Updated March 3, 2026
How Long Does a DUI Stay on Your Record?
QUICK ANSWER
A DUI stays on your criminal record permanently in most states unless expunged. On your driving record, it typically remains for 5–10 years. For insurance purposes, it affects your rates for 3–7 years. The "lookback period" for repeat offense penalties varies from 5 years to lifetime depending on your state.
Keep reading for the full breakdownUnderstanding Your Three Records
When people ask "how long does a DUI stay on your record," they're actually asking about three different records — and the answer is different for each:
| Record Type | How Long | Who Sees It |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal record | Permanent (unless expunged) | Employers, landlords, background checks |
| Driving record (DMV) | 5–10 years | Insurance companies, driving-job employers |
| Insurance record | 3–7 years | Your insurance company |
DUI on Your Criminal Record
A DUI conviction stays on your criminal record forever in most states unless you successfully petition for expungement. This means it can affect:
✗Employment opportunities
✗Housing applications
✗Professional licenses
✗College admissions
✗Loan applications
✗Immigration status
DUI on Your Driving Record
How long a DUI stays on your driving record is set by your state’s licensing agency — and it’s a different clock from the lookback period courts use. Check the license section of your state’s guide.
How Long DUI Affects Insurance
A DUI typically increases your insurance rates by $1,000–$3,000 per year. You may also need SR-22 insurance for about 3 years.
Whether your state requires a proof-of-insurance filing after a DUI, and for how long:
| State | Filing | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State-specific filing | — |
| Alaska | SR-22 | 5 years |
| Arizona | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Arkansas | State-specific filing | — |
| California | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Colorado | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Connecticut | Not required | — |
| Delaware | State-specific filing | — |
| Florida | FR-44 | 3 years |
| Georgia | Not required | — |
| Hawaii | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Idaho | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Illinois | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Indiana | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Iowa | SR-22 | 2 years |
| Kansas | SR-22 | 1 years |
| Kentucky | Not required | — |
| Louisiana | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Maine | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Maryland | Not required | — |
| Massachusetts | Not required | — |
| Michigan | Not required | — |
| Minnesota | Not required | — |
| Mississippi | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Missouri | SR-22 | 2 years |
| Montana | State-specific filing | — |
| Nebraska | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Nevada | SR-22 | 3 years |
| New Hampshire | SR-22 | 3 years |
| New Jersey | State-specific filing | 3 years |
| New Mexico | State-specific filing | — |
| New York | Not required | — |
| North Carolina | State-specific filing | 3 years |
| North Dakota | SR-22 | 1 years |
| Ohio | State-specific filing | — |
| Oklahoma | State-specific filing | — |
| Oregon | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Pennsylvania | Not required | — |
| Rhode Island | Not required | — |
| South Carolina | SR-22 | 3 years |
| South Dakota | SR-22 | — |
| Tennessee | SR-22 | — |
| Texas | SR-22 | 2 years |
| Utah | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Vermont | SR-22 | — |
| Virginia | FR-44 | 3 years |
| Washington | SR-22 | 3 years |
| West Virginia | SR-22 | — |
| Wisconsin | SR-22 | 3 years |
| Wyoming | SR-22 | 3 years |
From each state’s guide, which links the official sources. Educational information, not legal advice.
The Lookback Period
The "lookback period" determines how far back courts look when deciding if your DUI counts as a repeat offense. A second DUI within the lookback period means significantly harsher penalties.
