I got a DUI in California and I have a Washington drivers license. I was told that Washington would not be notified from the police but I was told that my drivers license would be suspended. I am not sure of how that could happen.
California and Washington are both members of the Interstate Compact for drivers licenses, and compact states recognize suspensions imposed by other compact states.
California DMV will automatically suspend your license for 4 months if you were arrested for a DUI (longer if you are under 21 or had prior DUI convictions). The suspension goes into effect 30 days after your arrest.
You can challenge the DMV suspension, but only if you request a hearing within TEN DAYS of your arrest.
Most DUI attorneys also handle the DMV administrative hearings, and will request a hearing on your behalf. They will also ask DMV for a "stay," which allows you to continue to drive pending the outcome of the hearing.
Please understand that this is a general discussion of legal principles by a California lawyer and does not create an attorney/client relationship. It's impossible to give detailed, accurate advice based on a few sentences on a website (and you shouldn't provide too much specific information about your legal matter on a public forum like this site, anyway). You should always seek advice from an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction who can give you an informed opinion after reviewing all of the relevant information.
Mr. Marshall above is generally correct. The states are supposed to communicate to each other.
First of all, if you just recently got your DUI, you should make sure to request a DMV hearing. Without this, your license will automatically be suspended. Even with the hearing it will likely be suspended as the DMV hearings are very difficult to win. However, if you are able to still get a hearing you will certainly need a lawyer to represent you or help you through it.
Secondly, even thought the DMV's are supposed to talk to each other it does not mean they actually will. You will have to take a wait and see approach and keep an eye out for any notification from Washington about your license.
You should consider hiring a lawyer to help you through both the DMV issues as well as the court case. You may also be eligible for a restricted driver's license.
The Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS) is used to search the National Driver Register (NDR), which is a repository of information on problem drivers provided by all 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Based on information received through an NDR search, PDPS will "point" the inquiring jurisdiction to the State of Record(s) (SOR), where an individual's driver status and history information is stored. Based on the information received from the SOR(s), the issuing state will decide if the applicant is eligible to receive a new, or renew, his/her driver’s license.
Historically, only commercial drivers were actually required to be run through the PDPS; but with the passage of numerous federal regulations relating to commercial drivers between 2005 and 2007, all drivers are now required to be run through PDPS at the time of either application or renewal. Thus, Washington may pick-up on the conviction when you renew your Washington driver's license.
In addition to the aforementioned, many states voluntarily report administrative suspensions to the home state of an out-of-state driver arrested for DUI. Thus, there are numerous ways that Washington can be made aware of the California DUI.
On another note, there is the issue of the hold that will be generated out of California upon either a conviction for DUI or an administrative suspension from the California DMV. If these holds are picked up on by Washington, it could lead to Washington taking a suspension on your Washington driver's license.
I hope this helps explain how a suspension in Washington could arise.
Michael Jon FremontDUI / DWI AttorneySan Diego, CA ·
Your "rightb to drive" in California will be suspended, even thougfh you do not have a Cal. license. You will get an X number from the California DMV for your records in Cal. Washington will be notified through the Inrestate drivers license compact.
You will need to do a California DUI program that is NOT available in any other state to lift the suspension OR contact DMV driver safety in Sacramento and get a waiver of the in state program
