Have you been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Pennsylvania? If so, is the arrest your first-ever DUI charge or have you been convicted of previous impaired driving offenses? Certainly if you find yourself in this position, regardless of whether or not this is your first offense, you will want to educate yourself about the potential penalties and how the state grades different classes of DUI offenses.

According to the State of Pennsylvania, all DUI offenses are treated as misdemeanors, not felonies. Penalties vary based upon the number of prior offenses you may have on your record and what your blood alcohol content was. If you are charged with a DUI and have no other DUIs on your record in the previous 10 years, it is considered a first offense. That means a drunk driving conviction from 12 years earlier cannot count against you any longer.

All first DUI offenses in Pennsylvania are treated as ungraded misdemeanors. If your BAC was below 0.10 percent, you may serve probation but not jail time. For higher BAC levels, you may spend up to six months in jail. You will pay $300 for a low BAC and up to $5,000 for higher levels. You may lose the right to drive for a full year if your blood alcohol content was over the 0.10 percent threshold. A drug and alcohol assessment may be required but is not mandatory for first offense.

You can learn more about the penalties for different types of DUI convictions at the Pennsylvania drunk driving defense page of our website.