Charged with impaired driving · Ontario
What did they hand you?
Know what each paper means and what to do before your first court date. Tap the one you're holding. It comes back marked up in plain words.
General information, not advice for your case.
90-day licence suspension
Yours may differ.
Provincial, not criminal. It started the moment they handed it to you.
It runs whatever happens with the charge later.
Vehicle impound notice
Yours may differ.
It's held for 7 days, even if the car isn't yours.
The registered owner pays these to get it back.
The yard is named here. Check its hours and what ID it asks for.
Appearance notice or undertaking
Yours may differ.
The criminal charge. The licence papers are a separate track. Over 80, line by line
Which one is yours? Which courthouse is on it?
Your first appearance. Usually short. It isn't a trial.
Go. It's a separate date from court.
Breath test reading
Yours may differ.
80 or more is the charge people call "over 80".
Refusal or failure to provide
Yours may differ.
Its own criminal charge, separate from over 80.
The same roadside suspension and impound usually apply.
A simplified version to read along with. Your paper will look different and may use other words.
Charged is not convicted.
A DUI charge in Ontario usually comes as a small pile of papers, not one. One is the criminal charge, with a court date and maybe a fingerprint date. The others are from the roadside: your licence and your car. Being charged with impaired driving is not being convicted. Start with the paper in your hand.
The whole pile, one line each
Five papers. Each one has its own page.
Most people hold two or three of these. Each runs on its own clock.
- 0190-day suspensionYour licence, from the roadside. Not a court decision.Read it
- 02Vehicle impoundSeven days in the yard. The owner pays to get it back.Read it
- 03Appearance noticeThe charge, the courthouse and the first date.Read it
- 04A breath readingA number is the over 80 line.Read it
- 05It says I refusedIts own charge, separate from over 80.Read it
Other lines
- 320.14(1)(a), impaired
- 320.14(1)(c), a drug in the blood
- The fingerprint date: a separate appointment, and missing it is its own offence.
- First offence: what the law sets
Common questions
Asked after the stop.
I was charged with impaired driving in Ontario. What happens first?
Two things may already be running: a licence suspension and an impound from the roadside. The criminal case starts in court, on the date on your paper. The first appearance is usually short and is not a trial.
Is a DUI charge the same as a conviction?
No. A charge is what the police wrote on the paper. A conviction only comes from a court. Being charged is not being convicted, and the papers in your hand don't decide how the case ends.
Talk it through
Talk through your paper.
Have the papers next to you when the phone rings.