| State | Lookback period |
|---|---|
| Alabama | See guide |
| Alaska | 15 years |
| Arizona | 7 years |
| Arkansas | 10 years |
| California | 10 years |
| Colorado | Lifetime |
| Connecticut | 10 years |
| Delaware | 10 years |
| Florida | 10 years |
| Georgia | 10 years |
| Hawaii | 10 years |
| Idaho | 10 years |
| Illinois | Lifetime |
| Indiana | 7 years |
| Iowa | 12 years |
| Kansas | See guide |
| Kentucky | 10 years |
| Louisiana | 10 years |
| Maine | 10 years |
| Maryland | 5 years |
| Massachusetts | Lifetime |
| Michigan | Lifetime |
| Minnesota | 10 years |
| Mississippi | 5 years |
| Missouri | Lifetime |
| Montana | 10 years |
| Nebraska | 15 years |
| Nevada | 7 years |
| New Hampshire | 10 years |
| New Jersey | 10 years |
| New Mexico | Lifetime |
| New York | 10 years |
| North Carolina | 7 years |
| North Dakota | 7 years |
| Ohio | 10 years |
| Oklahoma | 10 years |
| Oregon | 10 years |
| Pennsylvania | 10 years |
| Rhode Island | 10 years |
| South Carolina | 10 years |
| South Dakota | 10 years |
| Tennessee | 10 years |
| Texas | Lifetime |
| Utah | 10 years |
| Vermont | 20 years |
| Virginia | 10 years |
| Washington | 7 years |
| West Virginia | 10 years |
| Wisconsin | 10 years |
| Wyoming | 10 years |
From each state’s guide, which links the official sources. Educational information, not legal advice.
Can You Get a DUI Expunged?
The full comparison, with each state’s statute, is on DUI expungement by state.
| State | Expunge or seal? | What the law allows |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Generally no | A DUI conviction is not generally expungeable in Alabama. Charges that were dismissed, ended in acquittal, or dismissed after a diversion program can be expunged through ALEA’s process. |
| Alaska | Generally no | Alaska has no general expungement. The Court System says a conviction can be set aside after a successful suspended imposition of sentence, but for DUI and refusal the court may not suspend imposition of sentence, so that route is not available. A DUI or refusal conviction counts as a prior for 15 years. |
| Arizona | Possible in some cases | Arizona does not erase DUI convictions, but A.R.S. §13-911 lets you petition to seal arrest, conviction and sentencing records after you complete your sentence and wait a set period: three years for a class 1 misdemeanor (the class of a standard DUI) and five years for a class 4, 5 or 6 felony. Sealed DUI records can still be used to enhance the sentence for a later DUI. |
| Arkansas | Possible in some cases | A misdemeanor DWI conviction can be sealed under Arkansas’s Comprehensive Criminal Record Sealing Act once 5 years have passed since you finished your sentence. The Arkansas Crime Information Center provides a specific petition form for misdemeanor DWI. |
| California | Possible in some cases | After completing probation, many DUI convictions can be dismissed under Penal Code §1203.4. A dismissed DUI can still be pleaded and proved as a prior in a later prosecution, counts as a prior for 10 years, and still appears on your DMV record. |
| Colorado | Generally no | DUI and DWAI convictions cannot be sealed in Colorado. That includes a DUI deferred judgment, even one completed successfully. Dismissed cases and acquittals can be sealed. |
| Connecticut | Possible in some cases | A DUI conviction under §14-227a can be erased automatically under Connecticut’s Clean Slate law 10 years after your most recent conviction. It is not eligible if you were convicted of another DUI within the following 10 years. A charge dismissed after the Pretrial Alcohol Education Program is erased. |
| Delaware | Generally no | Delaware law bars expungement of any Title 21 motor vehicle charge unless it is on a short list, and DUI is not on it. The list covers driving after judgment prohibited, reckless driving, and operation of a vehicle causing death. Ask a lawyer whether your situation is an exception. |
| Florida | Generally no | A Florida DUI conviction cannot be sealed or expunged: no court may withhold adjudication of guilt for DUI, and court-ordered expunction requires that you were not adjudicated guilty. A case that was dismissed or ended in acquittal may be eligible. |
| Georgia | Generally no | Georgia does not allow First Offender treatment for DUI (§40-6-391(f)), so a DUI plea or conviction stays on your record and your license is still suspended. Criminal history record restriction is handled by the GBI and generally applies to charges that did not end in a DUI conviction. |
