The results of the Utah Driver License Division (DLD) can have a great influence on what happens to your driver’s license when you resolve your court case. Depending on what happened at the DLD, you may completely avoid a suspension, suffer a reduced suspension, or suffer the full suspension.

This post will cover how the result of your case in court will affect your license. The previous post discussed the possible driver’s license consequences from the Driver License Division (DLD).

What if DLD already suspended my license?

If you are convicted of DUI in court the court will send notice of that conviction to DLD. When the DLD receives notice it will suspend your license for 120 days for a first offense. However, if your license was already suspended by the DLD before you went to court, your suspension will be reduced by the amount of the suspension that you have already served. In other words, if the DLD suspends your license for 120 days on a first offense, then a conviction for DUI is not going to extend that time. You will still have only a 120-day suspension.

Often in DUI cases a DUI attorney can negotiate a reduction of your DUI charge to a charge called Impaired Driving. If the DLD suspended your license for 120 days for a first offense, then pleading guilty to Impaired Driving will actually reduce your suspension to 60 days.

What if the DLD didn’t suspend my license?

In some cases the DLD will not suspend your license at the administrative hearing. If you are then convicted of a first DUI, the court will send notice of your conviction to the DLD and the DLD will suspend your license for 120 days based on your conviction.

If your attorney was able to negotiate a plea to a reduced charge of Impaired Driving, the court will send notice of this to the DLD and the DLD will not suspend your license as long as you meet one condition: You must not have committed an additional violation of the law resulting in a conviction of Impaired Driving or Reckless Driving within the past 12 months.

Contact a Utah DUI Attorney

Most cases are very complicated and almost never as simple as this post may make it seem. If you have questions about your driver license, you should contact a Utah DUI Attorney to ask questions about your case. Call Intermountain Legal at 801-970-2800 for a free consultation or contact us online here.