The Department of Public Safety typically imposes a 120-day driver’s license suspension, although a driver may qualify for an **interlock-restricted license that allows limited driving during suspension if they install an ignition interlock device and meet eligibility requirements.
Mississippi’s first-offense DUI also carries a **five-year “look-back” period**. This means that if another DUI occurs within five years, the new charge will be treated as a second offense with 1st offense dui in mississippi substantially harsher penalties. Though a first DUI is a misdemeanor, it becomes part of the driver’s permanent record unless eligible for non-adjudication or expungement. Mississippi allows limited expungement for certain first-offense DUIs after meeting statutory conditions, but not all defendants will qualify.
Even without incarceration, a DUI conviction has practical consequences beyond the court. Insurance premiums typically increase, employment background checks can show the conviction, and some professions and licenses view a DUI as a mark of negligence. If there was a refusal to take a breath or blood test, Mississippi’s “implied consent” law triggers a separate period of license suspension regardless of the criminal case outcome.
Although a first DUI is not a felony, Mississippi treats it as a serious public-safety crime with mandatory penalties and long-term consequences meant to deter repeat behavior.
It is and can have devastating consequences for a person, especially if a repeat offender. A first offence DUI, though, is just as vitally important to win as any other impaired driving crime.
What is so bad about a DUI 1st Offense? Because the penalties for your first DUI conviction include potentially having it on your criminal history for life, that consequence alone will cost you dearly in opportunities as well as personal and business hurdles. Then, if by some chance a 2nd offense DUI occurs, the very harsh loss of driving privileges and jail time required by Mississippi DUI laws can be life-altering.
