What to Do After a DUI Arrest in Maryland
This is the fast, practical checklist: protect your license, lock down your timeline, and preserve defense options before the case hardens.
What to do after a DUI arrest in Maryland: The first 24 hours
- Stop talking about the stop. No “explanations” to police, friends, or texts you don’t control.
- Figure out the testing type. Breath vs. blood changes the strategy and evidence.
- Get your paperwork together. Citations, temporary license forms, towing/impound paperwork, and any receipts or discharge papers.
- Write your timeline now. Where you were, when you drove, when you were stopped, what was said, what tests happened, and in what order.
- Start the license track immediately. Court is not the only timeline that matters.
One rule: early mistakes cost options. If you want a clean plan, start with a FREE consultation.
What to do after a DUI arrest in Maryland: Protect your defense options
What to gather (today)
- Names/contact info for any passengers or witnesses.
- Photos of the stop area (lighting, signage, slope/grade, pavement, weather).
- Medical info that matters (injuries, balance issues, vision issues, medications).
- If you have it: the tow sheet, booking sheet, and any bond paperwork.
What not to do
- Don’t post about it.
- Don’t call the officer/prosecutor yourself “to clear it up.”
- Don’t guess at facts. Lock down what you actually remember, then stop.
What to do after a DUI arrest in Maryland: The two tracks you must manage
Most people focus only on “my court date.” That’s a mistake. DUI cases in Maryland usually split into:
1) The license / MVA track
This is where suspension, interlock, and administrative deadlines live. It can move faster than court.
2) The court / criminal track
This is where motions, suppression issues, expert/science fights, and final case outcomes live.
If you want the fastest “what matters first” roadmap, read the pages below in order.
What to do after a DUI arrest in Maryland: Read next (in this order)
- Maryland MVA hearing (ALR) and license deadlines How to protect your license after a Maryland DUI and what you should do first.
- Maryland field sobriety tests: what they prove (and what they don’t) Why these “tests” are really evidence collection—and how they get challenged.
- Maryland DUI breath test basics Breath procedures, paperwork issues, and where the defense usually starts.
- Maryland DUI blood test basics Chain of custody, lab issues, and how blood cases differ from breath cases.
- Maryland DUI penalties and what “risk” actually means What outcomes are really driven by—and what moves the needle.
- Maryland DWI defense roadmap Suppression, science, negotiation posture, and how strong cases get built.
What to do after a DUI arrest in Maryland: If you want help right now
If you were arrested for DUI/DWI in Maryland and you want an organized plan that protects your license and your defense options, start with a FREE consultation.