El Paso County DUI Guide

El Paso County led all 64 Colorado counties in arrests for impaired driving in 2023, with 4,120 recorded by the Colorado State Patrol. A year later it also posted the highest number of traffic deaths tied to impairment in the state, 26, more than Denver, Adams, or Weld counties, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. This is Colorado's most populous county, home to roughly 752,000 people, and the DUI caseload scales with it. Drivers age 25 to 34 account for more than 30 percent of arrests, and 35 to 38 percent of cases involve someone with a prior DUI or DWAI conviction, a recidivism rate that pushed the 4th Judicial District to build out specialized DUI and Recovery Courts rather than just cycling repeat offenders through standard probation.

Worth knowing early: about 45 percent of drivers who get a full toxicology screen test positive for more than one substance, usually alcohol combined with THC. When an officer suspects drug impairment but a breath test comes back low, the standard move is to order a blood draw under Express Consent instead. Blood results can take weeks to come back from the state lab, which delays the DMV side of the case even after the criminal case is already moving.

Getting Your Car Back

Where your vehicle ended up depends on which agency made the stop. If Colorado Springs Police arrested you, the car goes to the CSPD Impound Facility at 2725 E Las Vegas St. It's open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but paperwork must be in by 4:30 p.m. to get the car released the same day, and releasing property alone cuts off even earlier, at 4 p.m. There's no weekend or holiday release. Storage runs $25 a day, the base tow fee is $35, and the lot takes cash, Visa, or Mastercard only, no personal checks.

If EPSO or Colorado State Patrol made the stop instead, your car likely went to a private contractor, commonly Knob Hill Towing at 3270 Drennan Industrial Loop N, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends by appointment only. Not sure who towed it? Call the dispatch center covering where you were stopped: Fountain PD at (719) 385-8555, EPSO at (719) 390-5555, or CSP at (719) 544-2424.

Whoever retrieves the car needs valid photo ID, proof of registration or title, proof of insurance, and a currently licensed driver present to drive it off the lot. Since your own license was likely confiscated roadside under Express Consent, that driver usually has to be someone else. Certain items must be released free regardless of any unpaid balance: prescription medications, medical equipment, child car seats, cell phones, government ID, and cash or cards needed to pay the tow bill. A felony DUI or an accident can put the vehicle under an evidentiary hold that police or the District Attorney's office has to release first.

If you think the tow itself was improper, you have 10 days from the tow decision to request a hearing on it, filed in person at Colorado Springs Municipal Court.

Jail and Bail

Arrests get booked at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center (CJC) at 2739 E Las Vegas St. The booking desk is (719) 390-2151, general information is (719) 390-2000, and inmates can be looked up online through the sheriff's office site.

Bail follows the 4th Judicial District's standardized bond schedule: $800 for a first DWAI offense, $1,000 for a standard DUI (first or second offense), and $3,000 for felony DUI, typically a fourth or later offense, with mandatory monitored sobriety attached as a bond condition. Bonds can be posted as full cash, a surety bond through a licensed bail bondsman (this site's directory lists bonding companies serving El Paso County), or a personal recognizance (PR) bond. PR bonds are common for DUI cases after Pretrial Services runs its risk assessment; defendants it considers lower risk are likely to get one, but with strict conditions attached.

That last part trips people up. Anyone released on a PR bond has to check in with Pretrial Services right away, by phone at (719) 520-7070, through the online portal, or in person at 17 N. Spruce Street. Miss that first check-in, or a scheduled drug or alcohol test, and the bond gets revoked immediately with a new warrant issued.

Release after bond is posted typically takes 2 to 4 hours, sometimes up to 8. Timing matters: CJC runs strict blackout periods for counts, shift changes, and meals, at 4 to 6 a.m., 6:45 a.m., 10 a.m. to noon, 2:30 p.m., 4 to 6 p.m., and 9:45 p.m. Post bond at 3:30 p.m. and it collides with the 4 p.m. lockdown; nobody walks out before 7. Cash bonds are accepted 24/7 at the lobby window; cashier's checks and money orders payable to EPSO with the booking number work, personal checks don't.

