Checkpoints
Arrested at a DUI checkpoint? Your license clock is running.
You were stopped at a DUI checkpoint, and now you hold a citation and a license notice. Your license case has its own deadline counted in days, and it moves before your court date.
Someone answers 24/7, reviews your checkpoint arrest free, and connects you with a DUI lawyer for your state.
Where they are legal
NHTSA counts 38 states plus the District of Columbia that permit sobriety checkpoints, though how often they run varies. Officers stop cars at a set place and time chosen in advance.
Where they are banned
NHTSA cites a 2022 state-law review: checkpoints were not conducted in 13 states. Ten had a legal ban. Texas and Washington are on that list, as are Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon and five more. Missouri allowed checkpoints but barred funding them in its budget.
What happens at one
The officer asks for your license and looks for signs of drinking. If there are signs, you may be asked to pull aside for the field sobriety tests and a breath test. NHTSA says a BAC of .08 is illegal everywhere except Utah, where the limit is .05 (NHTSA).
If you are arrested at one
An arrest at a checkpoint starts the same two cases as any DUI. A lawyer may also ask whether the checkpoint followed its own written plan, since a stop that broke the rules can weaken the case. Check your license deadline on the DMV hearing page first.
Questions people ask
Are DUI checkpoints legal?
In most states. NHTSA reports that 38 states and the District of Columbia permit them. They are not conducted in 13 states.
Which states ban DUI checkpoints?
Ten states ban them in law, Texas and Washington among them. Missouri allows them, but its budget bars paying for them.
What happens at a DUI checkpoint?
Officers stop cars at a set spot and look for signs of impairment. A driver who shows signs may be asked to do roadside tests or a breath test.
What if I am arrested at a checkpoint?
It is the same as any DUI arrest: two cases, one in court and one at the driver agency, each with its own date. Start with the license deadline.
Read next: The field sobriety test · The DMV hearing · BAC calculator
What to do now
A DUI checkpoint arrest starts two cases, one in court and one for your license. The license case moves first, on a deadline counted in days. Call tonight, and a DUI defense lawyer for your state can file your hearing request before that deadline passes.
Call about my checkpoint (877) 317-9931
Someone answers 24/7, reviews your checkpoint arrest free, and connects you with a DUI lawyer for your state.
Send your case details
Send your state, the date of your checkpoint stop, and what your license notice says. With those details ready, the person who answers can review your case faster and move straight to your license deadline.