Pulled over for DUI in Columbia? Here is what happens next.

Most arrests in Richland County, by Columbia Police, the Richland County Sheriff's Department, or the Highway Patrol, end with booking at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on John Mark Dial Drive. Magistrates hold bond hearings there several times a day. If you were arrested on the Lexington County side of the city, or in West Columbia, Cayce, or the Lexington County part of Irmo, the jail and bond court are on Gibson Road in Lexington instead.

You should have left with two pieces of paper: a ticket or warrant with your court date, and, if you refused the breath test or blew 0.15 or higher, a DMV Notice of Suspension. That notice starts a 30-day clock. The Richland County DUI guide walks through what happens next.

South Carolina runs two separate tracks, and either one can take your license.

The DMV track starts the night of the arrest. If you refused the breath test, your license is suspended for six months on a first offense. If you took it and registered 0.15 or higher, the suspension is one month. You can fight this at a contested-case hearing with the Office of Motor Vehicle Hearings, but only if you request it within 30 days of the notice ($200 filing fee). Requesting the hearing also lets you buy a $100 temporary alcohol license so you can keep driving while you wait. The DMV hearing guide explains each step.

The court track comes later. A DUI conviction also suspends your license. Since May 2024, the way back for every offender is the ignition interlock program: you end the suspension by driving with a breath-testing device wired to your car, for six months on a first offense. See the ignition interlock guide.

Usually, yes, but the type depends on where you are in the process. Before any conviction, the temporary alcohol license above keeps you on the road while your DMV hearing is pending. After a conviction, the ignition interlock restricted license lets you drive any vehicle with the device installed. Interlock costs are paid by the driver, and the program is run by the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. An attorney can tell you which option fits your situation and how to time the applications.

A first offense is a misdemeanor, and the penalty scales with blood alcohol content. Court costs and assessments are added on top of the fine; the court can tell you the total.

Every conviction also means a license suspension that you end through the ignition interlock program (six months of the device for a first offense), the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program (ADSAP, capped at $2,500), and SR-22 insurance for three years. At the lowest BAC tier, a second offense within ten years is $2,100–$5,100 and 5 days to a year in jail; a third is $3,800–$6,300 and 60 days to three years; a fourth is one to five years in prison. Higher BAC tiers carry more. Every tier is in the penalties guide.

These figures summarize South Carolina law as of October 2026. Penalties can change, so confirm them with the court or a licensed attorney.

Whether you have to be there in person depends on the court and the stage of the case, so ask the court or a South Carolina attorney; many out-of-state drivers hire a local attorney to handle what can be handled without them. A DUI charge does not end because you went home. The DMV notifies your home state of a South Carolina suspension, and a conviction is reported to your home state, which treats it as if it happened there. Missing a court date can mean a bench warrant and a lost bond. University of South Carolina students should also know that the university's conduct code lets it act on the same incident on its own timeline. The out-of-state guide covers the details.

It depends on who arrested you and how many prior offenses you have.

• Columbia Police within city limits: Columbia Municipal Court, 811 Washington Street.
• Richland County Sheriff or Highway Patrol in the county: a Richland County magistrate court. Your ticket names the district, such as Central Court at the Decker Center or the Columbia district on Lucius Road.
• Lexington County side (West Columbia, Cayce, Lexington County deputies): Lexington County courts. Your ticket names the court.
• Second offense or felony DUI (a crash with injury or death): General Sessions at the Richland County Judicial Center, 1701 Main Street.

Addresses, phone numbers, and the detention center are on the local resources page.

That decision is behind you, so here is what each choice means now. A refusal brings an automatic six-month DMV suspension on a first offense, and the prosecutor can tell the jury you refused. A test result of 0.15 or higher brings a one-month DMV suspension and a number the prosecutor will use. Either way, South Carolina requires the stop, the field sobriety tests, and the breath test to be video recorded, and problems with that video are one of the first things a DUI attorney looks for. More in the refusal and implied consent guide.

You are allowed to represent yourself, but a DUI is not a traffic ticket. South Carolina's expungement laws have no provision for clearing a DUI conviction, so it stays on your record, and it brings SR-22 insurance and the interlock program with it. A DUI attorney can handle the DMV hearing and the court case together. If you cannot afford one, you can apply to the Fifth Circuit Public Defender. How to choose: the DUI lawyer guide; attorneys are listed in the directory.

SR-22 is not a policy. It is a certificate your insurer files with the S.C. DMV proving you carry liability coverage. The DMV requires it before reinstating a license after a DUI conviction, and the filing can be released three years after it was first required. A DMV suspension for refusing the test or blowing 0.15 does not, by itself, require one. Not every company files SR-22s, so ask. More in the SR-22 guide; insurers are listed in the directory.

The Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program is a state-certified assessment and education or treatment program. It is required after any DUI conviction and after any DMV suspension that is not overturned, and the DMV will not restore your license until you have enrolled. In Richland County the certified provider is LRADAC in Columbia; the ADSAP guide explains the steps. Costs are capped by law at $2,500 total, and nobody can be turned away for inability to pay.

Not this year. Senate Bill 52, a broad rewrite of South Carolina DUI law, passed the Senate on February 5, 2026 and the House, with amendments, on May 1, 2026. The two chambers never agreed on one version: a conference committee was appointed on May 13, and on June 25, 2026 the Senate rejected free conference powers. The bill did not become law, so the rules on this site are current law. Among other changes, the bill would have lengthened the first-offense refusal suspension to one year and required DUI victim impact panels. A new bill would have to be introduced in a future session. This page will be updated if one passes.