North Carolina DMV Permit Test: Alcohol, DWI, and the Point System Concepts
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Overview
This chapter covers North Carolina's alcohol limits, what happens if you refuse a chemical test, the penalties for Driving While Impaired (DWI), and how driver license points can lead to a suspension.
Everyone's driving is impaired at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08, and many people are affected well below that. A driver 21 or older can be convicted of DWI with a BAC of 0.08 or more, or with any amount if alcohol or drugs clearly impair driving. A driver under 21 may not drive with any alcohol or drugs in the body, and a conviction brings a one-year revocation. Only time sobers a person; coffee and cold showers do not.
If you are charged with DWI and refuse a chemical test, your license is revoked at once for at least 30 days, and the DMV adds a revocation of at least 12 months. A first DWI conviction brings a one-year revocation. Points are added for moving violations. With 7 points you may be sent to a driver improvement clinic, and 12 points within three years can suspend your license.
Key concepts
BAC limits
A driver 21 or older is impaired at a BAC of 0.08 or more (0.04 in a commercial vehicle). A driver under 21 may not drive with any amount of alcohol in the body.
Memory tip21 and over: 0.08. Under 21: zero.
Source: North Carolina Driver's Handbook (NCDMV), Chapter 2 · as of 2026
Refusing a test
If you are charged with DWI and refuse a breath or blood test, your license is revoked right away for at least 30 days, and the DMV adds a revocation of at least 12 months.
Memory tipRefusal: 30 days at once plus 12 months more.
Source: North Carolina Driver's Handbook (NCDMV), Chapter 2 · as of 2026
DWI revocations
First conviction: one-year revocation. Second conviction within three years of a prior offense: four years. Third conviction with a prior one in the last five years: permanent revocation.
Memory tip1 year, then 4 years, then permanent.
Source: North Carolina Driver's Handbook (NCDMV), Chapter 2 · as of 2026
Open container
You may not drink any alcohol, including beer, while driving, and you may not carry an open container of alcohol in the passenger area.
Memory tipNo open alcohol where people sit.
Driver license points
Moving violations add points. At 7 points you may be sent to a driver improvement clinic, which removes 3 points when you finish. Twelve points within three years can suspend your license.
Memory tip7 points: clinic. 12 in 3 years: suspension.
Source: North Carolina Driver's Handbook (NCDMV), Chapter 3 · as of 2026
Point values
Passing a stopped school bus: 5 points. Reckless driving, following too closely, and illegal passing: 4. Running a stop sign or red light and failing to yield: 3. Most other moving violations: 2.
Memory tipPassing a stopped school bus is one of the most costly: 5 points.
Source: North Carolina Driver's Handbook (NCDMV), Chapter 3 · as of 2026
Often tested
- Drivers 21 and older are impaired at a BAC of 0.08 or more.
- A driver under 21 may not drive with any alcohol in the body.
- Only time sobers you; coffee and cold showers do not.
- A first DWI conviction brings a one-year revocation.
- Twelve points within three years can suspend your license.
- Illegal parking does not add driver license points.
Easy to confuse: Point suspension lengths
| Suspension | Length |
|---|---|
| First | 60 days |
| Second | 6 months |
| Third | 12 months |
3 sample questions
Verified practice questions from this unit.
Question 1. At what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a driver 21 or older considered impaired by law?
- ① 0.02
- ② 0.05
- ③ 0.08
- ④ 0.10
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Answer: ③ 0.08
Key point: Adult BAC limit: 0.08
A driver 21 or older can be convicted of Driving While Impaired with a BAC of 0.08 or more. A driver can also be convicted at a lower level if alcohol or drugs clearly impair driving.
Wrong choices
- 0.02: 0.02 is lower than the adult limit; drivers under 21 may not have any alcohol at all.
- 0.05: Crash risk rises at 0.05, but the legal limit is 0.08.
- 0.10: The limit is 0.08, not 0.10.
Question 2. How much alcohol may a driver under 21 have in the body while driving in North Carolina?
- ① Up to 0.04
- ② Up to 0.02
- ③ Up to 0.08
- ④ None at all
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Answer: ④ None at all
Key point: Under 21: zero alcohol
A driver under 21 may not drive with any amount of alcohol or drugs in the body. A conviction brings a one-year license revocation.
Wrong choices
- Up to 0.08: 0.08 is the limit for drivers 21 and older.
- Up to 0.04: 0.04 is the limit for commercial drivers.
- Up to 0.02: North Carolina sets no such allowance for drivers under 21; any amount is illegal.
Question 3. A driver charged with DWI refuses to take a chemical test. What happens to the license?
- ① A warning letter
- ② Nothing, because the test is voluntary
- ③ An immediate revocation of at least 30 days, plus a DMV revocation of at least 12 months
- ④ A 2-point penalty
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Answer: ③ An immediate revocation of at least 30 days, plus a DMV revocation of at least 12 months
Key point: Refusal: 30 days at once plus 12 months from DMV
Refusing a required test brings an immediate revocation for at least 30 days and an additional revocation of at least 12 months by the DMV. The refusal can also be used as evidence in court.
Wrong choices
- Nothing, because the test is voluntary: By driving in North Carolina you have agreed to testing; refusal has penalties.
- A warning letter: Refusal brings a revocation, not just a warning.
- A 2-point penalty: The penalty is a revocation, not points.
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