Ignition interlock in Connecticut
Connecticut requires an ignition interlock after any DUI conviction, even a first one, and you have to have it working before the DMV will hand your license back. People usually call the device an IID. It's a small breath tester that gets wired into your car, and the engine only starts after a clean breath sample.
- Device check
- roughly once a month
- Agency in charge
- Connecticut DMV
- Companies installing
- 7
- Required for
- any DUI conviction, even a first
- Install by
- at least 10 days before the date you become eligible
- Failed test
- a reading of 0.05 or more gets reported and adds 30 days
7 interlock companies in Connecticut
| Company | From, a month | Installation | 12 months, install included | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 LifeSafer | From $50 | $70 to $150 | From $670 | 4.6 of 5 |
 Intoxalock | From $54.99 | Set by each service center | From $729.88install at MADD's typical range | 4.4 of 5 |
 Smart Start | From $59.99 | From $150 | From $869.88 | 4.6 of 5 |
 ALCOLOCK | From $60 | $70 to $150 | From $790 | 2.3 of 5 |
 Low Cost Interlock | From $78.76 | $100 to $250, plus $40 set-up | From $1,085.12 | 2.9 of 5 |
 Dräger (RoadGuard Interlock) | Call for a quoteFirst month free | 1.7 of 5 | ||
 Alcohol Detection Systems (ADS) | Call for a quote | 2.4 of 5 | ||
Prices are each company's national starting price. The 12-month column adds a year of that price, the install price and any set-up fee, or MADD's typical $70 to $150 where no install price is posted.
MADD's national range: $70 to $150 to install, then $60 to $80 a month, or $790 to $1,110 for a year.
Who needs an IID in Connecticut?
If a license suspension came from certain offenses, you have to get an IID fitted before your license comes back. That covers refusing or failing a chemical alcohol test, a DUI, vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety notes that in Connecticut the requirement follows every DUI conviction, first offense included.
Installing ahead of your eligibility date
The DMV asks that you get the IID in and pay up no later than 10 days ahead of your eligibility date. That date is the first day the state lets you hold a license again. If you book ahead of it, you leave yourself time to fix any paperwork issues before the day comes.
Your IID period begins on the date the license is restored, not on the day the device is fitted, so putting it in early doesn't cut your requirement short. Want an installer arranged ahead of time? Call us and we'll send your request to a company that covers Connecticut so they can book you in.
Driving once your license is back
After your license comes back, you're only allowed to drive a vehicle that carries an IID, and that lasts for the whole length of your requirement. Your DMV record notes that every vehicle you drive needs one, and police can see this information. So borrowing a car with no device isn't on the table.
Every 25 to 30 days, you take each vehicle to an approved installer. The point of these visits is calibration, which just means checking that the device still reads alcohol the way it should.
Violations that add time
The vendor reports certain events to the DMV as violations, and every one of them tacks 30 days onto your IID requirement.
- A startup test that reads 0.05 or more
- Taking the device off unless the DMV has given you written permission
A new suspension picked up during the program doesn't count toward your IID requirement either, so it effectively lengthens it.
What an ignition interlock costs in Connecticut?
There's no set price, since the vendors decide it rather than the DMV. Nationally, MADD estimates the usual range as $70 to $150 for the installation and $60 to $80 per month after that. Run that over 12 months and you're looking at roughly $790 to $1,110 all in.
Intoxalock starts at $54.99 a month and Smart Start at $59.99, according to the prices those companies publish. Keep in mind those are starting prices for the whole country, not quotes for Connecticut. The approved vendors will give you exact costs, installation details and appointment times when you call.
Reduced fees on a low income
On a low income, you can ask the vendors about getting the device fees lowered or waived. Qualifying takes written proof of your low income from the Department of Social Services. If you get that letter in hand before booking, you save yourself a second trip.
If you move here with an interlock requirement
Already under an IID requirement in another state and relocating to Connecticut? Then you'll owe a $100 IID administration fee. You'll still need the device here, along with its monthly service visits.
If you have questions about your license
Anything about restoring your license or about the IID rules goes to the DMV's Driver Services Division. For the installation, just call us once and we'll pass your request along to an installer serving Connecticut.