after arrest, at the station or a hospital. It is the test implied consent laws cover. It is different from the roadside preliminary breath test and from field sobriety exercises.
- Deferred adjudication / diversion
Outcomes where the court delays or withholds a conviction while you complete probation, classes or treatment. Finishing can mean a dismissal or a reduced record, but many states still count the case as a prior for a later DUI, and the license action proceeds anyway.
- DUIDriving Under the Influence
The most common name for the offense, used by 31 states. Impairment by alcohol, drugs or both counts, and in most states a BAC at or above the per se limit is enough without proof of impairment.
Used in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
- DUI school / education program
The alcohol and drug evaluation, classes or treatment the court or licensing agency requires after a DUI. The program name is different in nearly every state (ADSAP in South Carolina, VASAP in Virginia, DEEP in Maine, IDRC in New Jersey); the guide for your state names it and links the provider list.
- DUIIDriving Under the Influence of Intoxicants
Oregon’s name for the offense. The extra “I” covers intoxicants other than alcohol.
Used in: Oregon
- DWAIDriving While Ability Impaired
A lesser impaired-driving charge in New York (BAC above 0.05 but under 0.08, or impairment by drugs) and in Colorado (BAC of 0.05 to under 0.08). It carries lighter penalties than DWI or DUI but is still a conviction.
- DWIDriving While Intoxicated (or Impaired)
Used by 10 states, including Texas, New York, New Jersey and North Carolina. In Texas, DWI is the adult charge and DUI is a separate offense for drivers under 21.
Used in: Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas
- Expungement / sealing / nondisclosure
Ways to limit public access to a record after the case ends. Expungement erases the record; sealing hides it from the public but not from courts or police; nondisclosure is Texas’s form of sealing; a set-aside leaves the conviction in place but changes how it reads. Whether a DUI conviction qualifies depends on the state.
- Field sobriety tests (SFST)
The roadside exercises (horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn, one-leg stand) an officer uses to build probable cause. In most states they are voluntary and refusing them carries no license penalty, unlike refusing the chemical test after arrest.
- FR-44
A proof-of-insurance certificate required after a DUI in Florida and Virginia instead of the SR-22. It demands higher liability limits than the state minimum, so it costs more.
- Hardship / occupational / restricted license
A limited license that lets you drive to work, school, treatment or medical care during a suspension. Each state names it differently (occupational license in Texas, hardship license in Florida, limited driving privilege in North Carolina, conditional license in New York) and sets its own waiting period and interlock conditions. New Jersey has none.
- High-BAC / aggravated / extreme DUI
A harsher tier of the offense triggered by a BAC above a set level, commonly 0.15 (0.20 for Arizona’s “super extreme”). It usually adds jail, longer interlock and a longer suspension.
- IDAPImpaired Driver Accountability Program
Oklahoma’s administrative process since 2019: instead of a suspension and a hearing, the driver can enroll in an interlock-based program within 30 days of the arrest notice to keep driving.
Used in: Oklahoma
- IIDIgnition interlock device
A breath tester wired to the vehicle’s ignition; the car will not start if the sample shows alcohol, and it asks for retests while driving. Required after a DUI in most states for first offenses with a high BAC or refusal, and for all repeat offenses; you pay the installation and monthly lease.
- Implied consent
The rule in every state that driving on public roads counts as agreeing to a chemical test after a lawful DUI arrest. Refusing triggers its own license suspension, usually longer than for failing the test, and in a few states is a crime.
- Lookback (washout) period
How many years a prior DUI counts toward a harsher charge for the next one. It ranges from 5 years to lifetime depending on the state. It is separate from how long the offense stays on your criminal or driving record.
- OUIOperating Under the Influence
The name used in Maine and Massachusetts. “Operating” is broader than driving and can include sitting in a running vehicle.
Used in: Maine, Massachusetts
- OVIOperating a Vehicle Impaired
Ohio’s name for the offense. Ohio also has a separate “OVI per se” charge for a test result at or above the limit.
