DUI Penalties in Pierce County, King County And Throughout Washington State

The answers you need from an experienced Tacoma DUI defense attorney

If you have been charged with or arrested for DUI in Tacoma, Seattle, Auburn, Puyallup or elsewhere in Western Washington, you have questions — not least of which is wondering what penalties you may face.

At The Woods Law Office, PLLC, we do more than offer effective, vigorous representation. We offer answers. As a Tacoma DUI attorney, Doug Woods takes the time to go over the defense process and help you understand all the possibilities — good, bad and otherwise. Given the political, public and law enforcement climate, you should understand that penalties for a DUI are severe — even if this is your Washington State DUI first offense:

DUI PENALTIES IF NO PRIOR OFFENSE IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS
BAC less than .15%
OR no test result
BAC .15% or higher
OR test refusal
Jail time minimum
Or Electronic Home Monitoring
24 hours (consecutively)
OR 15 days of EHM
48 hours consecutively
OR 30 days EHM
Jail time maximum One year One year
Fines and fees $866 min. ($5000 max.) $1,121 min. ($5,000 max)
License suspension 90 days One to two years if test refused
Ignition interlock One year after suspension One year after suspension
Alcohol/drug assessment As determined by the court As determined by the court
Jurisdiction/probation Five years Five years
DUI PENALTIES IF SECOND OFFENSE — ONE PRIOR IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS
BAC less than .15%
OR no test result
BAC .15% or higher
OR test refusal
Jail time minimum 30 days consecutively 45 days consecutively
Jail time maximum One year One year
Electronic Home Monitoring 60 days 90 days
Fines and fees $1,121 min. ($5,000 max.) $1,546 min. ($5,000 max.)
License suspension Two-year revocation 900-day revocation
Three years if test refusal
Ignition interlock Five years if previously restricted Five years if previously restricted
Alcohol/drug assessment As determined by the court As determined by the court
Jurisdiction/probation Five years Five years
DUI PENALTIES IF THIRD OFFENSE — TWO PRIOR OFFENSES IN THE LAST 7 YEARS
BAC less than .15%
OR no test result
BAC .15% or higher
OR test refusal
Jail time minimum 90 days consecutively 120 days consecutively
Jail time maximum One year One year
Electronic Home Monitoring 120 days 150 days
Fines and fees $1,971 min. ($5,000 max.) $2,821 min. ($5,000 max.)
License suspension Three-year revocation Four years
Ignition interlock Ten years if previously restricted for five years Ten years if previously restricted for five years
Alcohol/drug assessment As determined by the court As determined by the court
Jurisdiction/probation Five years Five years

If you are being charged as a repeat offender, it is especially important that you contact felony DUI attorney Doug Woods as soon as possible.

To schedule a free, confidential consultation with Tacoma DUI lawyer Doug Woods, please contact us today

To find out more about Washington State DUI penalties and discuss your legal options, please contact us online to schedule a free consultation with criminal lawyer Doug Woods. Weekend or evening appointments can be arranged, and we offer flexible, affordable payment plans.

Tacoma Weapons Crimes Lawyers Provide Quality Legal Representation

Gun crime defense attorneys in Pierce County with a record of success
Prosecution of gun crime is now one of Washington’s highest law enforcement priorities. In June 2012, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington stated that “if you bring a gun to a crime, you will do time, and you will likely do federal time.” Just three months later, a proposal was floated in King County to crack down on juveniles who illegally carry guns. As Tacoma weapons crimes attorneys, we can tell you the message is clear: gun and weapons crimes will be more forcefully prosecuted than ever before.

While you have the constitutional right to bear arms, weapons charges carry some of the most severe penalties. You also have a right to legal representation when facing a criminal charge — a right you must exercise when facing weapons charges, whether they involve handguns, sawed-off shotguns, machine guns or switchblade knives. The Woods Law Office, PLLC can help. If you have been charged with a gun or other deadly weapons crime, defense attorney, retired military officer and former prosecutor Doug Woods has experience that can make the difference between dismissal, acquittal or reduced charges and steep fines and prison time.

