Archive: Sentencing Charts for Impaired Driving Offenses Sentenced Pursuant to G.S. 20-179 [Applicable to offenses committed before October 1, 2013]

The following charts were included in earlier editions of the North Carolina Sentencing Handbook. For preservation purposes, they have been converted into this archival PDF. 

1. Punishment for Covered DWI Offenses Committed on or after December 1, 2012, and before October 1, 2013
2. Punishment for Covered DWI Offenses Committed on or after December 1, 2011, and before December 1, 2012
3. Punishment for Covered DWI Offenses Committed on or after December 1, 2007, and before December 1, 2011

 The following offenses are sentenced pursuant to G.S. 20-179 rather than Structured Sentencing: 

• G.S. 20-138.1 (impaired driving) 
• G.S. 20-138.2 (impaired driving in a commercial vehicle)
• Second or subsequent conviction of 
  • G.S. 20-138.2A (operating a commercial vehicle after consuming alcohol) or
  • G.S. 20-138.2B (operating a school bus, child care vehicle, or emergency or law enforcement vehicle after consuming alcohol)

For offenses committed on or after October 1, 2013, see the 2025 edition of the North Carolina Sentencing Handbook. For offenses committed before October 1, 2013, the charts below establish the sentence selection, imprisonment, mandatory probation conditions, and fines for each level of impaired driving sentenced under G.S. 20-179.