Used in: Ohio
- OVUIIOperating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant
Hawaii’s name for the offense. Hawaii’s administrative revocation office gives one of the shortest hearing-request windows in the country.
Used in: Hawaii
- OWIOperating While Intoxicated
Used by 4 states (Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin). Wisconsin treats a first OWI as a civil forfeiture rather than a crime; the others charge it as a misdemeanor.
- PBTPreliminary breath test
The handheld roadside breath device. In most states it is a screening tool used for probable cause, is not covered by implied consent, and its result is not admissible at trial. The evidentiary test comes later at the station.
- Per se
Latin for “by itself.” A per se DUI is proven by the BAC number alone (0.08, or 0.05 in Utah), without evidence that you were actually impaired. Most states charge both a per se count and an impairment count.
- Probation
Supervision in place of, or after, jail time. DUI probation usually includes classes, no-alcohol conditions, testing, fines and sometimes an interlock. Violating it can bring the suspended jail time back.
- Refusal
Declining the chemical test after a lawful arrest. Treated as a separate license violation under implied consent, often admissible as evidence, and in Florida, Minnesota and Nebraska a crime in itself.
- SR-22
A certificate your insurer files with the state to prove you carry the required liability coverage, usually for one to three years after a DUI. It is not a type of insurance; it is a filing, and letting the policy lapse re-suspends the license. Florida and Virginia use the FR-44 instead; some states require none.
Used in: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
- Statutory summary suspension
Illinois’s name for the administrative suspension that takes effect automatically on the 46th day after the arrest notice. The driver can petition the court to rescind it; Illinois gives 90 days, the longest window in the country.
Used in: Illinois
- Temporary driving permit / notice of suspension
The paper the officer gives you when your license is taken at arrest. In most states it is both your license for a set number of days and the notice that starts the hearing-request clock. Keep it; the dates on it matter more than the court date.
- Victim impact panel
A session, often run by MADD, where people harmed by impaired drivers speak to offenders. Courts in many states order attendance as a condition of probation or diversion.
- Zero tolerance (under 21)
Laws setting the BAC limit for drivers under 21 at 0.00, 0.01 or 0.02 instead of 0.08. A result at that level brings a license action even without a DUI charge; each state’s guide lists its under-21 limit.
Common questions
- What is the difference between DUI, DWI, OWI, OUI, OVI, DUII and OVUII?
- They are different state names for the same kind of offense: driving or operating a vehicle while impaired or over the legal limit. By count: DUI (31), DWI (10), OWI (4), OUI (2), DUII (1), OVI (1), OVUII (1). A conviction under one name counts as a prior in a state that uses another.
- What does ALR mean after a DUI?
- Administrative License Revocation: the licensing agency’s civil action against your license, separate from the criminal case. Texas and Nebraska use the name; other states call the same process ALS, APS, implied consent suspension or statutory summary suspension.
- What is an SR-22 and do I need one?
- A certificate your insurer files to prove you carry the required coverage after a DUI, usually for 1 to 3 years. 29 states require an SR-22 after a DUI, Florida and Virginia require the FR-44, and the rest either require no filing or a state-specific one.
- What is an IID?
- An ignition interlock device: a breath tester wired to the ignition that stops the car from starting if it detects alcohol. Most states require it for repeat, high-BAC or refusal cases, and many now require it for every first offense.
- What does per se mean in a DUI case?
- That the offense is proven by the BAC number alone, 0.08 in every state except Utah (0.05), without evidence that you were actually impaired. Administrative per se (APS) is the license suspension that follows the same number.
Read your state’s guide
Every number on this page links to the state guide that explains it, with the official source.
Related guides
Educational information, not legal advice. Each row comes from that state’s DUI911 guide and the official statute, licensing agency or court page it cites. Laws change and every case is different; confirm the deadline on the paperwork you were given and talk to a licensed attorney in your state.