When a driver is charged with DUI, the driver is ssued several tickets (citations) from the police officer. These are the charging documents that notify a defendant of the accusations against him. For a DUI offense an officer will typically issue a minimum of three (3) tickets if the driver took a breath test, and two (2) tickets if the driver refused a breath test.

The reason for the tickets is that there are several separate types of DUI offenses in the State of Maryland. The details of each offense may be found in the Maryland Code, Transportation Article, Section 21-902. You may review the law in the "statutes" section of my Web site.

If the DUI involved a life threatening injury or death, the law is covered by a different statute, and is beyond the scope of this page.

The great majority of DUI offenses are charged the following way:

In addition, the driver will likely receive a citation or a repair order documenting the reason the police officer initially stopped the driver. Examples include speeding, running a stop sign, unsafe lane change, or brake or tag light out.

If the officer suspects that the driver is under the influence of drugs or a controlled dangerous substance, the driver will also be issued citations charging: