DWI Lawyer in Greensboro, NC
Looking for a DWI lawyer in Greensboro, NC? Your license is already suspended, and there is a jail minimum at every level. With the right defense those minimums can often be reduced, and at the lower levels served as community service instead of jail. Call and we will tell you which level you are facing.
Tell us what happened
The date, the reading if you have it, and your court date. That is enough to start.
Sending this form does not make us your lawyer yet.
Your license is already suspended for a minimum of 30 days. That happened the day you were charged. It is separate from your court case and it does not wait for a judge to find you guilty.
You may be eligible for a driving privilege on the tenth day. Ten days. Most people find this out too late, and a lawyer can have the paperwork ready for the day you qualify.
A first DWI does carry a jail minimum, but it is 24 hours, and with a skillful DWI lawyer it may be able to be done as community service. That is a very different thing from the numbers you have been reading.
Will I go to jail?
North Carolina does not sentence DWI the way it sentences other crimes. There are six levels. Level 5 is the lightest. Aggravated Level 1 is the heaviest.
Almost every website will tell you the maximum. The maximum is not your answer. The minimum is. Here are both.
| Level | Least you can get | Most you can get | Biggest fine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Lightest |
24 hours | 60 days | $200 |
| Level 4 | 48 hours | 120 days | $500 |
| Level 3 | 72 hours | 6 months | $1,000 |
| Level 2 | 7 days | 12 months | $2,000 |
| Level 1 | 30 days | 24 months | $4,000 |
| Aggravated Level 1 Heaviest |
12 months | 36 months | $10,000 |
Most first time DWIs with no injury and nobody else involved land at Level 5 or Level 4. That is 24 or 48 hours, not 60 days. The 60 day figure that frightens people is the ceiling, not the floor. The levels are set out in G.S. 20-179.
The minimum does not always mean jail
This is the part that changes how people feel about their case, and almost nobody puts it on a website. It is also the part a lawyer is for. The law allows these alternatives. It does not hand them to you.
At the lower levels the judge can suspend the sentence. When that happens you still have to do the minimum, but the law lets it be done one of two ways.
| Level | What the minimum can be |
|---|---|
| Level 5 | 24 hours in jail, or 24 hours of community service. Or a mix of the two. |
| Level 4 | 48 hours in jail, or 48 hours of community service. Or a mix. |
| Level 3 | 72 hours in jail, or 72 hours of community service. Or a mix. |
| Level 2 | 7 days in jail, or no alcohol at all for 90 days, checked by an ankle monitor. Up to 60 days of monitoring you did before court can count toward it. |
| Level 1 | 30 days can come down to 10 days if you go 120 days with no alcohol on a monitor. Again, up to 60 days before court can count. |
The judge chooses, not you. The law allows community service instead of jail at Levels 3, 4 and 5. It does not promise it. Which level you are sentenced at, and whether the judge goes that way, is argued by your lawyer. Nobody at the courthouse will offer it to you. That is the whole reason the first few weeks matter, and the reason to call before your court date rather than after.
What decides your level
Your level is not about how drunk the State says you were. It is decided by a list of factors the judge counts up.
The heavy ones
These are called grossly aggravating factors. Each one you have pushes you up.
| Factor | What it means |
|---|---|
| A DWI in the last seven years | Each prior one counts on its own. |
| Driving while already revoked for a DWI | Revoked under G.S. 20-28(a1). |
| Someone was seriously hurt | Caused by the impaired driving. |
| A child was in the car | Under 18, or a passenger with a disability who could not get out alone. |
How they add up:
- Three or more puts you at Aggravated Level 1.
- Two of them, or a child in the car on its own, puts you at Level 1.
- One of them, other than the child factor, puts you at Level 2.
- None of them and the judge weighs the lighter factors to decide between Levels 3, 4 and 5.
A child in the car is the one that catches people out. On its own, with no prior DWI and nobody hurt, it jumps you straight to Level 1. That is a 30 day minimum. If this is your case, call today rather than waiting for court.
