Under Colorado DUI/DWI convictions 2 separate cases are triggered; the court case, where punishment is handed out including jail time, fines, and alcohol abuse counceling, and then the Department of Motor Vehicles Case (DMV) where it is determined how long a person will lose their license for.

Note - From date of arrest, a person only has 7 days to request a DMV hearing.

Under Colorado law, a person can be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (dui) or Driving While Ability Impaired, (DWI) which is a lesser charge where a person is found to have a blood alcohol level BAC above .05.

A person can be charged due to them driving under the influence which is deemed a fact by their inability to properly operate a motor vehicle, or by Colorado's "per se" laws in which no matter if the person can drive a straight line or not they are arrested if their blood or breath sample blows over .08.

In order to prove that a person was driving DWI, the prosecution only has to prove that the defendant was impaired to the slightest agree.

Colorado's punishments that can be handed out for drunk driving convictions are less harsh than other states impose.

A first offense will result in; unsupervised probation for 1 or 2 years, 48 hours of useful public service, an alcohol evaluation, an alcohol education course, and fines, fees, and court costs amounting to approximately $500. A person must also not drink for a 1 year period. The maximum punishment for a first DUI offense results in; up to 1 year in jail, $1000 fine, 96 hours of public service, an alcohol evaluation, an alcohol education course, and up to 86 hours of alcohol therapy.

In the Colorado DMV case, a person's license will be suspended for a period of time depending on the number of prior DUI/DWI convictions.