Texas DWI Laws Facts, Jail Time Penalties. Texas DWI Defined. Under Texas law, driving while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol is a criminal offense that can have extremely serious legal consequences. Authorities are actively looking for people who violate the law, and many drivers are surprised to learn that they can be accused of driving while intoxicated DWI even after only a few drinks. In some cases, drivers may be arrested for a DWI even if their blood alcohol concentration BAC is below the limit that the law defines as intoxicated. Fortunately, there are often a number of ways in which a Texas DWI defense lawyer can help reduce the consequences you may be facing if you are accused of drunk driving. In some cases, an attorney may even be able to have the case against you dismissed or dropped by the state. What is driving while intoxicated under Texas LawWhile drunk or drugged driving is illegal across the United States, each state has specific laws defining the offense and its associated legal penalties. In Texas, the general drunk driving law is found in Texas Penal Code Title 1. Chapter 4. 9. The statute defines the term intoxicated in two distinct ways Not having the normal use of your mental and physical faculties due to the consumption of drugs or alcohol andor Having a BAC of. For certain classes of drivers, the BAC limit is lower. For example, drivers who are under 2. Evidence of Intoxication. Find out how to get a restricted occupational license to drive after a Texas DWI conviction. Driver License Suspension in Texas If your Texas drivers license and driving privileges have been suspended by the Department of Public Safety DPS, youll need to. Search the worlds information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what youre looking for. The 2013 Kansas DUI information site. What happens following a KS DUI arrest including laws, diversion, jail, fines, suspensions, revocations, lawyers and attorney fees. Occupational licenses are not available to drive commercial vehicles. Speak to your Wisconsin OWI lawyer about how to obtain an Occupational License. How To Install Neospeech Captivate 6 Tutorials more. Occupational Driver S License Texas Dwi Education CourseOccupational Driver S License Texas Dwi Education ProgramWhen investigating a driver suspected of driving while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, law enforcement officers can use a variety of methods to gather evidence of intoxication and impairment. Objective measures of a persons blood, breath, or urine can be used to determine a drivers BAC. It is important to note, however, that a BAC above the legal limit is not necessary to legally accuse someone of DWI in Texas instead, probable cause indicating that you are intoxicated is enough for an officer to arrest you. Among the kinds of observations an officer can consider in determining whether a driver is intoxicated include observations about the drivers appearance and behavior, the presence or odor of alcohol, and the drivers performance on a variety of field sobriety tests. Overview of DWI Penalties. Conviction. Offense Level. Maximum Fine. Jail Range. License Suspension. DWI and BWIClass B Misdemeanor. Up to 2,0. 00. 72 hours to 1. DWI and BWI with Blood or Blood Alcohol Concentration BAC at or over. Class A Misdemeanor. Up to 4,0. 00. 72 hours to 1 year in the county jail. DWI with Open Container Enhancement. Class B Misdemeanor. Up to 2,0. 00. 6 days to 1. Court Forms and Other Information resources in Texas. Occupational Driver S License Texas Dwi Education Online' title='Occupational Driver S License Texas Dwi Education Online' />DWI and BWIClass A Misdemeanor. Up to 4,0. 00. 30 to 3. DWI and BWI3rd Degree Felony. Up to 1. 0,0. 00. Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJ1. DWI and BWI with 1 prior TDCJ penitentiary trip. Punished as a 2nd Degree Felony. Up to 1. 0,0. 00. Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJUp to. DWI and BWI with 2 prior TDCJ penitentiary trips. Enhanced Felony Punishment. Up to 1. 0,0. 00. Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJUp to. Intoxication Assault DWI that Causes Serious Bodily Injury. Degree Felony. Up to 1. Texas Department of Criminal Justice TDCJ1. Intoxication Manslaughter DWI that Causes Death. Degree Felony. Up to 1. Texas Department of Corrections TDCJ1. DWI with child passenger Child Younger than 1. Years of Age. State Jail Felony. Up to 1. 0,0. 00. State Jail Facility. DWI Penalties Minors. For the purposes of driving while intoxicated DWI and other laws involving alcohol, Texas law defines anyone under the age of 2. Minors are prohibited from driving a motor vehicle with any detectable amount of alcohol in their systems. For a first offense, minors who are caught driving after drinking any alcohol face fines, probation, loss of their right to drive, mandatory enrollment in an alcohol education class, community service, and the installation of an ignition interlock device. These penalties increase significantly with each subsequent offense, and in many cases can include jail time. Fortunately, an experienced Texas DUI defense lawyer can often minimize these and other long term consequences that minor DUI offenders may face. DUI Penalties Adults. The penalties in Texas associated with driving while intoxicated DWI have grown increasingly harsher over the past few decades. While specific penalties imposed after a DUI depend on a variety of factors, the most relevant are the number of previous offenses as well as your blood alcohol content BAC at the time of your arrest. Below is some information on the penalties that may be imposed after being accused of driving while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol 1st DWI Charge  Offense After your first DWI offense in Texas, you may be fined up to 2,0. Additionally, your license may be suspended for up to two years, and there may be an annual surcharge of as much as 2,0. Finally, you may be required to install an ignition interlock device on your car and attend a DWI intervention or education program. DWI Charge  Offense After a first offense, the penalties associated with DWI in Texas increase significantly. A second offense could result in fines of up to 4,0. The license suspension associated with a 2nd DWI offense can last up to two years, and there may be a three year annual surcharge of up to 2,0. In addition, you may be required to install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle and attend a DWI intervention or education program. DWI Charge  Offense The fine associated with a third or subsequent offense in Texas can be up to 1. In addition, offenders may be sentenced to 2 to 1. There may also be a surcharge of up to 2,0. Finally, there may also be a requirement that you install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle and also that you participate in a DWI intervention or education program. Fortunately for people accused of DWI in Texas, there are many ways that a DWI Criminal defense attorney may be able to mitigate the consequences that you are facing. In certain cases, a skilled lawyer may even be able to have the case against you dismissed or dropped by the prosecution. The most effective way to ensure that your case is resolved as favorably as possible after is to call an experienced attorney as soon as you can after a DWI arrest. DWI Crimes and Injury to Others. The Texas legislature has defined certain crimes involving DWI that involve injury or the risk of injury to others. These include DWI with a child under 1. Intoxication assault and Intoxication manslaughter. These offenses are prosecuted under different code sections than DWI law and expose offenders to much more serious consequences. Additionally, there are other enhanced offenses defined by the law, including injuring a firefighter, peace officer, or other emergency medical personnel, or causing a traumatic brain injury that results in a persistent vegetative state. Understanding DWI Probation in Texas. Probation is an agreement between you and the judge in which the judge agrees not to impose a jail sentence in exchange for you agreeing to do or not do certain things during a set amount of time. This set amount of time is known as the probationary period. For a first offense, the probationary period can extend up to two years. In most cases, if you have no prior convictions, then a judge will suspend your entire jail sentence and place you on probation for a minimum of six months. Typically, a probation period is one year in length.