Solid defense against a range of weapons charges

Whether you have been charged on a federal or state level, you will need a criminal lawyer who has skill and a strong background in weapons charges trials. For more than a decade, gun crimes lawyer Doug Woods has successfully represented clients in gun and deadly weapons charges, including:

  • Armed robbery
  • Illegal possession of a firearm
  • Possession of a stolen weapon
  • Illegal firearms discharge
  • Firearms use or possession in the commission of a felony
  • Possession of unregistered firearms
  • Use of a weapon in self defense
  • Assault with a deadly weapon
  • Carrying a weapon without a license
  • Carrying a concealed weapon without a license
  • Minors in possession of a firearm
  • Switchblade or gravity knife charges

We work diligently on your behalf and can also help you restore your state and federal gun rights.

Contact our Tacoma weapons charges attorney for a free consultation
We have helped people in Pierce County and King County and throughout the Puget Sound area who are facing criminal weapons charges. To learn more about your legal options, please contact us online to schedule a free consultation with our gun crimes lawyer in Tacoma. Weekend or evening appointments can be arranged. We offer flexible, affordable payment plans.

A Tacoma DWI Law Firm That Fights For A Positive Resolution

Is there a difference between DUI and DWI in Washington State?

At The Woods Law Office, PLLC, serving clients in Tacoma, Puyallup and Auburn and throughout King County and Pierce County, we hear this question from clients regularly. DUI is “driving under the influence” and DWI is “driving while intoxicated.” Although in many states there is a legal distinction between DUI and DWI, in Washington, DUI is the standard term used.

Criminal defense attorney Doug Woods has more than a decade’s worth of experience helping people who are facing DUI charges. As DUI defense lawyers in Tacoma, we spend a lot of time making sure that our clients understand their legal options and know what the law has to say about DUI charges.

According to Washington State’s RCW 46.61.502:

(1) A person is guilty of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug if the person drives a vehicle within this state:

(a) And the person has, within two hours after driving, an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher as shown by analysis of the person’s breath or blood made under RCW 46.61.506; or

(b) While the person is under the influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor or any drug; or

(c) While the person is under the combined influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor and any drug.

(2) The fact that a person charged with a violation of this section is or has been entitled to use a drug under the laws of this state shall not constitute a defense against a charge of violating this section.

(3) It is an affirmative defense to a violation of subsection (1)(a) of this section which the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant consumed a sufficient quantity of alcohol after the time of driving and before the administration of an analysis of the person’s breath or blood to cause the defendant’s alcohol concentration to be 0.08 or more within two hours after driving. The court shall not admit evidence of this defense unless the defendant notifies the prosecution prior to the omnibus or pretrial hearing in the case of the defendant’s intent to assert the affirmative defense.

(4) Analyses of blood or breath samples obtained more than two hours after the alleged driving may be used as evidence that within two hours of the alleged driving, a person had an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more in violation of subsection (1)(a) of this section, and in any case in which the analysis shows an alcohol concentration above 0.00 may be used as evidence that a person was under the influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor or any drug in violation of subsection (1)(b) or (c) of this section.

(5) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, a violation of this section is a gross misdemeanor.

(6) It is a class C felony punishable under chapter 9.94A RCW, or chapter 13.40 RCW if the person is a juvenile, if:

(a) The person has four or more prior offenses within ten years as defined in RCW 46.61.5055; or

(b) The person has ever previously been convicted of:

(i) Vehicular homicide while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, RCW 46.61.520(1)(a);

(ii) Vehicular assault while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, RCW 46.61.522

(1)(b);

(iii) An out-of-state offense comparable to the offense specified in (b)(i) or (ii) of this subsection; or

(iv) A violation of this subsection (6) or RCW 46.61.504(6).

What does it all mean?

Yes, the law is confusing. Law enforcement officers count on the fact that you are confused by the law and probably too scared to challenge their authority. For example, you have the right to refuse a standard DUI procedure for Washington State — the often unreliable roadside sobriety test. If you have been stopped, you DO have to provide your license, insurance and registration. You DO NOT have to submit to a test. You SHOULD call DUI attorney Doug Woods as soon as possible.

Whether you call it DUI or DWI, call us to schedule a free consultation with a DWI attorney in Tacoma

If you have been charged with drunk driving, learn more about your rights under the law and your legal options. To schedule your free, confidential consultation with drunk driving lawyer Doug Woods, please contact us online. Weekend or evening appointments can be arranged, and we offer flexible, affordable payment plans.