The 7-Day Clock: Why a Colorado DUI Arrest Is Really Two Cases at Once
By Attorney Charles E. Liken Jr., former Colorado Deputy District Attorney. Your criminal court date isn't the deadline that matters first. The DMV's seven-day window can cost you your license before a judge hears a word.
Charles E. Liken Jr., Esq. — On the Legal Front Lines · Former Government Investigator, Denver Human Services · Licensed Colorado Attorney · 20+ Years in Private Practice · Former Colorado Deputy District Attorney · Colorado Court-Appointed Child and Family Investigator
A Colorado DUI arrest quietly starts two separate cases. One is the criminal charge you'll answer in court. The other is an administrative action against your driver's license, run by the DMV under Colorado's license-revocation law (C.R.S. § 42-2-126), which enforces the express-consent law (C.R.S. § 42-4-1301.1) — and it moves faster.
If you blew 0.08 or above, or refused testing, the officer likely served you a notice of revocation. You generally have just seven days from that notice to request a DMV hearing. Miss it, and the revocation begins automatically — often weeks before your first criminal court date.
That hearing is also a strategic gift: it's frequently the first time the officer testifies under oath, which can lock in testimony useful to the criminal defense. Our "just arrested" guide walks through the first week step by step, and the DUI cost estimator shows what's actually at stake.
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