By James Stevens, Director and Solicitor, Go To Court Lawyers. Last reviewed 11 April 2026.
Key points
- High range is level 4: 0.15 or more.
- First offence: up to $12,000 and/or 9 months' jail, and an automatic 18-month disqualification the court may shorten to no less than 9 months.
- Repeat offence (an earlier offence at any time): up to $24,000 and/or 18 months' jail, and 3 years (no less than 18 months).
- No compulsory jail. These are maximums; there is no minimum fine.
- Interlock compulsory, from halfway through the disqualification. No restricted licence. Police must suspend your licence on the spot for up to 90 days.
- For a lawyer, call 1800 577 015 at any hour: free general legal information, and a 60-minute consultation with an ACT lawyer for a fixed $295.
In the ACT, a first level 4 drink-driving offence, a reading of 0.15 or more, carries up to 75 penalty units ($12,000) and/or 9 months' jail, an automatic 18-month disqualification that the court can shorten to no less than 9 months, and a compulsory alcohol interlock.
Checked on 22 October 2026 against the Road Transport (Alcohol and Drugs) Act 1977 (republication 53, in force from 26 November 2025) and the related ACT road transport Acts and regulations, the ACT Government's and Access Canberra's pages, the ACT Magistrates Court and Legal Aid ACT. A penalty unit is $160 for an individual.
Level 4 penalties
| Maximum penalty | Automatic disqualification | |
|---|---|---|
| First offence | 75 penalty units ($12,000) and/or 9 months' jail | 18 months (no less than 9) |
| Repeat offence | 150 penalty units ($24,000) and/or 18 months' jail | 3 years (no less than 18 months) |
- These are maximums. There is no minimum fine and no compulsory jail for any ACT drink-driving offence.
- Disqualification is automatic on conviction. The court may shorten the automatic period, but never below the minimum. It cancels your licence and runs from the conviction.
- Over the limit is a strict liability offence: the prosecution does not have to prove you meant it. Driving under the influence needs no reading at all.
- Appeal: within 28 days after sentence, or longer if the Supreme Court allows.
Refusing a test and driving under the influence carry higher maximums than level 4: up to $16,000 and/or 12 months' jail for a first offence. See drink driving penalties in the ACT.
The interlock
- Compulsory after a conviction or finding of guilt, with a disqualification, for level 4; a refusal; alcohol and a drug together; alcohol-related driving under the influence; or as a habitual offender (two or more other alcohol offences dealt with in the previous 5 years).
- When: you can get a probationary licence with an interlock after serving half your disqualification. Waiting out the full disqualification does not avoid the interlock unless you are exempted. You need an alcohol and drug assessment before sentence.
- How long: until the later of 6 months from when the condition starts and the end of your disqualification, and only after 3 months without a breach. A breach is a reading of 0.02 or more, repeated readings above zero, or a missed test.
- Voluntary: after any other alcohol offence, you may choose an interlock at any time during your disqualification (after the awareness course).
- Exemption: only for someone who has served the full disqualification, in special circumstances such as a medical condition.
- Interlock drivers have a zero alcohol limit. Breaching the interlock condition carries up to 50 penalty units ($8,000) and/or 6 months' jail, and cancellation. No government page states the cost; Access Canberra refers people to the installers.
The immediate suspension
- Police must suspend your licence on the spot if they reasonably believe you drove over the limit at any level (since 25 May 2024), refused a test (other than failing to stay for a screening test), or drove under the influence. You must surrender your licence, and you cannot get a new or restricted licence while it lasts. Interstate and overseas licence holders lose the right to drive in the ACT.
- How long: up to 90 days, or 180 days if you accept an infringement notice. It ends earlier if the charge is dropped or decided. If your case takes longer than 90 days, the suspension ends and you may drive again until you are sentenced, subject to any bail conditions.
- Credit: the time you serve comes off any later disqualification, unless you disobeyed the notice.
- Challenging it: you can apply to the Magistrates Court to stay the suspension within 28 days, with grounds and an affidavit. The court grants it only in exceptional circumstances, weighing road safety and your need for a licence; it does not decide guilt.
- Driving during the suspension, or not surrendering your licence, carries up to 20 penalty units ($3,200) each.
How earlier offences are counted
- There is no five-year limit. An earlier drink- or drug-driving offence counts however long ago it was (for offences from 1 December 2010), including a refusal, an interstate equivalent, and a finding of guilt without a conviction.
- An ACT infringement notice you did not dispute counts at any time; an interstate one within 5 years.
- Five-year windows apply only to the habitual-offender interlock rule and to repeat driving while disqualified.
A finding of guilt without a conviction
A court can find you guilty without recording a conviction, by dismissing the charge or making a good behaviour order of up to 3 years (Crimes (Sentencing) Act 2005, section 17). It weighs your character, history, age, health and mental condition, the seriousness of the offence and any extenuating circumstances; there is no "exceptional circumstances" test. Legal Aid ACT says it is uncommon. Because the automatic disqualification needs a conviction, it does not apply, but the court may still disqualify you, you must still do the alcohol and drug awareness course within 6 months, and the finding counts as an earlier offence.
Free legal help in the ACT
- Legal Aid ACT Helpline on 1300 654 314, 8:30am to 7pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30am to 5pm Friday. It gives free legal information, or books an appointment for advice.
- A duty lawyer at court: Legal Aid ACT says it is free to talk to the duty lawyer and you do not need an appointment, but it is a good idea to arrive early in the day.
How Go To Court Lawyers can help
Our free line, 1800 577 015, answers at any hour. Jen, our AI legal information assistant, gives general legal information and takes your details; Jen is not a lawyer and does not give advice about your case. A 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in the ACT is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person. The lawyer can check whether the reading and the charge can be proved, and argue for a shorter disqualification and a lower fine within the law's limits. Requests are taken at any hour; how soon a lawyer can see you depends on who is available. Request a $295 consultation with an ACT lawyer.
General information only, not legal advice. Updated 22 October 2026. Checked against the Road Transport (Alcohol and Drugs) Act 1977 (ACT), republication 53, the Road Transport (General) Act 1999, the Road Transport (Driver Licensing) Act 1999 and Regulation 2000, the Road Transport (Offences) Regulation 2005, the Crimes (Sentencing) Act 2005 and the Magistrates Court Act 1930 (all as in force on 22 October 2026), the Legislation Act 2001 (penalty unit $160), the ACT Government's drink and drug driving page (30 June 2026), Access Canberra, the ACT Magistrates Court's restricted licence pages (20 February 2026) and Legal Aid ACT (7 October 2026), on 22 October 2026.