Ten days for the license hearing. Then your court date.
The 30 day license suspension is automatic and it started when you were charged. You have ten days to ask for a hearing on it.
Everything that decides your level, from the stop itself to the reading to what the officer wrote down, is easiest to challenge now.
Call (336) 379-0539Free consultation, answered 24/7Your license, and the 30 day clock
This surprises almost everyone. You can lose your license before anyone decides whether you are guilty. It is called civil revocation and it is in G.S. 20-16.5.
It happens if any of these are true.
- You refused the breath test.
- Your reading was 0.08 or more.
- You drive a commercial vehicle and your reading was 0.04 or more.
- You are under 21 and had any alcohol at all in your system.
| What | How it works |
|---|---|
| How long | 30 days. It can never be shorter than that. |
| When it starts | The moment the order is issued in court. If it came by post, four days after it was sent. |
| If you hand it in late | 45 days instead of 30, if you surrender it more than five working days after the order or an officer has to collect it. |
| To get it back | A $100 fee, paid to the court, plus waiting out the period. |
| To fight it | You have 10 days to ask for a hearing. The suspension stays in place while you wait for it. |
| If you have other charges pending | It can run until every case is finished, appeals included. That is the one that can stretch on. |
Hand your license in on time. Being five working days late turns a 30 day suspension into a 45 day one, for no reason at all. If you are holding on to it hoping something changes, stop and call us.
Can I still drive to work?
Often yes. It is called a limited driving privilege, and it lets you drive for work, school, household duties and treatment at set times.
The key date is day 10. Once your license has been revoked for 10 days on a 30 day revocation, you can apply. The conditions are in G.S. 20-16.5(p).
- You held a valid license at the time, or one expired less than a year.
- You have no other unresolved impaired driving charge.
- Your license has been revoked at least 10 days, or 30 days if yours is a 45 day revocation.
- You have a substance abuse assessment and agree to any recommended treatment.
Most people find this out far too late. Call us now and the assessment can be underway and the paperwork ready for the day you become eligible, instead of starting the process weeks after you could already have been driving.
If you hold a commercial license the rules are tighter and a privilege will not cover driving a commercial vehicle. Tell us on the first call if your job depends on your license.
Clerk: (336) 412-7300
Open 8:30am to 5:00pm, closed 12:45 to 1:45
30 day civil revocation
Starts the day of the order
Plus the full revocation period
45 days if you hand it in late
(336) 379-0539, answered 24 hours
What does a DWI lawyer cost in Greensboro?
A DWI costs money in more places than people expect, so here is the whole picture rather than just our part of it.
| What | How much |
|---|---|
| Getting your license back | $100 to the court after the civil revocation ends. |
| The fine, if convicted | $200 to $10,000 depending on the level. Level 5 is $200. Aggravated Level 1 is $10,000. |
| Substance abuse assessment | Required before a limited driving privilege. Separate provider, separate cost. |
| Our fee | Quoted on the first call, before you agree to anything. It depends on your level and whether it is likely to be tried. |
| The first conversation | Free. |
Ask any DWI lawyer for a flat figure on the first call. If they will not give you a range before you sign, that tells you something.
How to choose a DWI lawyer in Greensboro
People search for the “best” DWI lawyer in Greensboro. No lawyer is allowed to tell you they are the best one, and any firm that does is breaking the North Carolina State Bar advertising rules. What we can do is tell you what actually separates a good DWI lawyer from a bad one, so you can judge for yourself.
| Ask them this | What a good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| “What level am I likely to be?” | They should walk you through the grossly aggravating factors rather than quoting you the maximum. |
| “Can the minimum be community service?” | At Levels 3, 4 and 5 the law allows it. A lawyer who does not mention this has not read your case. |
| “Have you asked for the license hearing?” | There are only 10 days. If nobody has mentioned this deadline, that is a warning sign. |
| “Will you challenge the stop and the testing?” | Both are challengeable. A plea should not be the first suggestion. |
Ask us all four on the first call.
