Colorado DUI Costs
This is something that many have asked for, it is the all-important million-dollar question, what will my first DUI cost me?
Actually quite a bit, not only from an out of pocket expense to cover all the fees, but from the loss of salary/income from taking time off to handle your DUI conviction, actually losing your job, medical costs that aren’t covered by your insurance, vehicle/property/personal damage, if any, to others and their vehicles.
Additionally, a loss of time from a driver’s license suspension or revocation (90 days to years), DUI treatment programs if ordered to do so (3-30 months), weekly probation visits for drug/alcohol screenings, and jail time or community service from 24 hours to multiple years.
According to the Rocky Mountain News in June 26, 2004 DUI related costs were:
Car towing……$65
Daily car storage fee……$20
Bail fee (15% under $10,000 — minimum bond $1,000)……$150
Jail filing fees……$10
Defense attorney’s fee……$2,500
Minimum fine……$300
Victim assistance fund……$60
Victim compensation fund……$60
Law enforcement assistance fund……$90
Alcohol evaluation……$181
Restitution cost for chemical testing……$30
Probation supervision fee……$600
Community service supervision……$60
License reinstatement……$60
Driver’s license retesting and new license……$25.60
Brain injury surcharge……$15
Court cost……$21
Alcohol education classes/treatment……$425
Victim impact panel assessment (if ordered)……$25
Auto insurance increase……$4,800 prorated over three years
Total: $9,497.60
In 1999, Colorado-DUI.com reported DUI conviction related fees at $8866.00, an increase of $631.60 over the course of 5 years. Not a huge increase, but none-the-less an increase. Now add that amount to the approximate cost of a DUI In 2004 to estimate what you might pay in 2009 and you come up with a high-end average of $10,129.20.
This is an approximate fee schedule; additional fees may be passed onto or subtracted from your overall costs you might be required to pay. A lot of this will depend on the details of your conviction and whether or not you hired an attorney.
Additional difficulties not listed above could include divorce, custody of children lost, a bad influence on children, and worse case scenario the death of someone in the vehicle you’re driving or a vehicle you may have hit.
If you have injured or fatally injured someone in an accident you will need to hire an attorney as soon as possible and in this case you will need to collect all the resources you have and retain the best attorney possible.
If you do not enter a guilty plea or a not guilty plea, and a plea bargain is not reached and you go to trial and get convicted of DUI you might have to consider hiring an appellate attorney to manage your criminal appeal. Estimates put this cost at somewhere between $10,000-$20,000. Again this cost will depend on your case and by the attorney that you hire.
Doesn’t seem worth it does it and that’s only the costs of a first time DUI conviction. Imagine the costs for a second or even a third DUI conviction.
This information is not intended to be legal advice, if legal representation is needed please hire an experienced attorney and ask him or her to advise you on the best possible route that you should take.