Getting a DUI? New Rules Mean Immediate Interlocks and New Costs for Tech Makers

The Bottom Line

If you get a first-time DUI in Colorado, you will soon have to install a breathalyzer device in your car to get your driver's license back—you can no longer just wait out the suspension period. The legislation also forces the private companies that manufacture these devices to foot the bill for low-income drivers instead of relying on state funds.

What This Bill Actually Does

Under current law, if you get a first-time DUI or DWAI in Colorado, your driver's license is typically revoked for nine months. You have two choices: apply for an interlock-restricted license (which lets you drive as long as you blow into a steering-column breathalyzer) or simply wait out the nine months by taking the bus, getting rides, or biking. Once the suspension period ends, you can generally get your unrestricted license back.

This bill closes that "wait it out" loophole. It mandates that first-time offenders must hold an interlock-restricted license to ever get their regular driving privileges back. Even if your nine-month revocation period has completely expired, the Department of Revenue will not issue you a clean license until you have actually installed the device and successfully completed the required timeline (which is the shorter of nine months or whenever you complete the state's official removal process).

Additionally, the legislation overhauls how lower-income drivers pay for these notoriously expensive devices. Previously, the state used a specific fund to help subsidize the costs. Now, the burden shifts entirely to the certified ignition interlock manufacturers. The bill requires these private companies to provide free standard installations, free removals, and up to a 50% discount on monthly lease rates for eligible low-income drivers. To balance this out, the state eliminated the mandatory waiting periods for applying for an interlock—meaning drivers who previously had to wait two months after refusing a chemical test can now apply for their interlock immediately, getting them back on the road safely and legally much faster.

What It Means for You

If you, a family member, or a friend makes a bad decision and gets a first-time DUI after June 1, 2027, the path to driving legally again is going to look very different. The most permanent change is the end of the waiting game. For years, people who lived in urban areas with good public transit or who could work from home would simply swallow the nine-month license suspension, avoid the embarrassment and high cost of an ignition interlock device, and reinstate their license later. That is no longer an option. If you want a valid Colorado driver's license again, you are going to have to install an interlock device in your vehicle and use it for the mandated period.

The silver lining here is for drivers who simply cannot afford the steep installation and monthly leasing fees of these devices. If your income is under 150% of the federal poverty level, if you are enrolled in a public assistance program, or if you meet the Department of Revenue's strict discretionary income rules, you qualify for the state's financial assistance program. But remember, the free passes only apply to standard procedures.

While eligible drivers will get free standard installation, free removal, and half-priced monthly leases, the bill explicitly states that you get zero discounts on penalty fees. If you miss an appointment, violate the program rules, or trigger a vehicle "lockout" by blowing positive for alcohol, you are paying full price for those service calls. Furthermore, if you fail to remain compliant with the rules, you forfeit your affordability status entirely and become responsible for the full cost of the device. The goal is to make safe driving affordable, not to subsidize bad behavior.

What It Means for Your Business

For employers who manage fleets of vehicles—whether you run a plumbing company, a regional sales team, or a delivery service—this bill changes how you handle employee DUIs. Previously, an employee with a first-time DUI could conceivably wait out their suspension, take desk duty, and return to the fleet nine months later with a clean license. Now, they must complete an interlock-restricted period before they can ever drive a standard vehicle legally again. You will need to decide if your commercial insurance and company policies allow an employee to install an interlock device on a company fleet vehicle, or if a first-time DUI is now an automatic disqualifier for a driving role.

If you operate in the automotive tech sector, particularly as a certified ignition interlock manufacturer or authorized installation center, this legislation fundamentally rewrites your business model with the state. The state of Colorado is shifting the cost of low-income subsidies directly onto your balance sheets. You are now legally required to provide free standard installations, free removals, and 50% discounts on monthly leases for drivers in the financial assistance program. You must also proactively provide written notice of this assistance program to every single customer when they schedule an appointment and when they sign a lease.

However, the legislature did throw the industry a critical lifeline regarding modern vehicles. Installing an interlock device in complex modern cars—especially electric vehicles (EVs) and luxury high-end vehicles—requires significantly more labor and complex wiring than a standard sedan. The bill recognizes this by capping your liability: if the Department of Revenue determines a customer's car is a high-end or electric vehicle, you are only required to cover 50% of the installation fee, protecting you from taking a massive loss on complex labor. You are also allowed to audit program participants by requesting updated financial information every six months to ensure they still actually qualify for your mandatory discounts.

Follow the Money

This is a remarkably cheap bill for the state government to execute, costing taxpayers just $15,225 in the first year to reprogram the Department of Revenue's DRIVES computer system. But the real fiscal story is the massive cost-shift taking place behind the scenes.

Currently, driver's license restoration fees pump money into the state's First-Time Drunk Driving Offender Account within the Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF), which the state uses to help pay for low-income interlocks. By forcing the private device manufacturers to eat the cost of these discounts instead, the state no longer has to drain that account to subsidize the devices. This frees up those state funds to be spent on other authorized drunk-driving enforcement and prevention programs, effectively expanding the state's public safety budget without raising taxes a single cent.

Where This Bill Stands

HB26-1242 is currently Signed Into Law. The latest official action came on 05/28/2026: Governor Signed.

That means the legislative process is complete and the bill is now law. The remaining questions are about implementation timing and how agencies, businesses, or local governments respond.