Larimer County DUI Court Attorney
10 Years of Fort Collins DUI Recovery Court

Larimer County DUI Recovery Court is a program for those charged with their 4th alcohol related driving offense, making it a felony.

DUI Recovery Court in Larimer County is a program created for those convicted of the felony offense of Driving Under the Influence with a diagnosed substance abuse issue. This program is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, allowing those who qualify to participate in a program instead of incarcerating them. This program is not for those who are not serious about their sobriety. It is intensive and requires many court reviews where they discuss their progress with the magistrate, intense probation supervision that includes monitored sobriety, along with a period of time required to serve through work release. The idea behind it is that the court really wants to focus on helping participants get and stay sober. It’s one of the programs that Larimer County offers that seems to focus on the person and not just the punishment.

Fort Collins DUI Recovery Court Lawyer: Definition of Felony DUI in Colorado

The Colorado law definition of Driving Under the Influence – C.R.S. 42-4-1301 – is:

A person who drives a motor vehicle or vehicle under the influence of alcohol or one or more drugs, or a combination of both alcohol and one or more drugs, commits driving under the influence. Driving under the influence is a misdemeanor, but it is a class 4 felony if the violation occurred after three or more prior convictions, arising out of separate and distinct criminal episodes, for DUI, DUI per se, or DWAI; vehicular homicide, as described in section 18-3-106 (1)(b), C.R.S.; vehicular assault, as described in section 18-3-205 (1)(b), C.R.S.; or any combination thereof.

In order to qualify as a DUI, a person’s BAC (blood alcohol content) must be a .08 or higher. If the blood results show a .05 or higher, but not reaching a .08, then the person would be facing a DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired) charge. This lesser charge would still qualify as a felony, though, if it was a fourth alcohol related driving offense.

Sentence for Felony DUI in Loveland and Estes Park: Is DUI Recovery Court an Option for You?

You will need to be referred to DUI Recovery Court. There is a screening process to decide if you are a candidate. During that process, you will be told all the rules and expectations to make sure it is something that you are prepared to follow. If you are not, then your case will go back to the original division and you will be sentenced to prison, community corrections, or probation. If you are willing and accepted to the program, you will be required to go through the 4 phases of DUI court, where phase 1 is the most restrictive and you move through to phase 4 and then graduation from the program.


If you or someone you love is facing a DUI charge, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and call the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-658-0007 to schedule a free initial consultation. Together, we can protect your future.

Photo by energepic.com from Pexels