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Ignition interlock in Texas

In Texas, a court or magistrate orders an interlock as a condition of probation, bond, deferred adjudication or an occupational license, depending on your case. The Texas Department of Public Safety approves the devices and authorizes the vendors who install them.

Checked Oct 23, 2026Sources
Required after a first conviction
First offense, to drive during the post-conviction suspension
yes, if license suspension imposed
First offense, as a penalty or to get the license back
no
Repeat offense, as a penalty or to get the license back
yes, when prior conviction occurred within the past 5 years
IIHS, October 20261

    Distances are straight-line from the center of your ZIP code. Call the center to confirm it services your company's device.

    Each dot is a ZIP code with certified service centers, sized by how many. Orange rings mark your search.Texas DPS service center list

    Who has to install one in Texas

    Your situationInterlockHow longLaw
    First DWI, BAC 0.15 or higher, on probationRequiredNot statedTex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 42A.4082
    DWI deferred adjudicationRequired unless waivedNot statedTex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 42A.4082
    Under 21 and convicted of a 49.04-49.08 offenseRequiredNot statedTex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 42A.4082
    On probation with a previous intoxication convictionRequiredNot statedTex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 17.4413
    Released on bond for a subsequent DWI chargeRequired unless waivedNot statedTex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 17.4413
    Asking a judge for an occupational or restricted licenseJudge decidesNot statedTex. Transp. Code §521.2464

    A judge can order an interlock in other cases too. Your court order or DMV letter is what binds you.

    Where each company can install in Texas

    You'll go back to the same company's centers for service for the whole order, so check that one is close to where you live and work before you book.

    Intoxalock

    532 centers
    Advertised
    $89.99–$101.99/mo
    Install
    ~$100
    Mobile service
    43 ZIP codes

    Smart Start

    144 centers
    Advertised
    from $1.99/day*
    Install
    from $150
    Mobile service
    11 ZIP codes

    LifeSafer

    138 centers
    Advertised
    under $3/day
    Install
    $50–$150
    Mobile service
    23 ZIP codes

    RoadGuard

    73 centers
    Advertised
    by quote
    Install
    by quote
    Mobile service
    9 ZIP codes

    Guardian

    10 centers
    Advertised
    ~$3/day
    Install
    free
    Mobile service
    2 ZIP codes

    Center counts from the Texas DPS certified service center list (773 centers). Prices are what each company advertised for Texas on Oct 23, 2026; Smart Start's daily rate has conditions on its site. Low Cost Interlock shows 3 centers on the DPS list while its own site claims more, and we're checking.

    Interlock companies approved in Texas

    ALCOLOCK

    Listed as “Alcohol Countermeasures Systems”
    In Texas
    2 certified centers (DPS list)
    Nationwide
    On 12 of 44 state lists
    Fees and device
    Also on the Texas list
    • A&A Product Company
    • Agent Monitoring LLC
    • Alcohol Analytics Systems
    • AlcoPatrol
    • America's Alcohol Testing Inc.
    • Autosense International, Inc
    • B.E.S.T. Labs, Inc.
    • Blow and Drive Interlock
    • Clean Start Systems
    • Instant Interlock
    • Monitech Ignition Interlock Systems
    • Simple Interlock
    • Smart Alco Solutions LLC

    From the state's approved list (read it). Use a company on this list, or the install won't count. 12-month figures are lease, install and removal from each company's filed or published fee schedule, not Texas prices; see how we add them up.

    Total for your order

    1. Smart Start
    2. Intoxalock
    3. LifeSafer
    4. Low Cost Interlock
    5. Guardian

    Advertised lease for the months you pick, plus advertised install. Calibration visits, removal and the fees in the list below aren't included, because most companies don't publish them. A lighter bar means one end of the range isn't published. Low Cost Interlock's install is by quote and isn't counted.

    If you can't afford it, ask the court before you install

    For deferred adjudication, a Texas court that finds you indigent can waive the installation charge and cut the monthly monitoring fee in half. Courts can also set a payment plan of up to twice the length of the order.

    Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 42A.408(e-1), (f)

    From the order to removal

    1. Day 0Read the orderYour bond conditions or probation order say whether you need an interlock and from when.
    2. Within 30 daysInstallOn a repeat-DWI bond, the device has to be in within 30 days, at a DPS-certified service center.
    3. Before you driveInterlock licenseApply to DPS for the license with the interlock restriction.
    4. Every visitService and downloadsThe center downloads the log of every test. If the device breaks, the company has 48 hours to repair or replace it.
    5. End of the orderRemovalDPS lifts the restriction after it receives a court order with the court's seal, or a vendor removal form signed by a judge or county clerk.