Our DWI defense team
Chad D. Garrett
Criminal Defense, DWI and Traffic Law
Chad started the firm and defends criminal cases in state and federal court. He wrote ABC's of Traffic Law, ABC's of DWI and DWI Essentials.
- Continuing Legal Education Instructor of the Year, North Carolina Bar Association
- Former President, Greensboro Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Board Member, Criminal Justice Section, North Carolina Bar Association
Chad D. GarrettFounder
Jason AycothPartner
Sean OlsonPartner
Brandon GoldsboroughCriminal Defense
Stephanie GoldsboroughCriminal Defense
Rebecca ElliottCriminal Defense
Patrick BidwellCriminal Defense
Samantha HeplerCriminal DefenseWhat clients say
4.9 out of 5 from 587 Google reviews. A few recent ones:
Where we practice
Our office is two minutes from the Guilford County Courthouse.
Guilford County: Greensboro · High Point · Jamestown · Gibsonville · Summerfield · Oak Ridge · Pleasant Garden · Stokesdale · Whitsett · McLeansville · Sedalia
Also serving: Randolph, Forsyth, Alamance, Rockingham and Davidson Counties
Questions people ask us
How do I find the best DWI lawyer in Greensboro?
No North Carolina lawyer is permitted to claim to be the best, so judge on specifics. Do they explain the six levels rather than quoting the maximum? Do they mention that the minimum can be community service? Did they ask about the 10 day license hearing deadline?
Will I go to jail for a first DWI?
There is a minimum for every level, but at Level 5 it is 24 hours and at Level 4 it is 48 hours. At those levels the law lets the minimum be done as community service instead of jail. The judge decides which.
How long do I lose my license?
The automatic suspension when you are charged is 30 days, and never less. It becomes 45 days if you hand your license in more than five working days late. That is separate from anything a judge does later.
I only have 10 days to do what?
To ask for a hearing about the 30 day suspension. The suspension stays in place while you wait for the hearing, but if you miss the 10 days you lose the chance to contest it at all.
What makes a DWI worse than Level 5?
Four things. A DWI in the last seven years, driving while revoked for a DWI, someone being seriously hurt, or a child under 18 in the car. One of those puts you at Level 2. Two puts you at Level 1. A child in the car on its own puts you at Level 1.
Can I drive to work during the suspension?
Often yes, with a limited driving privilege. You need a substance abuse assessment among other conditions. Start that assessment early, because it holds everything else up.
What does it cost to get my license back?
A $100 fee to the court, plus waiting out the full period. If you were not licensed to begin with there is a separate restoration fee.
What if I refused the breath test?
Refusing triggers the same immediate suspension as a reading of 0.08 or more. It also brings a separate DMV revocation that works differently from the court case. Tell us on the first call if you refused.
Can a DWI be expunged in North Carolina?
No. Impaired driving is shut out of the expunction law completely. There is no waiting period that clears it. That is one of the reasons it is worth fighting the first time rather than taking the quickest way out. See expungements for what can be cleared.
Is a DWI a felony in North Carolina?
Usually it is a misdemeanor, even at the higher levels. It becomes a felony as habitual impaired driving, which needs three prior convictions within ten years. See habitual DWI.
I have a CDL. What happens to it?
The rules are tighter and the threshold is lower, 0.04 instead of 0.08. A limited driving privilege will not let you drive a commercial vehicle. If your job depends on your license, say so on the first call.
Talk to a Greensboro DWI lawyer today
Bring the paper they gave you at the roadside. That is enough to work out your level.
Garrett, Walker, Aycoth & Olson, Attorneys at Law
317 South Greene St, Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 379-0539 · answered live, 24 hours
Free consultation · Se habla español
This page explains North Carolina law in general terms as of October 2026. It is not legal advice about your case, and penalties and statutes change. Figures come from N.C.G.S. 20-138.1, 20-179, 20-16.5, 20-17.6 and 20-138.5. Court details come from the North Carolina Judicial Branch.