Drink driving
Drink driving runs on a different mechanism to every other fixed charge on this site. The Road Traffic Act 2010 gives it its own chapter — a fixed penalty notice at one of two amounts, each carrying a mandatory driving ban you serve whether or not you were ever prosecuted. Above both sits a separate, court-only regime, where a conviction bans you for years, not months.
The mechanism
A separate fixed penalty scheme, not a schedule row
The Road Traffic Act 2010 gives drink driving its own chapter, apart from the S.I. 227/2024 amounts every other fixed charge on this site follows. Where a concentration falls within one of two bands, Gardaí can offer a fixed penalty notice instead of a prosecution — but unlike every other fixed charge here, paying it still carries a mandatory driving ban.
- €200Lower band, fixed penaltys. 29(7)(a)
- €400Upper band, fixed penaltys. 29(7)(b)
The limits
The concentration limits, by specimen
← swipe to see the whole table →
| Specimen | General limit | Learner / novice / professional |
|---|---|---|
| Blood | 50 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood | 20 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood |
| Urine | 67 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine | 27 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine |
| Breath | 22 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath | 9 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath |
Paying it
Two bands, two mandatory bans
Both bands carry a driving ban that starts whether or not the matter ever goes near a court. A specified person is eligible for the notice only at the lower band — the Act gives them no fixed-penalty route at the upper one.
← swipe to see the whole table →
| Band | Concentration | Fixed penalty | Mandatory ban | Specified person eligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower | Not exceeding 80mg/100ml blood, 107mg/100ml urine, or 35 microgrammes/100ml breath | €200 | 3 months | Yes |
| Upper | Exceeding 80mg but not exceeding 100mg/100ml blood (or the equivalent urine/breath bands) | €400 | 6 months | No |
This route is not always open
You are not eligible for a fixed penalty notice at all if you do not hold a driving licence, or if you are already disqualified, at the time of the alleged offence. And having paid one once, you are not eligible for another within 3 years of the disqualification that followed it — the second incident within that window goes to court, not to a notice. Paying while you know you are ineligible is itself an offence, carrying a fine of up to €5,000.
If it goes to court
A conviction bans you in years, not months
A concentration above the upper fixed-penalty band, or a second offence, is not offered a notice at all — it goes to court. Conviction under section 4 or 5 carries its own disqualification table, in four tiers by concentration, and the ban roughly doubles for a second or subsequent offence at the same tier.
← swipe to see the whole table →
| Tier | Blood | Urine | Breath | First offence | Second or subsequent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not exceeding 80mg/100ml | Not exceeding 107mg/100ml | Not exceeding 35 microgrammes/100ml | 6 months | 1 year |
| 2 | Exceeding 80mg but not exceeding 100mg/100ml | Exceeding 107mg but not exceeding 135mg/100ml | Exceeding 35 but not exceeding 44 microgrammes/100ml | 1 year | 2 years |
| 3 | Exceeding 100mg but not exceeding 150mg/100ml | Exceeding 135mg but not exceeding 200mg/100ml | Exceeding 44 but not exceeding 66 microgrammes/100ml | 2 years | 4 years |
| 4 | Exceeding 150mg/100ml | Exceeding 200mg/100ml | Exceeding 66 microgrammes/100ml | 3 years | 6 years |
What this page does not cover
Drug-driving limits sit under a separate blood-only regime (RTA 2010 s. 4(1A) and its own Schedule of specified drugs) that this page does not state a figure for. And no tolerance or margin of error applies to any limit above: the Act creates an express margin-of-error power for alcohol readings, but it has never been commenced, so none exists in force to apply.