Drink-driving Fines and Demerit Points by State (2026-27)
$400–$1,000 on-the-spot fine, lowest to highest state
Each state's lowest drink-driving range, first offence, full licence: WA highest, NT lowest
8 official offence schedules · verified between 17 July and 23 September 2026- For each state's lowest drink-driving range, first offence, full licence, the highest on-the-spot fine is WA's $1,000 and the lowest NT's $400: a spread of $600, with the highest 2.5 times the lowest.
- The median across the 6 states with an on-the-spot fine is $674.50; WA, SA, NSW charge more than that.
- QLD and ACT treat this as a court matter with no on-the-spot fine, so they are not ranked.
- The most demerit points for each state's lowest drink-driving range, first offence, full licence are 6, in NT.
- 1 of the 8 states add demerit points on top for this offence in some circumstances: WA.
Every drink-driving penalty, state by state
| Offence | Points | Fine | Licence consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | |||
| Low-range drink driving (first offence) | — | $722 | Immediate 3-month licence suspension accompanies the penalty notice (first offence). If dealt with by a court instead: LOW range - max fine $2,200 first / $3,300 subsequent, automatic disqualification 6 months first / 12 months subsequent (minimum 3 / 6 months), interlock not required for first offence; MID range - max fine $2,200 first / $3,300 subsequent, max imprisonment 9 / 12 months, automatic disqualification 12 months / 3 years (minimum 6 / 12 months), interlock required; HIGH range - max fine $3,300 first / $5,500 subsequent, max imprisonment 18 months / 2 years, automatic disqualification 3 years / 5 years (minimum 12 months / 2 years), interlock required. |
| Victoria | |||
| Drink driving — BAC 0.05 to under 0.07 (first offence) | 0 | $627 | minimum 3-month licence cancellation (fully licensed, 26+); interlock + behaviour change program on relicensing |
| Drink driving — BAC 0.07 to under 0.10 | 0 | $627 | minimum 6-month licence cancellation and disqualification; interlock + behaviour change program |
| Drink driving — BAC 0.10 to under 0.15 | 0 | $889 | minimum 10-month cancellation at 0.10-<0.11, rising ~1 month per 0.01 BAC to 24 months at 0.24+; immediate police licence suspension at 0.10+ (full licence); 30-day vehicle impoundment possible at 0.10+ |
| Drink driving — BAC 0.15 or more (court) | 0 | court | minimum 15-month cancellation at 0.15-<0.16 rising to 24 months at 0.24+ (Sch 1 Road Safety Act 1986) |
| Alcohol under 0.05 on a zero-BAC licence | 0 | $523 | minimum 3-month cancellation (zero-BAC holders under 0.05) |
| Queensland | |||
| Low-range drink driving (0.05 to under 0.10) | — | court (max $2,417) | disqualification 1 to 9 months (court-set); 24-hour immediate suspension on charge |
| Mid-range drink driving (0.10 to under 0.15) | — | court (max $3,454) | disqualification 3 to 12 months; licence immediately suspended on charge until court |
| High-range drink driving (0.15 and over) | — | court (max $4,835) | disqualification minimum 6 months; licence immediately suspended on charge until court |
| Western Australia | |||
| Drink driving — BAC 0.05 to under 0.06 (first offence) | 3 | $1,000 | — |
| Drink driving — BAC 0.06 to under 0.07 (first offence) | 4 | $1,000 | — |
| Drink driving — BAC 0.07 to under 0.08 (first offence) | 5 | $1,000 | — |
| South Australia | |||
| Drink driving — BAC 0.05 to under 0.08 (expiable) | 4 | $904 | — |
| Tasmania | |||
| Drink driving — BAC 0.05 to under 0.10 (infringement) | 0 | $426 | 3 months disqualification |
| Drink driving — BAC 0.10 to under 0.15 (infringement) | 0 | $852 | 6 months disqualification |
| Australian Capital Territory | |||
| Drink driving (court only in the ACT) | — | court | court-imposed disqualification; immediate suspension notice may apply |
| Northern Territory | |||
| Low-range drink driving (0.05 to under 0.08, first offence) | 6 | $400 | minimum 3-month licence disqualification; maximum 3 months imprisonment (court) |
| Mid-range drink driving (0.08 to under 0.15) | — | court (max $1,455) | minimum 6-month licence disqualification; maximum 6 months imprisonment |
| High-range drink driving (0.15 and over) | — | court (max $1,940) | minimum 12-month licence disqualification; maximum 12 months imprisonment |
Double demerits
| State | Treatment of each state's lowest drink-driving range, first offence, full licence |
|---|---|
| NSW | Holiday periods — points double for speeding, phone, seatbelt and helmet offences (fines unchanged) |
| VIC | None — Victoria has no double-demerit scheme |
| QLD | Year-round repeat-offence doubling — a second offence in the same group (phone, seatbelt, helmet, speeding 21+ km/h) within 12 months doubles the points |
| WA | Yes — points double during WA holiday double-demerit periods |
| SA | None — SA does not use double demerit points |
| TAS | None — Tasmania has no double-demerit scheme |
| ACT | Holiday periods — points double for speeding, seatbelt, helmet and phone offences; every other point offence gets +1 point (fines unchanged) |
| NT | None — the NT has no double-demerit scheme |
How close one offence takes you to the limit
| State | Points | Full-licence limit | Offences to reach it | Learner and provisional limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | — | 13 | — | P2: 7 points; P1 and learner: 4 points; good-behaviour period: 2 points. |
| VIC | 0 | 12 | — | Learner, P1, P2 (and overseas licence holders under 22): 5 points in any 12 months. |
| QLD | — | 12 | — | P1, P2 and learner: 4 points in 12 months. |
| WA | 3 | 12 | 4 | Learner and first-year provisional: 4 points; second-year provisional: 8 points. |
| SA | 4 | 12 | 3 | Learner and provisional: 4 points; probationary: 2 points. |
| TAS | 0 | 12 | — | Learner and provisional: 4 points in 12 months. |
| ACT | — | 12 | — | Provisional and learner: 4 points; probationary: 2 points. |
| NT | 6 | 12 | 2 | Learner and provisional: 5 points in any 12 months. |
| Full-licence points, first offence, before any double-demerit period. Learners and provisional drivers often face higher points or an automatic suspension for the same offence; see each state's row above. | ||||
Frequently asked questions
- Which state has the highest drink-driving fine?
- For each state's lowest drink-driving range, first offence, full licence, WA ($1,000). The lowest is NT ($400).
- Which states apply double demerits to drink-driving offences?
- WA — see the table above for how each applies them.
Other offences compared
- Speeding
- Mobile phone
- Seatbelt
- Red light
- Drug-driving
- Unregistered and uninsured vehicles
- All demerit rules by state
Sources — figures verified between 17 July and 23 September 2026.
- NSW Government offence and demerit scheduleverified
- Transport Victoria / Fines Victoria (2026-27 schedule)verified
- Queensland Government demerit and fines schedule (1 July 2026)verified
- WA Road Safety Commission / Department of Transport (2026-27)verified
- SA expiation fees (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous) Regulations, 1 July 2026)verified
- Transport Tasmania offence list at the 2026-27 penalty unitverified
- ACT Road Transport (Offences) Regulation (Republication 104, 1 July 2026)verified
- NT Government traffic offences and penaltiesverified
Standard first-offence penalties for a full-licence holder from each state's own schedule. Bands are each state's own; a like-for-like comparison uses the same conduct or the same km/h over. Information, not legal advice.