| Hawaii | Generally no | Hawaii’s expungement statute covers arrests that did not end in a conviction, not convictions. An OVUII conviction that has not been pardoned, reversed, or set aside counts as a prior for sentencing. Talk to a lawyer about whether any record relief applies to you. |
| Idaho | Generally no | We found no Idaho statute that expunges or seals a DUI conviction. A court can sometimes set aside a plea and dismiss the case under §19-2604, but a DUI guilty plea or finding of guilt still counts as a prior for 10 years even if the judgment was withheld. |
| Illinois | Generally no | Illinois law does not allow a DUI conviction, or a DUI court supervision, to be sealed or expunged, with very limited exceptions. The DUI also stays on your driving record permanently. |
| Indiana | Possible in some cases | Indiana allows expungement of OWI convictions. A misdemeanor OWI can be expunged 5 years after conviction, and a Level 6 felony OWI 8 years after conviction (sooner if the prosecutor agrees in writing), if you have no pending charges and no new convictions in the waiting period. |
| Iowa | Possible in some cases | A misdemeanor OWI conviction (first or second offense) can be expunged once in your lifetime if more than 8 years have passed since the conviction, you have no pending charges, and you have paid everything you owe. A felony OWI cannot use this process. A completed deferred judgment is handled separately. |
| Kansas | Possible in some cases | A first DUI can be expunged 5 years after you finish your sentence or probation, including a diversion. A second or later DUI requires 10 years. |
| Kentucky | Possible in some cases | A misdemeanor DUI conviction can be expunged by petition under KRS 431.078 no sooner than 5 years after you finish your sentence or probation, but only if the offense is no longer subject to enhancement. Because DUI is enhanced for 10 years, Kentucky public defender guidance puts the practical wait at 10 years. A felony DUI follows the felony expungement rules. |
| Louisiana | Possible in some cases | A misdemeanor DWI conviction can be expunged, but only once in a 10-year period. The motion must include a certified letter from the Office of Motor Vehicles. |
| Maine | Generally no | Maine’s sealing law covers only Class E convictions and a short list of older marijuana crimes. A Maine OUI is a Class D crime or higher, so it is not an eligible conviction under 15 M.R.S. §2261. Talk to a lawyer about whether any other relief is available. |
| Maryland | Possible in some cases | Options are narrow. A charge that ends in acquittal, dismissal, nolle prosequi or stet can be expunged. A probation before judgment for DUI or DWI (§21-902(a) or (b)) can be expunged only 15 years after you’re discharged from probation, and only if you have no new convictions or DUI probation in that time. A DUI conviction itself is not on the list of convictions that can be expunged. |
| Massachusetts | Generally no | An OUI conviction is not expunged in Massachusetts, but it can be sealed. A misdemeanor (a 1st or 2nd OUI) can be sealed 3 years after the conviction or release from custody, whichever is later. A felony (a 3rd or later OUI) can be sealed 7 years after the conviction or release from custody. Sealing does not erase the RMV record: the RMV still counts every prior OUI. |
| Michigan | Possible in some cases | Since February 2022, you can petition to set aside one first-time OWI conviction if it did not cause injury or death. You must wait at least 5 years after sentencing, probation, parole, or prison, whichever ends last. A judge decides. |
| Minnesota | Possible in some cases | DWI convictions are excluded from Minnesota’s automatic (Clean Slate) expungement. You can petition the court: generally 2 years crime-free after a misdemeanor sentence ends, or 3 years after a gross misdemeanor. The judge decides. Your driving record is not erased. |
| Mississippi | Possible in some cases | A first DUI conviction can be expunged by petition to the circuit court at least 5 years after you complete the sentence, if you didn’t hold a CDL or commercial permit at the time, didn’t refuse the test, had a BAC below 0.16, and have no other DUI. Expunction is available only once, and a first-offense nonadjudication can be used only once. |
| Missouri | Possible in some cases | A first misdemeanor intoxication-related traffic offense can be expunged once, under RSMo 610.130, after 10 years with no new alcohol-related offenses or enforcement contacts. It doesn’t apply to DWI in a commercial vehicle. The general expungement law (610.140) excludes DWI. |
