The global Covid-19 pandemic has been altering our lives in profound ways, from the way children are learning to how people are shopping. One such change has been a rise in alcohol sales in the United States.
According to market data provider Nielson, sales of alcoholic beverages have surged 24% in the first six months of the U.S. national health emergency declared in February 2020. And Americans show no signs they’re ready to give up that coping mechanism in 2021, according to industry news provider Beverage Daily.
Meanwhile, Americans have recently returned to pre-pandemic driving habits, suggesting that drinking and driving charges may soon rebound as well after a sharp decline last year, especially after more Americans get vaccinated for the virus. Here are the states where visitors don’t have to quarantine if they get tested for COVID-19.
Driving under the influence can of course have serious safety and legal consequences, and it can send your car insurance premiums through the proverbial sunroof. In 2019, the FBI reported that more than a million Americans were arrested for drunk driving, and while that number probably dropped in 2020 (the FBI data isn’t out yet) it’s likely to rebound this year as people return to the roads.
The penalties for driving under the influence varies by state. According in Insurify, an insurance comparison-shopping website, the charges for driving under the influence can involve a first-offense non-criminal misdemeanor charge, but the punishment increases considerably for repeat offenders. Anything beyond a misdemeanor for driving under the influence becomes a spot on your criminal record that can cause offenders to lose child-custody and gun-ownership rights. Legal immigrants can lose the right to become naturalized citizens.
A DUI change can in some cases follow you for years if not the rest of your life unless you successfully apply to have your record expunged or sealed. This process varies by state, and offenders with expunged or sealed records can still suffer more severe penalties if they get caught again driving under the influence.
The following is a list of DUI penalties by state.
1. Alabama
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, for juvenile offenses only
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>2. Alaska
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No, but convictions can be “set aside”
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>3. Arizona
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>4. Arkansas
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, for first-time DUI offenders who completed probation
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>5. California
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, you can petition for expungement after probation is completed only if you did not serve time
>6. Colorado
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, for juvenile offenses only
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>7. Connecticut
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, an expungement pardon is available 3 years after conviction
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>8. Delaware
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>9. Florida
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 75 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>10. Georgia
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>11. Hawaii
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>12. Idaho
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No, but you can ask for a “withheld judgment” for your first offense
>13. Illinois
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No, only pardons available
>14. Indiana
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, 5 years after a misdemeanor conviction or 8 years after a felony conviction
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>15. Iowa
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 12 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, in some circumstances
>16. Kansas
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, 5 years after completing probation for your first offense or 10 years after your second
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>17. Kentucky
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, 5 years after conviction for misdemeanors
>18. Louisiana
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>19. Maine
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No, only pardons available
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>20. Maryland
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Not for convictions, but you can get probation before judgment
>21. Massachusetts
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No expungement, but you can seal your record 5 years after a misdemeanor or 10 years after a felony
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>22. Michigan
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 7 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>23. Minnesota
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, available 2 years after completing sentence
>24. Mississippi
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>25. Missouri
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, available 10 years after conviction
>26. Montana
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, available 5 years after completing sentence
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>27. Nebraska
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 12 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>28. Nevada
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 7 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No, but you can have your record sealed 7 years after your first or second misdemeanor DUI
>29. New Hampshire
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, eligible for annulment 10 years after conviction
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>30. New Jersey
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No, DUIs are traffic violations in NJ
>31. New Mexico
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 55 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>32. New York
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 15 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>33. North Carolina
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 7 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>34. North Dakota
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 7 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>35. Ohio
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>36. Oklahoma
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, available 1 year after dismissal or 10 years after conviction
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>37. Oregon
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>38. Pennsylvania
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, after successful completion of the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program
>39. Rhode Island
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 5 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, available 5 years after misdemeanor conviction
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>40. South Carolina
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>41. South Dakota
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, available 10 years after misdemeanor conviction
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>42. Tennessee
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>43. Texas
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>44. Utah
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, available 10 years after conviction or 10 years after probation ends
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>45. Vermont
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: Forever
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>46. Virginia
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 11 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>47. Washington
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 15 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
>48. West Virginia
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
49. Wisconsin
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: No
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>50. Wyoming
> Length of time a DUI stays on criminal record: 10 years
> DUI expungeable from criminal record?: Yes, available 5 years after conviction
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