Lessons · Alcohol and drugs

Alcohol and drugs

  • Limits: 0.08% over 21; 0.01% under 21 or on DUI probation; 0.04% commercial or passengers for hire.
  • Any drug that affects driving counts, prescribed or not; impaired below the limit is still DUI.
  • Refusing a test: one-year suspension or revocation.
  • No drinking or cannabis in a vehicle; open containers in the trunk, never the glove box (passengers in a bus, taxi, camper or motorhome excepted).
  • After arrest: 30-day temporary license, 10 days to request a hearing. A DUI stays 10 years.
  • Under 21: carry alcohol only with someone 21 or older, sealed (or closed containers carried for an employer licensed to sell liquor off-site).

Source: California Driver's Handbook (2025), Section 9: Alcohol and Drugs (Use or Possession in a Vehicle, BAC Limits, DUI Arrests, DUI Convictions, Drivers Under 21)

Next step: Getting a permit and a license

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