About Colorado Alcohol Treatment Classes

There will come a time in a DUI/DWAI case – if you decide to accept a plea bargain, that you will be required, as a condition of probation, to take alcohol classes. You should begin the search for a convenient location to your work or home so that attendance at these weekly classes is efficient for your calendar – especially if you have lost your driver’s license.

Look to the internet or the yellow pages or both and give yourself time to find the right classes. Even if you have not reached an agreement, starting classes early is an intelligent way to insure the best result possible.

The state certified vendors that provide these services are competitors who follow the same coursework and their costs are competitive. You are only allowed to attend one 2-hour class per week. If you anticipate having to miss a class because of travel or something similar, ask the provider whether you will be penalized.

Colorado Level I Alcohol Education consists of 12 hours of DUI education over a minimum 2-day period, not more than 6 hours can be conducted in one calendar day. Typically conducted in a group or class. Level I Education is not appropriate for someone who has had more than one impaired driving offense, or one offense with a high BAC.

Colorado Level II Alcohol Education consists of 24 hours of DUI education over 12 weeks. Typically conducted in a group setting, class size is limited to not more than 12 regularly attending. Level II Education can be recommended by itself or may be followed by Level II Therapy.

Colorado Alcohol Therapy Sessions, if and when required, follows Level II Education and can range in length from 5 to 10 months depending on the track assigned. Track assignment depends on whether a person has prior impaired driving offenses, their BAC and other clinical indicators. These track recommendations are made by the alcohol evaluator (probation) or in the absence of an evaluation, the treatment agency.

The following are the track guidelines:

• Colorado Track A, 42 hours over 21 weeks, first time offender with a BAC below .17
• Colorado Track B, 52 hours over 26 weeks, first time offender with a BAC of .17 or above
• Colorado Track C, 68 hours over 34 weeks, prior DWAI/DUI, with a BAC below .17
• Colorado Track D, 86 hours over 43 weeks, prior DWAI/DUI, with a BAC of .17 or above

Level I and Level II Services can only be completed at programs licensed by ADAD to provide these services. Licensed programs must use an ADAD approved DUI specific curriculum in the delivery of Level I and Level II services.

Classes outside of Colorado – Programs not licensed by ADAD to provide Level I/Level II Services must be evaluated to determine if they are comparable to Colorado’s requirements. DUI licensed programs can evaluate treatment done at programs not licensed by ADAD to provide DUI services, but can only grant Level II credit for therapy, not education, and only if certain criteria are met. Only ADAD can evaluate education done at programs not licensed by ADAD to provide DUI services for determination of Level I/Level II Education credit.

Proof of attendance in DUI classes – Programs licensed by ADAD to provide DUI services are required to furnish a copy of the DRS (Discharge Referral Summary) to clients within ten working days following client discharge from education/treatment.

If you are trying to get your driver’s license reinstated and need documentation (DRS) that you completed classes you can contact the agency where you attended to obtain completion paperwork. If you are unable to get this information from the agency, ADAD may have it in their database.

Motor vehicle law is complicated and there are many variables that impact a person’s driver’s license status and conditions for reinstatement. The Motor Vehicle Department, Driver Control customer service number (303-205-5613) can be called for specific information about your requirements for driver’s license reinstatement. Or you can visit the motor vehicle website and click on Driver’s License Reinstatement.

Minor drivers are required to complete a Level I Education, or more if recommended by the alcohol evaluator, when their license/privilege revoked for one year for their first DUI, DWAI, or .02 or more BAC conviction, for a violation that was received while under the age of 21.

MVD Level II requirements always include both Level II Education and Level II Therapy.

Level II is required when a driver is:

• Convicted of 2 alcohol violations that occurred within 5 years, OR
• Convicted of 3 or more alcohol violations in a lifetime, OR
• Revoked for having a BAC of .17 or more (BAC of .20 for offenses occurring prior to 1/1/07), OR
• Revoked for multiple BAC tests of .08 or more (Per Se)

MVD does not determine the number of hours of therapy a person is required to do for Level II Therapy. If an alcohol evaluation has been done by probation for the last offense, then those recommendations should be followed. If no evaluation has been done, results are not available, or if the evaluator only recommended Level II Education, then the Level II Therapy track guidelines should be used by the treatment agency to determine the number of hours of therapy required to fulfill MVD requirements.