    The rules in Texas

    Program run by
    The Texas Department of Public Safety, Regulatory Services Division, approves devices and authorizes vendors. You can reach them at 512-424-7293.5
    How long it stays
    On probation, the device must stay installed for at least 50% of the supervision period. Under a bond order you install within 30 days of release, and with an occupational or restricted license it stays for the length of the suspension unless the court orders removal.6
    License you get
    DPS calls it a restricted interlock license, and courts call it an occupational driver's license with an interlock condition.7
    State fees
    On a bond order, the magistrate may set a monthly reimbursement fee of up to $10 for verifying and monitoring the device. If a personal bond office supervises an occupational license, that supervision costs $25 to $60 a month.8
    Help paying
    If the court finds you indigent while you are on deferred adjudication, it may waive the installation charge and cut the monthly monitoring fee by 50%. Courts may also set a payment schedule up to twice the length of the order if you can't pay.9
    Getting it removed
    The court must keep the device installed for the suspension unless it finds good cause and decides the device isn't needed for community safety. DPS lifts the requirement from your license only after it receives a sealed court order or a vendor removal form signed by a judge or county clerk.10
    Driving for work
    You may drive an employer-owned vehicle for work without an interlock if you don't own or control the employer and the employer has been notified. Keep proof of that notice in the vehicle.11
    Vendor repairs
    Vendors must repair or replace a device within 48 hours of a complaint. They also report violations to the court within 48 hours and keep records for 5 years.12

    Questions about interlocks in Texas

    How long do you have to have an interlock in Texas?

    It depends on how the device was ordered. On probation, the device must stay installed for at least 50% of the supervision period. If it was a bond condition, you install within 30 days of release. With an occupational or restricted license, it stays for the length of the suspension unless the court orders removal.6

    Does Texas charge a fee for ignition interlock monitoring?

    On a bond order, the magistrate may set a monthly reimbursement fee of up to $10 for verifying and monitoring the device. If a personal bond office supervises an occupational license, that supervision costs $25 to $60 a month. This page doesn't list vendor prices, so ask your vendor for the full cost in writing.8

    Is there help paying for an interlock in Texas?

    Possibly, if you are on deferred adjudication. When the court finds you indigent, it may waive the installation charge and cut the monthly monitoring fee by 50%. Courts may also set a payment schedule up to twice the length of the order if you can't pay, so ask the court about both options.9

    How do you get an interlock removed early in Texas?

    Only the court can allow it. The court must keep the device installed for the suspension unless it finds good cause and decides the device isn't needed for community safety. DPS then removes the requirement from your license after it receives a sealed court order or a vendor removal form signed by a judge or county clerk.10

    Can you drive a work vehicle without an interlock in Texas?

    You may drive an employer-owned vehicle for work without an interlock if the employer isn't owned or controlled by you and has been notified. Proof of that notification must be in the vehicle. If you own or control the business, this exception doesn't apply to you.11

    What happens if my interlock device stops working in Texas?

    Contact your vendor and file a complaint. Texas vendors must repair or replace a device within 48 hours of receiving notice of a complaint. Vendors must also report violations to the court within 48 hours and keep their records for 5 years, so keep your own copy of any complaint you send.12

    Related guides

    InterlockCompare is independent and doesn't make, sell or install interlocks. Not legal advice.

    Sources

    1. Texas: first offense, post-conviction suspension: yes, if license suspension imposediihs.org/research-areas/alcohol-and-drugs/alcohol-interlock-laws-by-state
    2. showed an alcohol concentration level of 0.15 or more at the time the analysis was performedstatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.42A.htm
    3. a magistrate shall require on release that a defendant charged with a subsequent offensestatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.17.htm
    4. the judge shall restrict the person to the operation of a motor vehicle equipped with an ignition interlock devicestatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.521.htm
    5. requires DPS establish minimum standards for vendors of Ignition Interlock Devices (IID)dps.texas.gov/section/regulatory-services/ignition-interlock
    6. not less than 50 percent of the supervision periodstatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.42A.htm
    7. A restricted interlock license authorizes you to operate a motor vehicle equipped with an ignition interlock devicedps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/ignition-interlock-devices
    8. The magistrate shall set the fee in an amount not to exceed $10statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.17.htm
    9. ordering a waiver of the installation charge for the ignition interlock device and a 50 percent reduction of the monthly device monitoring feestatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.42A.htm
    10. good cause for the removal of the device; and (2) the device is not necessary for the safety of the communitystatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.521.htm
    11. the person is required to operate a motor vehicle in the course and scope of the person's employmentstatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.521.htm
    12. repair or replace a device not later than 48 hours after receiving notice of a complaintstatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.521.htm