Minnesota’s new ignition interlock laws, effective July 1, 2025, significantly increase mandatory interlock device usage for repeat DWI offenders. If a driver has one prior DWI offense within the past 20 years, the mandatory ignition interlock period is two years. If the driver has two prior DWI offenses in a lifetime, the mandatory ignition interlock period is 6 years. If the driver has three prior DWI offenses in a lifetime, the mandatory ignition interlock period is 10 years. The new law also requires drivers to undergo a chemical use assessment for participation in ignition interlock when a prior offense triggers mandatory ignition interlock.

For drivers who do not have a prior DWI offense, ignition interlock is triggered when a driver has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16 or more. In these cases, the license revocation is one year, and the driver has the option of not driving for one year or driving legally during the one-year period pursuant to the ignition interlock program. These drivers do not need to obtain a chemical use assessment.

To see the new guidelines, please visit Minnesota DVS’s Ignition Interlock Program page.