RI DUI License Suspension

Complete the suspension period, pay reinstatement fees, complete required alcohol education, provide proof of insurance, install ignition interlock if ordered, and complete any required driver retraining. Reinstatement is not automatic, and Rhode Island does not require an SR-22 filing.

Usually yes. Rhode Island does not suspend the license at arrest for a failed breath test, so without a refusal charge you can keep driving until sentencing. In a refusal case, the license is suspended at the initial Traffic Tribunal appearance, and after that only a hardship license permits any driving during suspension.

They can. The administrative refusal suspension and the criminal DUI suspension come from separate cases, and whether they run back to back or overlap depends on the orders entered in each case. Raise the issue at sentencing.

If a chemical test refusal is involved, request the hearing in writing as soon as possible; § 31-27-2.1(d) then requires the Tribunal to afford it within 15 days. Without a hearing, the administrative suspension stands regardless of the criminal case outcome.

30 to 180 days for BAC 0.08 to 0.10, 3 to 12 months for 0.10 to 0.15, and 3 to 18 months for BAC 0.15+. Refusal triggers a separate 6 to 12 month administrative suspension.