License Impact from OWI in Wisconsin

Question: How will my license be impacted by an OWI arrest and/or conviction in Wisconsin?

Answer: Generally speaking every OWI arrest comes with a loss of license in Wisconsin. A first offense—and, again, it can be specific based on a prior history and things like that—but if there isn’t anything else impacting the license, the first offense OWI is going to lead to a revocation of the license, but the person should be eligible for an occupational license immediately and for the entire time that they are revoked. On a second and higher offense, it can get a little more complicated, but generally speaking there’s going to be 45 days without any license and then there would be occupational eligibility after that. Now, we’ve talked a little bit about a refusal. There are times when a refusal can lead to a longer time without any license whatsoever. So that is something to be aware of if you’re accused of having refused to submit to the test that may be something that can be negotiated away.