| Montana | Possible in some cases | Montana lets you petition a district court once in your life to expunge misdemeanor convictions. Expungement is not presumed for a DUI under Title 61, chapter 8, part 10, so the court weighs your age at the offense, time since, rehabilitation, and risk of reoffending. Check eligibility before you file. |
| Nebraska | Generally no | Nebraska has no general expungement for DUI convictions. If you complete probation, you may ask the court to set aside the conviction, which does not erase it or remove it from your driving record. |
| Nevada | Possible in some cases | A misdemeanor DUI can be sealed 7 years after you are released from custody or are no longer under a suspended sentence, whichever is later. A third-offense felony DUI cannot be sealed, unless it was reduced to a second-offense conviction through the statewide sobriety and drug monitoring program. DUI causing death or substantial bodily harm cannot be sealed. |
| New Hampshire | Possible in some cases | New Hampshire calls it annulment. A DWI conviction cannot be annulled until 10 years after the conviction date. Petitions are filed in the Circuit Court, District Division. |
| New Jersey | Generally no | A DWI is a motor vehicle offense, not a crime, so it does not appear on a criminal record and cannot be expunged. It stays on your MVC driving record and counts for later step-down and repeat-offense calculations. |
| New Mexico | Generally no | DWI convictions are not eligible for expungement under New Mexico’s Criminal Record Expungement Act. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction may be eligible. |
| New York | Generally no | New York does not expunge convictions. You can apply to seal up to two eligible convictions (no more than one felony) 10 years after sentencing or release. The Clean Slate Act also seals eligible records automatically: misdemeanors after 3 years and felonies after 8, with courts given until November 2027 to set this up. Neither law lists DWI as an excluded offense: the Clean Slate Act excludes sex offenses and most Class A felonies, and the application route excludes sex offenses, violent felonies, Class A felonies and Article 125 felonies. Sealing does not erase the DMV driving record. |
| North Carolina | Generally no | A DWI conviction cannot be expunged in North Carolina. The expunction statutes expressly exclude any offense involving impaired driving. A dismissed charge or a not-guilty verdict can be expunged. |
| North Dakota | Possible in some cases | DUI records are sealed under a DUI-specific law, not the general sealing chapter. You may petition the court that handled the case if you have no new DUI or other criminal conviction within 7 years of the first violation. |
| Ohio | Generally no | An OVI conviction cannot be sealed or expunged in Ohio. Traffic convictions, including OVI, are excluded from record sealing, and an OVI also blocks sealing other convictions in the same case. |
| Oklahoma | Possible in some cases | If you receive a deferred sentence and complete it, the court can dismiss the charge and you can seek expungement under 22 O.S. §991c. Other DUI convictions may be eligible for expungement after waiting periods set by statute. |
| Oregon | Generally no | Oregon does not allow a DUII to be set aside under ORS 137.225. That includes a DUII dismissed after diversion. The case stays on your record. |
| Pennsylvania | Generally no | A DUI conviction generally cannot be expunged in Pennsylvania. If you complete ARD, the court can order the ARD case expunged. Limited access, which keeps a record from public view but does not erase it, can be petitioned after 7 years without a new conviction for an ungraded offense with a maximum of five years or less, and some second- and third-degree misdemeanors are limited automatically under the Clean Slate provisions. Neither statute names DUI as excluded, but a court decides each petition. |
| Rhode Island | Possible in some cases | A person with no other convictions (a first offender) can ask the court to expunge a misdemeanor conviction 5 years after completing the sentence, or a felony 10 years after. The judge decides, and you must have no arrests or convictions in that time and have paid all fines. DUI (§31-27-2) and refusal (§31-27-2.1) convictions cannot be expunged under the separate rule for people with several misdemeanors, so a second conviction closes that path. |
