How to Find NH DUI Records

New Hampshire DUI Legislature

In New Hampshire driving under the influence (DUI) offenses or driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenses can be charged under two different ways. The first case involves the court laws for drunken driving offenses and the second one involves the Administrative Per Se laws on DUI offenses in New Hampshire.

For more information of NH DUI laws, and accessing DUI records in New Hampshire you can visit http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/

Reasons for Searching the Records

The Division of Motor Vehicles in New Hampshire maintains a database of all the individual driving offenses for the state of New Hampshire. The state of New Hampshire is concerned about the privacy of its citizen as well as the identity theft issues. So the individual’s driving record is considered a private and confidential document. The Division of Motor Vehicles in NH will only provide a copy of the individual’s driving record with their consent.

The professional drivers holding a commercial driver’s license for their work are assessed by their employers every year. The employers of these drivers request for a copy of their driving records. In addition, many employers also go through the NH driving records as part of a standard background check.

It is a standard procedure for the lenders, schools, colleges, credit agencies, insurance companies as well as the banks to request for a copy of the individual’s driving records to screen the applicants.

Apart from employment screening purposes the individuals may also need a copy of their own driving record in North Hampshire when they need to defend themselves in a court against a DUI offense or a ticket.

Information Contained in the NH DUI Records

The New Hampshire DUI records provide information on the individual’s history of violations that include details of convictions, adjudications, points against his or her license, suspensions, and in certain cases even contain information on any serious accidents that the individual may have had.

When you require checking the status of your driver’s license, you may request for your own driving record from the Division of Motor Vehicles in NH. The abstract of your official  NH driving record will not only tell you if the license is valid, revoked or it has been suspended but also provide information on parking tickets and your driving history including details of any accidents or convictions  or active warrants.

Retrieving a Copy of the NH DUI Records

When you request for a copy of your own driving record in New Hampshire you need to download the “Release of Motor Vehicle Records” form and submit it along with a processing fee of $ 15 to:  Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles, Driver Record, 23 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03305.

If you request for the copy of the driver’s records of other individuals in the state of New Hampshire then you need to acquire the individual’s consent. In such cases the form (Release of Motor Vehicle Records) needs to be notarized.

You will receive the copy of the driving record within 10 days after filing the application.

For more information, you can contact the Driver Records Office at: (603) 271-2322.

Expungement of the NH DUI Records

A DUI conviction in the state of North Hampshire can be expunged from the individual’s criminal records five years after the offender has been released from the custody or has completed his /her term or probation or after the post release supervision period expires. The expungement process for a DUI conviction in the New Hampshire State does not happen automatically and it is not applicable for all the DUI offenses. When you file a petition for the expungement of your DUI conviction in a court in NH you should be able to prove that it is in the interest of justice to erase that record of conviction.

Once the DUI conviction is erased from your driving record it will not be disclosed to the credit agencies, banks, lenders, schools, colleges or even to an employer who conducts a background check except under certain situations which are provided by the state laws. The details of the expunged records however remain attached to your criminal history record and can be accessed by the various state as well as the federal law enforcement and criminal justice agencies. It will show up if you are convicted of another DUI offense or another crime in the future.

If you have not been previously convicted of a DUI offense or never been in a car wreck or an accident that resulted in any personal injury or death then you can become eligible to join the DUI diversion program.

The DUI diversion program is basically a contract between the individual offender and the city or county in NH in which the offender givers up his or her rights to a trial by jury for a chance to avoid a DUI conviction.

Under this program you are required to attend a treatment program for drugs and alcohol, pay a fine, abstain from alcohol and drugs and follow all the requirements of the program.

The DUI diversion program usually lasts for a year. If you follow all the rules required under this contract then after the completion of the program your DUI conviction will be expunged from your record. But if you do not abide by the rules of the contract or fail to complete the program then the criminal case against you will be reinstated.