Court

DUI cases are heard at the El Paso County Combined Courts, 4th Judicial District, at the Terry Harris Judicial Complex, 270 S Tejon St. The clerk's office is (719) 452-5000, filing hours run weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and cases are searchable through the Colorado courts docket lookup. County court handles standard misdemeanor DUI and DWAI; district court handles felony DUI, generally a fourth or later offense.

Two specialized programs matter if this isn't a first offense. DUI Court, established in 2008 and run by Judge Cynthia McKedy and Magistrate Lara Nafziger, targets repeat felony offenders eligible for probation through a minimum of two years split into four phases of therapy, random testing, and frequent court appearances. Recovery Court, formerly HEALS Court, is a sentencing alternative to prison for defendants whose addiction is driving the criminal conduct.

One quirk is specific to this county's military installations. A DUI entirely inside a federal enclave, Fort Carson's gates, for instance, goes through the military or federal system. Step just outside onto a civilian access road and the case moves to El Paso County Court, with the Colorado DMV process running alongside it.

The courthouse enforces a strict dress code (no shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats), and security lines back up badly on Monday mornings. Phones must be fully off inside courtrooms; a ringing phone risks confiscation and a contempt charge. Parking at the county's structure at 50 E. Costilla St. runs $1.25 an hour or $11.25 a day, cards only.

The License Fight: Express Consent

Separate from the criminal case, you're fighting to keep your license through Colorado's Express Consent process under C.R.S. § 42-4-1301.1, and the clock is unforgiving. You get exactly 7 calendar days, weekends and holidays included, to request a hearing with the DMV's Hearings Division. Miss it and the revocation becomes automatic.

When that clock starts depends on how you were tested. Fail a breath test or refuse testing, and the officer takes your license roadside and hands you a yellow Express Consent Affidavit; the 7 days run from the arrest date. Give a blood sample instead, and your license isn't seized on the spot. The blood goes to the state lab, which can take weeks, and the 7-day clock only starts once the DMV mails a Notice of Revocation. Keep your mailing address current with the DMV; claiming you never got the notice rarely works as a defense against a missed deadline.

There's no fee to request the hearing. File by email to dor_hearingrequest@state.co.us, by fax, or through the mydmv.colorado.gov portal. Nearly all hearings now happen by Zoom or phone. When you file, you'll be asked whether to subpoena the arresting officer; skip it and a hearing officer decides on the written police report alone, which tends to favor the state, while requesting the officer opens the door to cross-examining them.

Be careful about rescheduling. Under C.R.S. § 42-2-126(6)(d), a continuance request doesn't stop the revocation from taking effect on the originally scheduled date, killing your temporary permit while you wait for the new one. Processed within the 7-day window, though, that yellow affidavit becomes a temporary permit with full driving privileges until the hearing itself, usually 30 to 60 days out. Full hearing forms are available through the Department of Revenue.

IID, SCRAM, and SR-22

Reinstating a revoked license, or complying with bond conditions in the 4th Judicial District, often means installing an ignition interlock device (IID) or wearing a continuous alcohol monitoring bracelet (SCRAM). Local IID installers include Pitstop Interlock (part of the Smart Start network), Intoxalock, and LifeSafer. For continuous monitoring, a common condition for PR bonds, repeat offenders, and DUI Court participants, two court-approved monitoring providers serve the region.

After a revocation, you'll also need to file an SR-22, proof of future financial responsibility, before reinstatement. Your insurer files it electronically with the DMV; no office visit is required, though some local brokers also handle IID installation as a bundled service. See the DMV's education and treatment page for details.

DUI Education Requirement

Colorado requires Level I or Level II alcohol education and therapy through a provider licensed by the state Behavioral Health Administration. A Turning Point, Gateway to Success, and Vivus Counseling Services all operate programs in Colorado Springs licensed by the BHA. Finishing the class isn't the finish line: your provider must issue a DUI/DWAI Referral Summary (DRS) form within 10 business days, at no charge, and you're responsible for submitting it to the DMV yourself. A payment receipt alone doesn't satisfy the requirement. Fourth or subsequent offenders face the Level II Four Plus (Track F) program, a minimum of 18 months and 180 clinical contact hours. For treatment beyond the mandated coursework, this site's directory lists licensed treatment providers serving El Paso County.