| South Carolina | Generally no | A DUI conviction generally cannot be expunged in South Carolina. The general conviction-expungement statute (§22-5-910) covers only offenses carrying up to 30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine and excludes offenses involving the operation of a motor vehicle. Dismissed charges and acquittals can usually be cleared. |
| South Dakota | Generally no | This guide could not confirm whether a South Dakota DUI conviction can be expunged or sealed. Ask the court clerk or a lawyer whether any option applies to your case. |
| Tennessee | Generally no | A Tennessee DUI conviction cannot be expunged, and DUI is not eligible for pretrial or judicial diversion. A dismissed DUI charge or an acquittal may be expunged. Vehicular assault is also excluded from expunction. |
| Texas | Generally no | A DWI conviction cannot be expunged in Texas. A first-time Class B DWI with a BAC under 0.15 may qualify for an order of nondisclosure, which seals the record from most public and employer searches after a waiting period. Dismissals and acquittals can be expunged. |
| Utah | Possible in some cases | A Utah DUI conviction can be expunged by petition after a 10-year waiting period, using a Certificate of Eligibility from the Bureau of Criminal Identification. Clean Slate automatic expungement does not cover DUI. |
| Vermont | Possible in some cases | A qualifying DUI misdemeanor can be sealed. Under 13 V.S.A. § 7602(e), the court grants the petition if at least 10 years have passed since you completed your sentence, any restitution and surcharges are paid, you do not hold a commercial driver’s license or permit, and the State does not show that sealing is contrary to the interests of justice. File a petition with the court. |
| Virginia | Generally no | A Virginia DUI conviction cannot be expunged. Expungement covers charges that were dismissed or ended in acquittal. A DUI conviction stays on your DMV driving record for 11 years. |
| Washington | Generally no | A Washington DUI conviction can’t be vacated under RCW 9.96.060. If a DUI charge ends in a conviction for a different offense, such as negligent driving or reckless driving, that conviction may be eligible. A deferred prosecution still counts as a prior for future DUIs. |
| West Virginia | Generally no | West Virginia’s expungement statute (§61-11-26) bars expungement of driving under the influence offenses. Dismissed charges and acquittals can usually be expunged. |
| Wisconsin | Generally no | A first-offense OWI is a civil forfeiture, so there is no criminal record to expunge, and it stays on your WisDOT driving record. Wisconsin’s expunction law (§973.015) applies only to certain crimes committed under age 25, and only if the judge orders it at sentencing. |
| Wyoming | Possible in some cases | Wyoming lets a person petition the convicting court to expunge a misdemeanor conviction 5 years after the sentence, including probation, is finished. The statute does not exclude misdemeanor DUI. A judge decides, and you can get an expungement only once. A felony DUI follows a separate, longer felony process. Ask a lawyer about your case. |
From each state’s guide, which links the official sources. Educational information, not legal advice.
Employment and Background Checks
Standard employment background checks typically go back 7 years. After that, many employers won't see it — but the conviction still exists on your criminal record.
Industries That Care Most
- • Transportation / CDL
- • Healthcare
- • Education
- • Government / Law Enforcement
- • Finance / Banking
Industries That Often Overlook
- • Tech / Software
- • Hospitality
- • Retail
- • Construction
- • Creative / Media
Steps to Minimize Long-Term Impact
- 1.Complete all court requirements on time
- 2.Check your state's expungement eligibility
- 3.Be honest on applications (when asked)
- 4.Prepare a brief, mature explanation
- 5.Let time work in your favor
- 6.Finish your SR-22 period without lapses
DUI Impact Timeline
| Timeframe | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 0–3 years | Maximum impact on insurance, employment |
| 3–5 years | Insurance normalizing, SR-22 may end |
| 5–7 years | Most background checks won't show it |
| 7–10 years | Lookback period may expire |
| 10+ years | Minimal practical impact on daily life |
Know Exactly Where You Stand
Check your state's specific rules for DUI records, lookback periods, and expungement options.
All 50 state guides →